How I saved $96 a year on YouTube Premium

When I went through my own bills, the YouTube Premium saving was the one that made me laugh. Nothing changed except where I paid for it. Same app. Same ad-free videos. $96 a year back in my pocket.

What was going on

I'd signed up for YouTube Premium years ago, straight from the YouTube app on my iPhone. One tap, Face ID, done. Easy.

What I didn't clock was that I was paying through Apple, not Google. And the price through Apple was higher than signing up direct on the YouTube website.

That gap worked out to about $8 a month. Over a year, that's $96 for nothing.

Why is it dearer through the App Store?

When you subscribe inside an iPhone app, Apple handles the payment. In return, Apple takes a commission from the app maker on every payment.

Some companies just swallow that cost. Others pass it on to you by charging more for subscriptions bought through the App Store. So the same plan can carry two different price tags, depending on which door you walk in through.

It's not just YouTube. Streaming, music, dating, cloud storage and fitness apps can all work this way. It's worth checking any subscription you started with a tap on your phone.

How to check yours

1. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions.
2. Have a look at what's billed through Apple, and what you're paying.
3. Then check the price on the company's own website.

If the website is cheaper, you've found a saving.

How to switch (without double paying)

1. Cancel in Apple first. In Settings > Subscriptions, tap the subscription and cancel. You'll keep access until the end of the period you've paid for.
2. Wait for it to run out. Make a note of the end date.
3. Sign up direct. Head to the company's website, sign in with the same account and subscribe there.

That's it. Five minutes, tops. Grab a cuppa while you do it.

A couple of fair-go caveats

• Paying through Apple does have perks. Everything's in one spot and cancelling is easy. If that's worth the extra to you, no worries.
• Prices and offers change. Always check the current price before you switch.
• Family or student plans can change the maths. Compare like with like.

The bigger lesson

Small subscriptions are easy to forget. That's exactly why they're worth a look. This was just one of the things I found when I went through everything, from the power bill down to YouTube.

Matt's own result. Yours will depend on your bills. Agent Bill is independent and isn't affiliated with Apple, Google or YouTube.

keep reading

Find the rest of your forgotten ones with the subscription audit. And keep an eye on intro deals: how sign-up bonuses can bite you later.