YouTube Premium's sweet, old price is getting the boot

(Image credit: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)

What you need to know

Early YouTube Premium subscribers with discounted rates will soon face price hikes, bringing them in line with the standard pricing.
YouTube Music notified its European early adopters of an upcoming price jump to €10.99/month, matching the current standard price.
U.S. legacy subscribers haven’t been notified yet, but a price hike is likely coming soon, following YouTube’s usual pattern of regional rollouts.

Long-time YouTube Premium subscribers enjoying discounted perks are in for a change—the platform is bumping all old plans up to the standard price.

Last year, Google kicked off a round of price hikes for YouTube Premium, and while most users felt the increase pretty quickly, early adopters kept their original lower rates. Now, though, it looks like this special pricing is finally biting the dust.

According to a report by The Verge, YouTube Music has notified its early subscribers in Europe about an upcoming price hike. These long-time users, who’ve been enjoying a lower rate, will soon be paying €10.99 a month—the current standard price for the service.

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YouTube Music price hike notification in Europe — (Image credit: 4w3som3 / Reddit)

Back in 2014, early subscribers to YouTube’s "Music Key" streaming service got in for $7.99 a month, with similar pricing offered internationally at the time.

Google let these early subscribers keep their discounted rate even after the "Music Key" beta ended. Then, when YouTube Music relaunched in 2018, they got upgraded to full YouTube Premium—with ad-free videos—while sticking to their $7.99 or $9.99 rate. At that point, YouTube Music alone cost $9.99, and the full Premium package went for $11.99.

In 2023, both YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium saw a price bump, bringing their monthly rates to $11.99 and $13.99, respectively. Subscribers on the $9.99 plan had to switch to the new prices, though they were given a few months' grace period. Meanwhile, the $7.99 tier stayed the same.

Google is rolling out the price hike in stages, giving affected subscribers at least three extra months before the new rates kick in. The price change won’t show up on bills until March.

Although U.S.-based legacy subscribers haven’t received the price hike notice yet, it's safe to assume a similar change is coming. Given YouTube's habit of rolling out price increases region by region, U.S. users will probably see the same adjustment down the line.

Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.