Halloween is in October but Disney+ has already geared up to give your wallet a shock with yet another price hike. Yes, your streaming bill is going up again, and this time ad-free Disney+ crosses the $20 mark. Disney+ Premium and Hulu Premium now cost $21.49 a month each, up $2.50, and existing subscribers will see the change from October 21.
What's new
The new prices are already live for anyone signing up since September 23. If you're an existing subscriber, the increase lands on your first billing cycle on or after October 21.
The ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu plans are going up too, rising 50 cents to $12.49 a month each. The Disney+ Premium annual plan climbs from $189.99 to $214.99.
Why it matters
Disney is making standalone subscriptions look like a bad deal, and that seems to be the point. The Disney+ and Hulu Premium bundle now costs $21.99, which is just 50 cents more than paying for one of those services on its own.
The same trick works at the cheaper end. The ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu bundle stays at $12.99, only 50 cents above a single ad-supported plan, so anyone paying for either service standalone is leaving Hulu or Disney+ on the table.
How the prices stack up
For perspective, Disney+ launched in 2019 at $6.99 a month. Premium was $15.99 before last October's hike, so ad-free subscribers are now paying $5.50 more a month than they were a year ago.
Here's where the main plans land:
| Disney+, Hulu, & ESPN Bundle plans | Services | Price |
| Disney+, Hulu Bundle | Disney+ (With Ads)Hulu (With Ads) | Monthly: $12.99 |
| Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium | Disney+ (No Ads)**Hulu (No Ads) | Monthly: $21.99 |
| Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle | Disney+ (With Ads)**Hulu (With Ads)ESPN Select (With Ads) | Monthly: $21.99 |
| Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium | Disney+ (No Ads)**Hulu (No Ads)ESPN Select (With Ads) | Monthly: $32.99 |
| Disney+ Premium, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Legacy | Disney+ (No Ads)**Hulu (With Ads)ESPN Select (With Ads) Please note this plan is no longer available to purchase or switch into on Disney+. Existing subscribers will be able to keep their plan so long as they do not cancel or change it. | Monthly: $27.99 |
| Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle | Disney+ (With Ads)Hulu (With Ads)ESPN Unlimited (With Ads) | Monthly: $35.99 |
| Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle Premium | Disney+ (No Ads)**Hulu (No Ads)ESPN Unlimited (With Ads) | Monthly: $44.99 |
Hulu + Live TV packages are getting more expensive as well. If you subscribe through Google Play or another third-party billing partner, Disney notes your price may differ from what it lists directly.
What isn't changing
The Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited bundles hold at $35.99 with ads and $44.99 ad-free. Bundles with NFL+ Premium and Disney+ add-ons are also untouched this time around.
Takeaway
Disney says the extra money goes toward enhancing its streaming platforms, and it'll be interesting to see whether subscribers feel that improvement before next year's increase rolls around. Unfortunately, annual hikes now look like a fixture of the service rather than an exception. If you're on a standalone plan, switching to a bundle before October 21 is the easiest way to get more for roughly the same money.
