How to get Disney+ for free and save up to £80 a year
Knowing how to get Disney+ for free is a pretty nifty trick, especially when you realise that the streaming giant is no longer offering free trials to new customers. But since the cost of living crisis took hold, many families have been looking for ways to cut the cost of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+. However, as well as reducing the cost, you might be able to get the popular streaming service for free.
Disney+ launched in the UK on 24 March 2020, just as the country went into lockdown and saw 73.7 million subscribers in its first year alone. By April 2023, that number has risen to 157.8 million.
Housing Disney classics, like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid, as well as newer family-favourites like Encanto and Moana, Disney+ is also home to all the Marvel movies, like Iron Man, Thor and Black Panther, in addition to popular series for adults including The Bear and Only Murders in the Building.
With more than six million households signed up to more than one streaming service (according to Finder) telly-watching can be an expensive pastime, but we've found the ways you can get Disney+ for free, even if for just a couple of months.
How to get Disney+ for free
While Disney+ no longer offers a free trial to customers in the UK, there are a few clever ways to get anything from two to 12 months of Disney+ for free. If you already have Disney+, you may have to cancel your subscription before taking advantage of the three, six and 12 month free offers mentioned in this article.
How to get two months Disney+ for free
Pay the annual subscription fee: You can get two months of Disney+ for free simply by opting for an annual subscription instead of a monthly one. While a monthly subscription costs £7.99 per month (and means you will pay £95.88 over the course of a year), an annual subscription (where you pay for a year in one go), costs £79.90. This is the equivalent of only paying your subscription for 10 months of the year, meaning you get two months for free.
How to get three months Disney+ for free
Use your Tesco Clubcard vouchers: If you have a Tesco Clubcard, and have £12 worth of vouchers, you can put these towards a three-month Disney+ subscription. Remember, you get two times the value of your vouchers when you spend with one of Tesco's Reward Partners, which includes Disney+.
You can get three months free whether you are new to Disney+ or an existing customer. Once your three months are up, the subscription will automatically renew at £7.99 per month unless you cancel it.
If you don't fancy Disney+, there are plenty of other ways to spend your Tesco Clubcard vouchers, on things like cinema tickets, holidays, and days out.
How to get six (or even 12) months free Disney+
Add it to your O2 account: If you are an O2 customer, you could get six months of Disney+ for free when you upgrade. You simply add it to your account as an extra when you upgrade to a new handset or SIM-only deal, and once the six months are over, you can continue to pay the £7.99 monthly fee with the rest of your mobile bill.
All is not lost if you don't want to upgrade. Existing customers can add the Disney+ Extra to their account and get £2 off the subscription fee, paying £5.99 per month instead of £7.99. This deal isn't limited to six months like the free offer, and over the course of a year, works out to about £8 cheaper than paying the annual subscription fee as the table below shows:
Check if you have an eligible Samsung device: Similarly, Samsung is offering six or 12 months free Disney+ to customers with an eligible device. Simply visit the website and scan the QR code to see if you qualify.
Disneyland Paris booking bonus: You can also get 12 months free Disney+ when you book a holiday to Disneyland Paris.
Is Disney+ free with with Amazon Prime?
Disney+ isn't free as part of your Amazon Prime subscription - it's a separate streaming service. However, you might find some shows or movies are available on both platforms, although you might have to pay for it. For example, Marvel movies are available for free as part of a Disney+ subscription, but you will need to pay extra (on top of your Amazon Prime subscription fee) to be able to watch them through Prime Video.
It's worth also understanding the hidden benefits of a Prime membership, if you are trying to decide which streaming service to choose.
Which streaming services offer free trials?
Out of the big hitter streaming services, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, it's only Amazon Prime that offers a free trial. That trial lasts 30 days.
However, newer streaming services like Apple TV+ and Paramount+ offer seven day free trials. Don't forget too, that if you buy an Apple product, like an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, you will get anything from three to 12 months free Apple TV+ access).
If you are a fan of Netflix, make sure you are aware of the streamer's ban on password sharing to avoid falling fowl of new rules.
