Netflix to charge an extra £60 a year if you share your account with others – here's what you need to know

Below we explain what's happening. You can also read our Best streaming services guide and our 18 Netflix hacks for full info on how to stream as cheaply as possible. 

Pay for Netflix? You'll now be charged £4.99 a month for each person you share it with outside of your household – but you can still use it while on the move 

If you want to keep sharing your Netflix account with people you don't live with, you'll now have to pay extra. The streaming giant has this week started to send emails to UK customers about the shake-up.

Here's what you need to know:

• You'll need to buy separate 'extra member' profiles for anyone you share with outside of your household. These will cost £4.99 a month for each person added – on top of your usual monthly payment plan. You can only buy extra profiles on Netflix's standard and premium plans, which cost £10.99 a month and £15.99 a month respectively. If you're on the basic or ad-supported plans, you'll need to upgrade before you can add more members.

• You WON'T be charged automatically if you're currently sharing your account. You'll need to proactively buy the extra profiles. Within your Netflix account you can also review which devices are signed in and sign out any devices that shouldn't have access. 

• Occasionally log in to Netflix abroad or when you're away from home? Here, you'll be able to log in as normal. Netflix says you can use your account in locations you don't normally log in from, including being abroad, or in a holiday rental, Airbnb or similar, elsewhere in the UK.

• Frequently log in to Netflix in the same location when away from home? You need to create a 'link' between this location and your main residence. Do you have a second home or a holiday home, for example, or do you regularly travel to the same location for work?

  Here, you need to make sure you connect to the internet and open the Netflix app on your mobile devices (laptop, phone or tablet) at least once a month when at home, and then do this again at your second location whenever you arrive. This will create a link between your home and that location, allowing you to keep using your account in both places.

Here's how to buy the new add-on if you want to share your account

To share your Netflix account with people outside of your household, you need to: 

1. Log in to Netflix

2. Under 'Account', select 'Buy an extra member slot'

This is, however, only available to those who pay for Netflix directly, and not to those who pay through a third party or as part of a bundle. We're checking with Netflix whether this means these users can continue to share their accounts fee-free and we will update this story when we know more. 

If you're unhappy with the changes, you can cancel penalty-free

If you're unhappy about the changes, all of Netflix's plans can be downgraded or cancelled (or upgraded) at any time, penalty-free. 

If you no longer want an account, you can stop your membership by: 

1. Logging in to Netflix

2. Selecting 'Cancel Membership' in the membership and billing section

If you cancel midway through your billing cycle, you'll be able to carry on using your account until the next billing date. 

Using someone else's Netflix? You need to get your own account or your access will be stopped

Netflix says its accounts are for use by one household only. If you currently use someone else's Netflix account and they don't want to buy you a profile, you have a couple of options: 

• Pay for your own Netflix account (if doing this you can transfer over your current user profile). This means you won't lose your favourited or suggested content, as well as keeping your viewing history and settings. Netflix says that if you attempt to use someone else's account and they haven't purchased an extra member profile for you, you should be shown a prompt asking you to transfer your profile and sign up for your own Netflix account. Alternatively, you can do this by:

  1. Logging in to the Netflix account you're using

  2. Under 'Account', selecting your profile and choosing 'Transfer Profile'

  3. You then need to pay to set up a new Netflix account

• Stop watching Netflix content paid for by another person. If you don't want a Netflix account or the account holder won't buy you a profile, Netflix says you'll no longer be able to watch any content – though it's unclear how this will be policed. Netflix says it will monitor fraudulent account sharing by using information such as IP addresses, device IDs and account activity to determine which devices and profiles are (and aren't) part of the account holder's 'Netflix household'.