Technology

You May Be Spending Too Much on Apple Subscriptions — Here's How to Fix That

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  • You can save money by buying one of the Apple One bundles, which package services together at a discount.
  • Here's how to see what you already pay for and determine if you should switch to an Apple One plan.

If you subscribe to a bunch of Apple services, like Music, News+, Fitness, Arcade and iCloud storage, you can save money by buying one of the Apple One bundles, which package services at a discount.

You'll save up to $25 a month if you already pay for a bunch of Apple's services. Apple's Family and Premier plans will offer access to premium services for up to six people, so you can share with your family.

For example, since I was spending $26 for my personal Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+ and 50GB of iCloud storage, I decided to move to the Apple One Premier plan. It costs $29.95 per month but now allows me to share all of those subscriptions with my wife and parents, who were also paying separately.

But in talking to people, I've learned that some folks aren't always sure what they already pay for and if a bundle will save them any money. So here's a quick guide that will show you how to figure out which services you already pay for and how to select the right plan for you and your family.

How to see which Apple subscriptions you pay for

  • Open the App Store on your iPhone.
  • Tap your user picture on the top-right.
  • Choose Subscriptions.

Move through this list. You may have many subscriptions from lots of apps if you've signed up inside them. But look for the Apple ones, like Music, Arcade, News+, iCloud, Apple TV+, Arcade and Fitness+. Then find out if multiple people are using each service.

Here's what those services each cost per month:

  • Apple Music: $9.99 per month alone, or $14.99 on a family plan. Students pay $4.99.
  • Apple News+: $9.99 per month.
  • Apple Arcade: $4.99 per month.
  • Apple Fitness+: $9.99 per month.
  • Apple iCloud: $0.99 for 50GB, $2.99 for 200GB, $9.99 for 2TB.
  • Apple TV+: $4.99 per month.

If you add all of those up, including the family plan for Apple Music, you're paying about $55 per month. You'll save $25 per month by signing up for the Apple One Premier plan, which includes everything above for $29.95 per month. And your entire family will be able to use the services.

You can even save significant bucks even if you only use some of those services. Say your family uses Apple Music and Apple TV+, but each person pays for their own iCloud storage. A family of six could save $8 by moving to the Apple One Family plan, which includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Arcade and 200GB of iCloud storage.

Lastly, maybe you're flying solo. You pay for Apple Music, Apple TV+ and 50GB of iCloud storage. That's about $16 a month. But, if you switch to the Apple One Family plan, you'll save $1 and get Apple Arcade free (or you'll just save $6 if you're already paying for Apple Arcade.)

To try out Apple One, do this:

  • Open Settings on your iPhone.
  • Tap your name at the top of the screen.
  • Tap Subscriptions.
  • Choose "Get Apple One."
  • Select the plan. Each comes with a one-month free trial.
  • Click "Start Free Trial" at the bottom of the screen.

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