YouTube is raising prices for long-time subscribers with legacy YouTube Premium and YouTube Music plans, impacting users in the U.S. and now extending to various regions worldwide.
This change affects those who initially joined through older services like Google Play Music or YouTube Red.
Last December, U.S. subscribers with legacy YouTube Premium plans were notified that their monthly rate would rise to the current $13.99 per month. Now, legacy subscribers across Europe have started receiving similar notifications. In some cases, subscribers are being offered a three-month grace period at their current rate before the price increase takes effect.
According to Paul Pennington, YouTube’s communications manager, both new and existing YouTube Premium and Music Premium subscribers in countries like Spain, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Portugal, and Romania will soon see the updated pricing. Here’s what’s changing:
- Monthly Price Increase: Subscribers on older plans will experience a bump to align with current subscription rates. Long-time members who initially joined via Google Play Music will have three additional months at the original rate.
- Example Rate Changes: In Spain, for instance, a legacy subscriber’s rate is moving from €7.99 to €10.99, still slightly under the standard €12.99 for new subscribers.
YouTube’s changes follow a broader trend of adjusting subscription prices across platforms to maintain parity and improve service offerings, although it may come as an unwelcome update for long-time users.
