How Much Is Spotify Premium?

Spotify Premium provides an upgraded, ad-free listening experience with offline downloads and other benefits not available in the free version. But how much does this premium subscription cost, and what pricing tier options are available?

Read on for a full breakdown of Spotify Premium pricing for individual and family plans, student discounts, and factors that affect the monthly or annual cost depending on your region and membership.

Spotify Premium Cost for Individual Plans

The current pricing for a standard Spotify Premium individual plan in the United States is:

• $9.99 per month – When paying month-to-month. This can be canceled anytime.
• $4.99 per month for students – Verified students get 50% off the standard monthly price.
• $99 per year – Annual subscription that brings the monthly average down to $8.25.

So paying annually upfront saves about 17% over going month-to-month at $9.99/month. Students at $4.99/month save 50%.

What’s the Cost for a Spotify Family Plan?

Spotify Family allows up to 6 people to share one subscription. Pricing for a Spotify Premium family plan is:

• $15.99 per month – For up to 6 family members when paying monthly.
• $164.99 per year – If paying annually for the full year upfront, about $13.75 per month.

The annual family plan saves around 16% over paying per month. Adding more members divides up the overall cost.

Why Does Spotify Premium Cost Vary by Region?

While $9.99 USD is the standard U.S. price, Spotify Premium pricing can vary globally depending on:

• Cost of living and average wages for the country.
• Licensing and royalty differences across regions.
• Local taxes, regulations, and pricing standards.
• Number of overall Spotify subscribers in the market.
• Strength of competing music streaming services.
• Exchange rates between currencies.

For example, Spotify Premium in Canada runs $11.99 CAD, Japan is 1,300 Yen, and Australia is $11.99 AUD reflecting differences across markets.

How Can You Pay for Spotify Premium?

You have a few options when paying for your Spotify Premium subscription:

• Credit or debit card – Directly charge your Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover card.
• PayPal – Use your PayPal balance or linked payment methods.
• Gift card – Redeem a Spotify gift card purchased from retailers.
• Carrier billing – Add to your cell phone bill with some carriers.
• Student plan partner – Verify through university or third-party provider.
• Family plan manager – Get access via a family group you’ve been added to.

No matter your payment method, the Spotify Premium subscription price remains the same within your country and plan.

What’s Included in a Spotify Premium Plan?

Key features that come with both Individual and Family Spotify Premium plans include:

• Ad-free listening
• Ability to download songs for offline playback
• Unlimited skips and shuffling of songs
• High quality audio streams
• Access to exclusive releases and podcasts
• Personalized playlists and recommendations
• Share songs and playlists with others
• Sync listening across all devices

So upgrades from the Free tier go well beyond just removing ads, also adding numerous premium conveniences.

How Does a Student Discount Work?

Students are eligible for 50% off Spotify Premium pricing, reducing the monthly cost to just $4.99. To get the discount, students must:

• Sign up using a student email address ending in .edu
• Verify enrollment through SheerID
• Provide school name, expected graduation date, birth date
• Periodically re-verify student status

Once verified, students can enjoy Premium for half price as long as they remain active students, up to 4 years. Recent graduates also get an extended grace period beyond graduation at the same $4.99 student rate before transitioning to a regular paid Premium plan.

Can You Get Spotify Premium Free or at a Lower Price?

Aside from the baked-in student discount, there are limited options for getting Spotify Premium completely free or at a lower direct cost, such as:

• Occasional free trial promotions, usually 1-3 months premium free for new users.
• Partner deals that bundle Premium with other products or services.
• Giveaways through Spotify contests and sweepstakes.
• Gift subscription from a friend or family member.
• Regional limited-time Covid-19 discounts.

But there are otherwise no reduced Spotify Premium plans beyond student rates. Indirect discounts via gift cards or rewards programs can lower the out-of-pocket cost.

Is Spotify Premium Worth the Cost?

At only $9.99 per month, Spotify Premium provides tremendous value versus the free, ad-supported version:

• No interruptions from audio or visual ads.
• Ability to save playlists and albums offline for when no signal.
• Higher quality audio streams for better sound quality.
• Unrestricted music listening instead of mandatory shuffle play.
• Access exclusive Spotify original podcasts and playlists.
• Shared family plans allowing up to 6 users.

Given how much time per day many spend listening to Spotify, the upgrade to an uninterrupted, fully featured experience is well worth the modest monthly or annual fee for most users.

Does Spotify Ever Adjust Premium Pricing?

Yes, Spotify has incrementally raised Premium pricing over time and will likely continue to evaluate pricing changes in the future based on:

• Rising licensing and royalty fees paid to record labels and publishers.
• Need to improve margins and profitability for shareholders as publicly traded company.
• Competitive pressure from rivals like Apple Music and Amazon.
• Expanded music catalogs, podcasts and amount of content.
• Adding new features and benefits that enhance the experience.
• Overall demand and max price customers are willing to pay.

While not frequent, small targeted price hikes allow Spotify flexibility to adapt to market forces.

Is Spotify Premium a Recurring Payment?

Yes, Spotify Premium is an automatically recurring subscription, charging your selected payment method periodically based on your plan:

• Monthly plans recur each month on the calendar day you subscribed.
• Annual plans renew once per year on the original subscription date.
• You can cancel or change plans anytime to avoid future charges.
• Ongoing subscriptions continue until canceled. So remember to cancel Premium if you wish to avoid being charged again at the end of your current billing cycle.

Can You Get Spotify Premium Free Trial?

Spotify periodically offers 1 to 3-month free trials of Spotify Premium for new users who have never subscribed previously. This allows experiencing the full benefits before paying.

However, free trials:

• Are only available intermittently, not always on demand.
• Typically require entering a valid payment method for when the trial ends.
• Automatically charge at the end of the trial period unless canceled ahead of time.
• Restrict only 1 free trial per Spotify account lifetime.

So while a great way to sample Premium, be sure to note the trial end date and cancel early if you don’t wish to actually subscribe after.

Is Spotify Premium Worth the Monthly Cost?

For most avid Spotify listeners, the enhancements and added conveniences of Spotify Premium make the relatively low monthly or annual fee well worth paying to remove ads, download playlists, and unlock exclusive content.

But ultimately the value comes down to how much you use Spotify and the specific benefits you need. For students or those on tight budgets, the free ad-supported version may make the most sense financially.

Yet for unrestricted, uninterrupted access to everything Spotify has to offer, most find investing in a paid Premium plan money well spent given how much enjoyment it provides day to day!