In the early days of Apple TV Plus it felt as though Apple didn’t want people paying for its streaming service. In fact it seemed almost impossible, because Apple kept extending its already generous 12-month free trial.
Those epic-length trials are long gone, but you can still watch Apple TV Plus without having to pay $7 per month.
In fact, it’s really easy to sign up and watch Ted Lasso season 3 without having to pay for the privilege. You won’t be getting any year-long free trials, but there are a bunch of different ways you can claim an Apple TV Plus free trial.
The best part is that these offers are usually available to new and returning customers — though you'll want to remember to cancel before the trial is over if you don't want to pay the monthly fee. Here’s everything you need to do to get Apple TV Plus for free (including 7 tricks for those in the U.K.).
How to get free Apple TV Plus from Apple
1. The standard 7-day free trial
Apple is one of the few streaming services that still offers a free trial, granting new subscribers seven days free access to its catalogue of content. It’s not enough to watch everything, but you may be able to binge one or two shows if you’re lucky.
All you have to do is sign up for Apple TV Plus, either through the app or online, and remember to cancel your subscription before that week is up. Part of the process involves handing over payment details, and Apple will charge you for a full month as soon as that free week is over.
2. Buy an Apple product
In the old days buying an eligible Apple device would get you up to 12 months of Apple TV Plus for free. These days, that trial period has dropped down to just three months. It’s not quite as impressive, but it’s still pretty generous — especially if you were buying one of those devices for yourself already.
Eligible devices include iPhones, iPads, Macs and the Apple TV 4K. All you have to do to claim your subscription is set up your device and open the Apple TV app. You should be presented the offer right away, but if not, you’ll see it on the Apple TV Plus tab. Just remember to redeem the Apple TV Plus offer within 90 days, or you’ll miss out.
3. The 1-month Apple One free trial
Apple One bundles Apple’s digital services into one single subscription, including Apple TV Plus. The cheapest tier costs $16.95 a month, but Apple offers a one month free trial — which is noticeably better than the 7-days Apple TV Plus offers on its own. All you have to do is remember to cancel before the month is up, so you don’t have to pay for any ongoing subscriptions you may not want.
4. The Apple Music Student Plan
Apple is pretty kind to college students, and one of the many perks available is the Apple Music Student Subscription — a discounted version of the Individual plan that also includes free access to Apple TV Plus. You have to verify your enrollment through UNIDAYS to qualify, and the plan still costs $6 a month, but that’s still significantly cheaper than subscribing to the two plans separately. There’s also a one-month free trial to go with it.
How to get free Apple TV Plus in the U.S.
5. Claim three free months at Best Buy
Believe it or not, Best Buy is currently giving away three month subscriptions to Apple TV Plus. It’s absolutely free for new or returning subscribers with no strings attached, so you don’t even need to buy anything to qualify. Just add the deal to your basket and checkout as you normally would with any other product.
6. Get three free months from a Roku device
Roku owners can also claim three free months of Apple TV Plus between now and May 7, 2023. All you have to do is load up the Apple TV app on your device and you’ll be prompted to redeem your extended trial. Assuming you don’t already have an active subscription, that is. Unfortunately these free deals don’t stack.
7. Get a T-Mobile Magenta or Magenta Max plan
T-Mobile is also giving away free Apple TV Plus to its customers, and how much you get depends on which wireless plan you’re on. Folks on a Magenta, Sprint ONE and “equivalent voice rate plan” will get six months free access to Apple TV Plus. That’s new and existing T-Mobile customers.
Customers with Magenta Max or an equivalent voice plan also get Apple TV Plus, though this is bundled with the plan and has no expiration date. Just be aware your access to the streaming service will end if you ever cancel your plan.
For similar deals, check out our guide on how to get Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max and more for free with your phone plan.
8. Three free months for owning a PS4
PlayStation has a history of giving people extended trials to Apple TV Plus, and that particular deal is back. PS4 owners can claim three months free access to Apple TV Plus, absolutely free. You can do that by opening the Apple TV Plus app on your console and following the on-screen instructions. Just be sure to do it before July 31, 2023.
Again these trials don’t stack, and PS4 owners can’t redeem the offer if you already have an Apple TV Plus subscription.
9. Six free months for owning a PS5
PS5 owners get a little bit extra for owning Sony's latest console, with the chance to claim six months of Apple TV Plus absolutely free. Interestingly this offer can be redeemed if you already subscribe to the service — but only if you have a paid Apple TV Plus subscription. Anyone using a free trial, or who has access as part of a bundle, won't be eligible to redeem it.
As with the PS4, you have until July 31 to redeem the offer, which can be done from the Apple TV Plus app on your PS5 console.
How to get free Apple TV Plus in the U.K.
10. Bundled with Sky VIP
If you’re a Sky customer and part of the Sky VIP loyalty program, you’ve got until June 7 to redeem 6 months of free Apple TV Plus. Just head into the VIP tab of the My Sky app to get it all setup. Best of all this offer is available to new and existing Apple TV Plus subscribers.
11. Free with iPhone contracts on EE
EE is offering anyone that buys a brand new iPhone contract six months of a standalone Apple subscription at no extra cost. That includes Apple TV Plus, and all new iPhones are eligible — including the old or cheap models like the iPhone SE and iPhone 11. Used or refurbished models unfortunately don't have this perk.
More expensive plans come bundled with an “inclusive extra” which gives you access to your chosen service for the duration of your contract. Apple TV Plus is one of them. The most expensive plans offer a free subscription to Apple One as well, bundling together all the Apple services in one package.
12. Free with Barclaycard
If you have a Barclaycard, or are willing to sign up for one, then you are also entitled to five months of free Apple TV Plus — as well as four month trials for Apple Music, News Plus, Fitness Plus and Arcade. You won’t be able to redeem this offer if you have an ongoing Apple TV Plus subscription, but you do have until September 22 to take advantage of it.
13. Three months with an eligible purchase at Three
EE isn’t the only mobile network giving away Apple TV Plus right now. Three month trials are also available from Three, whenever you buy any iPhone, iPad or a Home Broadband with Apple TV bundles. Just be sure to redeem your free trial within 90 days of purchase, or else it’ll expire.
14. Sign up for Currys Perks
Retailer Currys has a loyalty scheme now that's called Currys Perks, and if you sign up, you’ll be gifted a three month subscription to Apple TV Plus as a thank you. Just sign up and you’ll get a redemption email after a few days.
15. Buy selected tech at Currys
Currys has been giving away Apple subscriptions for some time, and recently, that’s started including three free months of Apple TV Plus. All you need to do is buy some kind of gadget or technology — even if it’s not made by Apple. Examples include TVs, laptops, tablets, games consoles and much, much more. A whole list is available on Currys’ website, and you’ll receive a redemption email a few days after your order has been delivered.
16. Free with Roku and PlayStation
Like users in the U.S., people in the U.K. can get free Apple TV Plus from Roku and PlayStation. Three months for Roku and PS4 owners, or six months if you have a PS5. In all three cases just download the Apple TV app onto your machine, open it and follow the on-screen instructions.
Bottom Line
It’s still too easy to not pay for Apple TV Plus
While Apple isn’t nearly as generous with its free trials as it used to be, it’s still incredibly easy to watch Apple TV Plus shows without having to pay for a subscription. Heck, there are also a number of ways to grab yourself a free trial without having to spend any money at all.
Whether it’s because you own a PS4, a non-Apple streaming device or are willing to give Best Buy your email address, tuning into the best Apple TV shows and movies is a lot more cost-effective than, say, subscribing to Netflix or Disney Plus.
And, frankly, that might be enough if you play your cards right. Apple may be producing content at a steady rate these days, but not so much that you couldn’t catch up pretty easily at a later date. So by the time you find another free trial, you could have banked a pretty sizable library of shows and movies to occupy your time.
Streaming cancellations are on the rise as people look for new ways to cut monthly costs. For some, that involves a rolling cycle of subscription and cancellations as they catch up on their favorite original content. The only thing that differentiates Apple is how easy (and legal) it is to do that without spending any money.
Not that we’re complaining, of course. We all love free stuff, especially when it’s high quality programming.
