How to get Apple TV+ for cheap or free

Key Takeaways

Apple TV+ normally has a seven-day trial, but you can get three free months when you buy some Apple devices.
Some stores and carriers offer extended trials or include the service with plans.
Discounts are available when it’s bundled with Apple Music or Apple One.

Apple TV+ may be Apple’s most leftfield product, when you think about it — it hardly follows that the maker of Macs and iPhones would try to compete with Netflix. But the streaming service is worth checking out, given a few masterpiece shows like Manhunt, Severance, and Masters of the Air. Occasionally Apple will drop a gem of a movie too, such as Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

If you want to try it for cheap, or completely free, you’ve got several options available to you. What’s best will depend on your circumstances and how long you want to watch.

Apple TV+

Price: $9.99 per month
Free trial: 7 day free trial and 3 months free if you buy an Apple device

How to get Apple TV+ for free

Buy a new Apple device

Okay, it’s not truly “free,” but Apple does offer three months of Apple TV+ whenever you buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV 4K. There are some other limitations — the deal is only applicable to new or returning Apple TV+ subscribers, and you have to claim your trial within 90 days of your device purchase. Also, be sure to cancel over 24 hours before your trial ends if you don’t want your subscription to be auto-renewed.

To get started:

Make sure the new device is signed into your Apple ID. If you didn’t do that during setup, you can find related options in Settings.
Find and open the TV app.
You should see a pop-up with the three-month offer. Follow instructions.
If the pop-up doesn’t appear immediately, it should show up if you select the Apple TV+ tab.

Apple

If you haven’t bought an Apple device recently enough or don’t plan to buy one, the company is always offering new Apple TV+ subscribers a seven-day trial. There’s no particular trick here — you’ll get the trial automatically when you sign up as long as you haven’t used the service before. As with the three-month trial, be sure to cancel at least 24 hours before the end if you don’t want to become a paid subscriber.

Store and carrier promotions

T-Mobile

Some stores and wireless carriers will offer three, six, or 12 months of free Apple TV+ if you pay for a particular product or sign up for a loyalty or rewards program. Usually these deals will be marketed pretty prominently, including instructions on how to claim them.

If you’re lucky, your carrier may offer Apple TV+ as a part of your phone plan. In the US, for example, T-Mobile bundles the service with an active Go5G Next or Go5G Plus subscription. “Active” is the keyword — you’ll lose Apple TV+ if you ever change providers.

Apple

Apple One bundles multiple Apple services. On top of Apple TV+, plans include Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and varying amounts of iCloud+ storage depending on how much you’re willing to pay. The most expensive tier opens up Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+.

An Apple One trial lasts a month, but it’s worth noting that it only covers services you aren’t already subscribed to. You can’t sign up for an individual Apple TV+ trial and then use One to extend it, in other words.

How to get Apple TV+ for cheap

Apple and its partners tend not to offer discounts on Apple TV+, but there are a couple of bundle options that can make it relatively inexpensive.

Apple Music Student plan: The Student plan is not only less expensive than others — $5.99 per month in the US — but includes Apple TV+ as a perk. There are a few catches. You have to verify your college or university enrollment, and re-verify every year the plan is active. That may only be once, though, since the deal expires after 48 months or whenever you leave school, whichever comes first. If you don’t cancel, you’ll be rolled over into the Individual plan.
Apple One: This is only “cheap” if you were already hoping to use most or all of the bundled services, but in that context, it’s a bargain. US options start at $19.95 per month, which is less than it would cost to get Apple Music and Apple TV+ on their own.