--- description: A handful of Netflix users are about to see their monthly bills go up. title: Netflix Is About To Get More Expensive for Some Users image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c6ae2dc36f47209/698879ae5f570f3165b1f40c/5045487181.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Media](/tag/media/) ## Media Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Netflix Is About To Get More Expensive for Some Users ## Video: Tech Time: How Airplane Wifi Works [Watch (HLS stream): Tech Time: How Airplane Wifi Works](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lfTXbUYM.m3u8) (1:35)  _Published 2015-10-29. Tech Time: How Airplane Wifi Works_  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 19, 2016 10:06 PM CUT  The website for the Netflix Inc. video streaming service sits on a mobile device screen in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. The website for the Netflix Inc. video streaming service sits on a mobile device screen in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016.Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 19, 2016 10:06 PM CUT A handful of [Netflix](http://time.com/3600677/netflix-tips-hacks-tricks/ "undefined") users are about to see their monthly bills go up. Longtime Netflix users have enjoyed full high-definition streaming for $7.99 a month, grandfathered in on a plan that’s cheaper than what’s currently available to new subscribers. But all good things must come to an end. The company reiterated in a note to shareholders Tuesday that those lower-paying users will soon face a choice: Keep paying $7.99 a month but get downgraded to standard-definition streaming only, or fork over the $9.99 a month that new customers pay and get full high-definition content. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’s the difference between about $96 a year and about $120 a year. That’s a difference that could change the streaming calculation for some. Still, Netflix has given customers plenty of reason to stick around — namely, top-notch shows that aren’t available anywhere else, like _House of Cards_ and _Jessica Jones_. Indeed, Netflix is confident that it won’t lose subscribers over the price hike, which it’s been public about for months. “Given these members have been with us at least two years, we expect only slightly elevated churn,” reads the company’s shareholder letter. It isn’t clear exactly how many Netflix users are currently on the $7.99 a month grandfathered plan. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4186097/netflix-price-hikes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4186097/netflix-price-hikes/"},"headline":"Netflix Is About To Get More Expensive for Some Users","datePublished":"2016-01-19T22:06:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:07:17.385Z","description":"Price hikes are upon us","url":"https://time.com/4186097/netflix-price-hikes/","keywords":["Media","Tech","Netflix"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c6ae2dc36f47209/698879ae5f570f3165b1f40c/5045487181.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Fitzpatrick","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c6ae2dc36f47209/698879ae5f570f3165b1f40c/5045487181.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Netflix Inc. 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