Max announces price hike ahead of House of the Dragon season 2 (Find out how much more it'll cost you)

Another day, another price hike. Max has shared that customers will be seeing a price increase when it comes to the Ad-Free and Ultimate Ad-Free plans ahead of House of the Dragon season 2 premiering next week on Sunday, June 16, 2024. So how much more will you have to start paying?

Alright, I'm going to preface this with saying that I'm exaggerating a bit in terms of being frustrated. Because the platform isn't upping the price by much. Let's get to the increased price first, then I'll explain. Starting on June 4, 2024, Max has increased both the Ad-Free and Ultimate Ad-Free plans by $1/month. Though when it comes to the annual price, that's a $20 increase if you're going Ad-Free and $10 more if you choose Ultimate Ad-Free. We shared the new prices below:

• Ad-Free: $16.99/month or $169.99/year (previously $15.99/month or $149.99/year)
• Ultimate Ad-Free: $20.99/month or $209.99/year (previously $19.99/month or $199.99/year)
• With Ads: $9.99/month or $99.99/year (price has not changed)

This increase has gone into effect, and currently only applies to those who are new to Max and signing up for the first time. So if you went to sign up right now in preparation of House of the Dragon season 2, or wanting the platform for other content, you're going to be paying the new price. Existing customers will "be notified 30 days in advance of their plan renewing," per a press release, before the new amount kicks in. So if you already have a Max account and don't want to cancel it, you will see the increased price when it renews next if you're paying monthly. Those with an annual subscription won't see the price increase until it expires and it's time to renew the yearly plan.

The With Ads option remains the same at $9.99/month or $99.99/year, and will not be seeing an increased price. At least for now. This really isn't that bad for Max, as well as compared to other streamers. I can admit that. I mean, it feels like Netflix is raising the price on us all the time and it's usually for more than $1. I think as a fan of streaming television, I'm more frustrated about the increase not the amount if that makes sense. It's the principal of it.

There's no way most people can afford subscriptions to all of these streaming services, plus sometimes cable or an online platform like YouTube TV that we need for live broadcast shows as well. And yet, these companies just expect us to continue to pay and increase the prices on us. It's not fair. And if you look at the annual amount, it's $20 more for Ad-Free and a $10 increase for Ultimate Ad-Free. In the grand scheme divided by 12 months, it isn't much. But it still doesn't make me a happy customer.

Again, this isn't a huge deal. And if you're currently a subscriber, enjoy it before the price increase kicks in. This really isn't too bad compared to other streamers, I just wish these platforms would stop increasing the prices on us so often. And actually, this is only the second time (the first being in 2023) Max has raised prices since the platform introduced the ad-free options. This isn't a bash just on Max.

Though I do find it rather convenient that the streamer decided to up the price just as its biggest show, House of the Dragon, is about to come back with season 2 next week. Coincidence? I think not. We do have the upcoming Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle that's on its way, and will provide access to all three streamers at a discounted price. We'll see if it's actually worth it.