Disney Plus subscribers have recently received some bad news. No, Baby Yoda is fine – and will be back soon. I’m talking about the upcoming Disney Plus price hike, and unlike Hulu’s modest update, Disney Plus will go up by $3 a month. Or you will have to sit through the ads.
And you have until December 8th., when a price change and a new ad-supported Disney Plus tier come into effect. I? I know I will always opt for an ad-free experience, but I know I don’t want to pay more either.
That’s why I’ve locked in my pricing now, by subscribing to Hulu and Disney Plus all on the same account, and getting what’s referred to as a Disney package (which also includes ESPN Plus). And after the price hike on December 8, The Disney bundle is $14.99 (Opens in a new tab)saving you $13.98 on combined costs for Hulu (with ads), Disney Plus (no ads), and ESPN Plus (with ads).
Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus price changes at a glance
| Header cell – column 0 | Previous monthly price | New monthly price |
|---|---|---|
| Disney Plus | $7.99 | $10.99 (December 8) |
| Disney Plus with ads | not available | $7.99 (Dec 8) |
| Hulu with ads | $6.99 | $7.99 (Oct 10) |
| Hulu without ads | $12.99 | $14.99 (Oct 10) |
| ESPN Plus (always contains ads) | $6.99 | $9.99 (Aug 2022) |
But what if, and I know you folks out there, don’t want Hulu or ESPN Plus? Well, if you don’t want ESPN Plus, know that the Disney package is resident $3.99 in savings off just Disney Plus (no ads) and Hulu (with ads).
And if you don’t want Hulu? Then it’s time to think about how much Disney Plus you can expect to watch. From now until December 8th, no ads Disney Plus is $79 for one year (Opens in a new tab). If you think you’ll want to be out of Disney Plus ads for at least 8 of the next 12 months, this is the deal for you. Why have you wanted Disney Plus for this long? Well, The Mandalorian season 3, Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki season 2 and Ironheart are all coming next year, for starters.
It’s always a bad time for prices to go up, but for this to happen as Hulu continues to have great shows (watch The Bear, please) and since inflation is an increasing fact of life?
All this makes Disney Bundle (currently $13.99, down to $14.99) (Opens in a new tab) — which used to be just one package containing Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus — all more interesting. Especially now that there will be four different Disney packages. Annoyingly, though, our Disney Bundle is getting more expensive this fall, going to $14.99 from $13.99, if you’re already a member.
If you will sit through ads? Well, then your calculus changes. Ad-free Disney Plus will cost $7.99, so you’ll only want to sign up for the $80 annual plan if you anticipate that you’ll want Disney Plus for 11 to 12 months next year.
All Disney packages
However, there will be other Disney packages, and the chart below breaks them down
| Header cell – column 0 | $14.99* | $12.99 | $19.99 | $9.99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disney Plus without ads | yes | number | yes | number |
| Disney Plus with ads | number | yes | number | yes |
| Hulu without ads | number | number | yes | number |
| Hulu with ads | yes | yes | number | yes |
| ESPN Plus | yes | yes | yes | number |
| you save | $13.98 | $12.98 | $15.98 | $5.98 |
Disney bundle $14.99 Here for those who keep their existing Disney Plus bundle. Save $3.99 on ad-free Disney Plus and ad-supported Hulu. Then ESPN Plus rolls out for free.
Disney package $9.99 It’s the cheapest new package, and it has ads supported by Disney Plus and Hulu. Saves $5.98 in savings.
Disney bundle $12.99 Click ESPN Plus for the above package for $3 more, saving you $7 off its price.
Disney bundle $19.99 It is for those who hate ads. Total savings of $15.98, which includes ad-free Disney Plus and Hulu, plus ESPN Plus.
Future forecast: time is running out
These price increases were first announced in September, and are finally about to go into effect. I’ve already indicated some of the shows you’ll be returning to Disney Plus for, but you know they’ll be home to upcoming Marvel movies, too.
If you’re a cord cutter, you probably want Hulu to stream next-day TV shows (especially if you don’t have ABC). ESPN Plus has a wide variety of sports, a must for UFC fans.
No matter what, you shouldn’t wait until December 8th to find out your plan for these services. And that gives us an easy Disney-like rhyme: “Don’t wait, don’t wait, December 8th is too late!”
