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How to Get Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Apple TV Plus for Free

By:
Michael Tedder
Last Updated: Nov 12, 2019 | 5 min read
The interface of Disney+ streaming service is displayed on AppleTV at the D23 Expo, billed as the "largest Disney fan event in the world," on August 23, 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. - ROBYN BECK—AFP/Getty Images
The interface of Disney+ streaming service is displayed on AppleTV at the D23 Expo, billed as the "largest Disney fan event in the world," on August 23, 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. ROBYN BECK—AFP/Getty Images

The streaming wars are getting extremely heated this fall, as new services like Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus enter the marketplace and Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and all of the other players compete for the rights to stream the best TV shows, movies, and original programming.

Apple TV+ launched on Friday, November 1, and costs $5 a month, and Disney Plus will be hot on its heels, rolling out on November 12 at $6.99 a month. The HBO Max streaming service is due to go live at some indeterminate day at an indeterminate price next spring, and NBC’s Peacock streaming service is scheduled to officially launch in April 2020. Prices are also unknown for Peacock, though we do know it will be available in both ad-supported and ad-free tiers.

Each of these services will feature exclusive content from big names, and a bunch of them will feature old favorites, be it the Marvel and Pixar catalogs over at Disney Plus, or reruns of The Office at Peacock.

But let’s be real here. Even if these streaming services keep prices cheap for a while, very few of us are going to subscribe to all four of these services, especially if we’ve already got Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, the ability to go outside or read a book and the like.

So which one is right for you? Smart dealers give you the first hit for free, and the companies behind these new streamers are hoping that if you just sample their wonderful, wonderful content, you’ll fall in love and become paying subscribers forever. So some of them are finding ways to get you to try before you buy. Here’s how you might be able to get a free subscription to Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, HBO Max, and other streaming services.

Stream Disney Plus for Free

Verizon has announced that some of its customers will get Disney Plus for free for one year, if they are already wireless internet customers (4G LTE or 5G). You can also, possibly, win a free Disney Plus subscription if you enter the Disney+ Dream Job contest run by Reviews.org.

All you have to do to win is watch 30 Disney movies on Disney+ within 30 days and then write a review of the streaming service. For this endeavor, Mother.Ly reports, winners will get “$1,000, 12 months of Disney+, a mouse-themed blanket, four cups, a Pixar popcorn popper, and some popcorn.” If that sounds like too much work, a normal Disney+ subscription costs $6.99 a month, and a bundle will be available wherein one gets Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN+ for a not-unreasonable $12.99 a month.

How to Get a Free Apple TV Plus Subscription

Streaming Apple TV+ for free is pretty straightforward, at least for the first 12 months. If you buy a new Apple TV (the streaming device, not the streaming service), iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, or Mac, you will get a voucher for a year’s worth of free Apple TV Plus. (The streaming service, not the streaming device.)

The Apple TV+ streaming service will also be available for a free week’s sample, if you’re curious about Jason Momoa’s muscles but don’t need a new gadget.

Stream HBO for Free With HBO Max

Fortune recently reported that AT&T will give HBO Max away for free to the 10 million customers that already subscribe to plain old HBO. This will be especially helpful to people (who are most of us) who aren’t clear on the difference between HBO and HBO Max. (Mostly old catalog stuff, it seems?) It is unclear how this deal will work for people who received their HBO for free as part of a cable bundle. Additionally, a (presumably cheaper) advertisement-supported tier (a first for HBO) is due in 2021.

Who Can Stream NBC Peacock for Free?

Finally, the Peacock streaming service will be free… if you already subscribe to cable or another qualifying pay TV provider, according to CNBC. If you’re a cord-cutter (and bless if you’re still making that lifestyle still work) Peacock will be available to stream at a price yet to be revealed. But can you really put a price on a Punky Brewster reboot?

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