Thrifty cord-cutters know the secret to getting ad-free Peacock for cheap: Ideally on Black Friday, snag a discounted year of ad-free Peacock, then use Peacock’s monthly Premium Plus add-on option to yank the ads. Easy, right?
Well, bad news, bargain hunters: Peacock is doing away with its monthly Premium Plus add-on, and those who combined it with a sweet Black Friday deal have some not-so-sweet choices to make.
“We’re simplifying your billing and adjusting your plan,” reads an e-mail going out to Peacock users this week. “Starting soon, we’re no longer offering Premium Plus on a separate add-on basis, so we’ll need to cancel your monthly Plus add-on subscription.”
Peacock users with the add-on are being told that if they take no action before a certain date (in most cases later this month), they’ll automatically be switched over to Peacock Premium—which, confusingly, is the ad-supported version of Peacock.
Those who want to keep ad-free Peacock are advised to change their subscriptions to the pricier Peacock Premium Plus plan, at which point they’ll be refunded for any unused portion of their Premium plan.
Now, anyone who paid the usual $80 a year for Peacock Premium plus $6 a month for the Premium Plus add-on (for an annual total of $152) would actually save money by switching to the full-on Premium Plus plan, which costs $140 a month. A monthly Peacock Premium subscription plus the $6 add-on costs $14, the same as a month of Premium Plus.
The real value of the $6 Premium Plus add-on came when you combined it with a special offer. For example, those who snapped up Peacock’s 2024 Black Friday promotion—a full year of Peacock Premium for $20—and tacked on the Premium Plus add-on could get a year’s worth of ad-free Peacock for just $92, versus the usual $140/year Premium Plus rate.
Those users are now faced with two options: either settling for Peacock with ads for the rest of the promotional period or getting a refund for the remainder of their Black Friday discounts and switching to Premium Plus at full price.
Annoyed Peacock subscribers are calling the change a “bait and switch,” although Peacock says it will honor any current promotional rates until their terms expire.
Either way, soon you will no longer have a convenient way to flex an annual Peacock Premium plan to the ad-free Premium Plus tier for a month.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he has covered everything from smart speakers and soundbars to smart lights and security cameras. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature.