New Year’s 2021: How to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+Hotstar for free this weekend
New Year 2021 Eve: We take a look at how you can watch Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar or Amazon Prime for free this weekend.
Today is the last day of 2020 and while many of us might say good riddance, given the social distancing norms, grand celebrations are very unlikely. If you are planning for a quiet way to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2021, there are plenty of streaming services to consider. But more importantly, if you’ve been holding out against paying for any of these, there are some ways to access the big names like Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, Zee5 and Amazon Prime Video for free.
Here are the way to try and get some free access to Netflix, Disney+Hotstar or Amazon Prime this weekend as you start 2021.
How to get Netflix free this New Year
Netflix used to offer a one month free trial, but that stopped. There was also Netflix StreamFest in December, which offered the service free for two days. Unlike other services, most telecos don’t offer Netflix free as an option. However, VI (formerly Vodafone-Idea) does just that if you sign up for a new postpaid connection and get the RedX plan or higher.
The RedX plan, which starts at Rs 1099 per month and includes a six month lock-in period, comes with one year of Netflix free. The plan offers one of year Netflix on your TV & Mobile, worth Rs 5988 per year, which is the one year amount for the plan starting at Rs 499.
2020: A REWIND
India's economy in 2020: Year of many questions
Compassion to selflessness, the biggest lessons
A glossary of words this strange year threw up
ADVERTISEMENT
HomeTechnologyTechook
New Year’s 2021: How to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+Hotstar for free this weekend
New Year 2021 Eve: We take a look at how you can watch Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar or Amazon Prime for free this weekend.
By: Tech Desk | Mumbai |
Updated: December 31, 2020 10:58:06 pm
free netflix, New Year's Eve, new year 2021, new year eve 2020, amazon prime, amazon prime online, amazon prime free, amazon prime online, amazon prime new year, netflix, netflix new year, netflix new year 2021, netflix new year eve 2021, happy new year 2021, new year 2021
New Year 2021 Eve: How to watch Netflix or Amazon Prime for free this weekend
Today is the last day of 2020 and while many of us might say good riddance, given the social distancing norms, grand celebrations are very unlikely. If you are planning for a quiet way to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2021, there are plenty of streaming services to consider. But more importantly, if you’ve been holding out against paying for any of these, there are some ways to access the big names like Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, Zee5 and Amazon Prime Video for free.
Here are the way to try and get some free access to Netflix, Disney+Hotstar or Amazon Prime this weekend as you start 2021.
ADVERTISEMENT
How to get Netflix free this New Year
Netflix used to offer a one month free trial, but that stopped. There was also Netflix StreamFest in December, which offered the service free for two days. Unlike other services, most telecos don’t offer Netflix free as an option. However, VI (formerly Vodafone-Idea) does just that if you sign up for a new postpaid connection and get the RedX plan or higher.
The RedX plan, which starts at Rs 1099 per month and includes a six month lock-in period, comes with one year of Netflix free. The plan offers one of year Netflix on your TV & Mobile, worth Rs 5988 per year, which is the one year amount for the plan starting at Rs 499.
ADVERTISEMENT
Once you get the Vodafone connection, you can get the Netflix offer by setting up a new account or to an existing Netflix account. The amount is credited straight to your Netflix account, and you will be able to enjoy the service for free for a year. You can also opt for the more expensive plans on Netflix, but then this credited amount will run out faster. Anyone with an existing RedX plan can also avail the free Netflix offer.
Jio also offers free Netflix subscription with all of its postpaid plans, but this is limited to the most basic mobile-only subscription, which is the Rs 199 plan. In this plan, the service is only available on your smartphone.
In order to activate Netflix, customers need to install MyJio app on their phones and then login with JioPostPaid Plus credentials and click on the “Activate Now” on Netflix banner on the app’s homepage.
After that they need to login to Netflix with an existing Netflix account or by creating a new one and Netflix will be instantly activated.
Finally, there’s always a solution of asking your friends or family members for their Netflix password, provided they are feeling generous. Just ask them for the username and password, and get started. But remember, even with the highest plan only four screens can be live simultaneously.
How to get Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, and Zee5 for free
Amazon Prime Video costs Rs 999 per year or Rs 129 per month, though there is a 30 day free trial. Disney+Hotstar’s VIP service costs Rs 399 per year, while the Premium one costs Rs 1499 per year. Disney+Hotstar does have some free content, but that is not ad-free and you cannot access any of the originals or even the Disney+ content in the free plan. Also if you watch Hindi TV shows from Star Plus, you cannot watch the latest episode in the free plan, but the older episodes can be accessed for free without subscribing.
Keep in mind that VIP does not give access to the Disney+ originals or the English content. It is limited to the dubbed content, which is why it costs less than the premium version. However, several telecom players are bundling subscriptions to both these services for free with their plans. Zee5 is also offered for free in some plans by telecom companies. Here’s a look at some of the plans.
If you are a Jio postpaid plan user, then the company offers access to free Amazon Prime, and Disney+ Hotstar VIP subscriptions as part of these plans. The Jio postpaid plans start at Rs 399 and go up to Rs 1,499 and all have the same benefits in terms of access to these streaming services.
Regarding Disney+Hotstar VIP’s subscription, Jio’s page explains that a customer needs to sign in to Disney + Hotstar app with the same mobile number. After successful login, they can enjoy all benefits of Disney + Hotstar VIP subscription.
Jio also says that to continue getting Disney + Hotstar VIP subscription for one year, the user needs to continuously be on an active postpaid plus plan from the company. The annual subscription will commence on the date of purchase of eligible plan.
For Amazon Prime, Jio is offering one year free membership to all eligible postpaid plans. The feature is being offered on all postpaid plans if one goes by the details on Jio’s pages. Customers can avail one year of Amazon Prime membership, worth Rs 999 at no additional cost. After one year, customers will be auto-charged for annual Prime membership at the prevailing market price, explains Jio’s page.
For Airtel postpaid users, all plans starting at Rs 499 and higher come with free Amazon Prime membership for one year, which is worth Rs 999. The plans also include free access to Disney+Hotstar’s VIP subscription for one year similar to what Jio is offering.
Airtel prepaid users can buy Rs 289 plan, which ships with ZEE5 Premium subscription, unlimited calls, and 1.5GB data per day. It comes with a validity of 28 days. There is also a Rs 349 prepaid plan, which includes one-month Amazon Prime membership, 2GB data per day, unlimited calls, and 100 daily SMS for 28 days.
Airtel also has a data-only plan of Rs 400 which comes with with free access to Disney+Hotstar VIP for one year.
Finally, Vi’s regular postpaid plans also include access to Amazon Prime Video and ZEE5 subscription. Just make sure you go to the Vi app and claim your free offer. Amazon Prime service is offered for one whole year in the Vi postpaid plans. For prepaid users, Vi has a Rs 409 plan, which includes one year ZEE5 Premium access, unlimited voice calls, 90GB of total data, and 100 SMS/day.
Correction: An earlier version of this article indicated that there is a free month trial with Disney+Hotstar, which is incorrect. The error is regretted.