How To Get More Than 10 Weeks Of Box Set Binging For Free

There’s nothing quite like a box set binge. Whatever your poison is, be it science fiction, drama or comedy, there’s usually something being advertised somewhere for you to lose yourself in. Whilst there are good shows on ‘regular’ TV – we watched Mr Selfridge religiously and it was on ITV – a lot of the ‘must see’ shows just aren’t available to everyone. Let me show you how to get over 10 weeks of box set binging, for free!

Much like my post about ad-free music, which was published on Mouthy Money, this is going to focus on subscription services and more specifically, the trials of these services. I’ll be looking at the main three here in the UK, which are Netflix, Amazon and NowTV.

Netflix is probably the king of all subscriptions services as it picks up a lot of talked about shows. You can watch the likes of Narcos, Orange Is The New Black and Stranger Things. You can get a 30 day trial to watch these fantastic shows. The ‘Basic’ package is £5.99 a month which only includes standard definition (SD) streaming on one screen at a time. ‘Standard’ includes HD streaming on two screens and is £7.49 a month, whilst Platinum for £8.99 a month ups your resolution to 4K with the ability to watch on four screens at a time.

Amazon also has a fantastic offering including the swashbuckling Black Sails, The Man In The High Castle and Golden Globe winning Transparent. You can watch free for 30 days but it will turn into a £5.99 a month charge after your trial. You could try something like Extant which stars Halle Berry. The series ran for 2 seasons, so the 26 episodes is easily watchable during a trial. There are so many Amazon exclusives like Vikings & Mr Robot to enjoy and don’t forget Amazon is now the home of Clarkson and co’s The Grand Tour.

With NowTV you can access to shows from Sky 1 and Sky Atlantic, so you could be watching 24 and Game Of Thrones before you know it. You can also watch shows from Fox, including The Walking Dead. NowTV only has a 14 day trial, which then changes to £6.99 a month for the Entertainment pass. You can also buy passes for Sky Cinema (£9.99 a month) and kids channels (£2.99 a month) to watch the same way but you might as well take advantage of the 14 day trials for those too. Sky Sports is also available but it’s expensive at £6.99 for a day pass, £10.99 for a week and over £30 for a month and there is no trial available. You may need to buy a NowTV box for around £20 in order to watch on your TV, though some televisions do have the app installed.

That’s 74 days of free access to amazing television shows across the three subscription services. Just make sure to write down when you need to cancel. As with the music post, once you’ve put your payment details in, unless your cancel, that first payment will be taken. Of course, you don’t need to do these trials back to back either, take your time with the 3 services. Do some research, know what you want to watch and then start your subscription when you can actually sit down and enjoy. Don’t subscribe, for instance, if you’re about to go on holiday and won’t have access. A little planning and you’ll be able to make the most of your trial subscriptions. You can now ‘…and chill’ for free!