How Families Can Cut Gaming Subscription Costs Without Breaking the Rules
Multiple kids, multiple consoles, multiple subscriptions. Here's how families can share legitimately and stop paying for the same service twice.
Grab the deal
In my house, there are two kids, two adults and three consoles. At one point we were paying for four different gaming subscriptions. That was silly. Here's how we cut costs without breaking any terms of service.
Family plans exist, use them
Some services have family plans covering several accounts for one price. Nintendo's family membership is a good example, covering multiple accounts. It's usually much cheaper than separate memberships.
Console home settings
Some consoles let a subscription on your account be used by other profiles on your main home console. If your kids play on the same console, they may get access without a separate subscription. Check the settings for your console's "primary" or "home" console feature.
Don't double up
Audit what you pay for. We found a subscription on two different accounts for the same console. One cancellation saved real money.
Parental controls help too
Every console has parental controls for spending limits and purchase approval. Turn them on. Kids buying in-game currency adds up faster than subscriptions.
Rotate subscriptions
You don't need every service all year. Pick one at a time based on what the family is playing. Cancel, then resubscribe later. Your saves usually stay put, but check cloud save rules first.
Gift cards as a family budget
Instead of linking a credit card, load accounts with gift cards. When it's gone, it's gone. Kids learn budgeting, and you avoid surprise charges.
Watch out for
- Free trials that auto-renew
- Kids creating new accounts and new trials
- In-game purchases on shared credit cards
Where to buy cards
Amazon, Walmart, Target and GameStop sell console gift cards and subscription cards, and they sometimes run discounts around holidays. Buying discounted cards for the family budget stretches your money.
Verdict
Use family plans where they exist, check console home settings, and audit what you're paying for. Most families can cut at least one subscription without losing anything.
Grab the deal
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