Your Netflix plan should match how you actually watch, not how you watched when you signed up. If you now watch alone on a phone, you are probably overpaying for a Premium plan. If your household has grown, the basic plan's single screen may be causing arguments every evening. Netflix raised its US prices in March 2026, so this is a good moment to check what you are paying and whether a different tier fits better. The change itself takes about a minute, and this guide walks through it step by step.

Netflix raised its US prices on March 26, 2026. The Standard with ads plan went from 7.99 dollars to 8.99 dollars a month, the Standard plan went from 17.99 dollars to 19.99 dollars, and the Premium plan went from 24.99 dollars to 26.99 dollars. Existing members were moved to the new prices over the following months, with an email notice a month ahead. Prices in other countries are different, so check the plans page for your own region rather than assuming the US figures apply to you.

The differences between the plans are straightforward. Standard with ads is the cheapest option and shows adverts before and during most shows and films, with a smaller catalogue, since a few titles are not available on the ads plan. Standard gives you ad-free viewing in full HD on two screens at once, plus downloads on two devices. Premium adds 4K Ultra HD with HDR, four screens at once, and downloads on six devices. If you watch on a 4K television, Premium is the only plan that delivers the full picture quality.

Sign in to Netflix in a web browser and open your Account page, then look for the plan details under Membership. Select Change Plan and you will see the available tiers for your country, with the current price of each one. Pick the new plan, confirm the change, and Netflix will show you when it takes effect. The whole process is two or three clicks, and you do not need to contact support or wait for approval.

The timing depends on the direction of the change. If you upgrade to a more expensive plan, the change usually takes effect immediately, and Netflix charges you a prorated amount for the rest of the current billing period. If you downgrade to a cheaper plan, the change normally takes effect on your next billing date, so you keep the better plan until the period you have already paid for runs out. Either way, you are never charged twice for the same days, and you can change your plan again later if your needs change.

Before switching to the ads plan, check whether the shows your household watches most are available on it, because a small number of titles are excluded due to licensing. If you share your account with extra members, remember that extra member slots are billed separately and keep charging even if you downgrade, so review those too. And if cost is the only reason you are leaving, consider pausing instead: some accounts are offered a one-month pause option on the cancellation page, which keeps your profiles and watch history intact while you take a break.

Finally, check who actually bills you. If you pay for Netflix through a phone carrier, a cable company, Apple, or Google Play, the plan options and the change process may be different, and in some cases you cannot change the plan through Netflix at all. Open your Account page first: if it shows a payment partner instead of a card, contact that partner to change the plan. Changing your Netflix plan is simple when Netflix bills you directly, and a five-minute check could save you the price difference every month.

Open your Account page, pick the tier that matches your screens and your television, and let downgrades take effect on the next billing date. A plan you chose years ago is rarely the best value today, so check it once a year.