Netflix crackdown on account sharing hits US with $8 fee for each extra user

Netflix is now telling US customers to stop sharing accounts with people outside their households or pay $7.99 a month for each extra member. "Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with--your household," Netflix says in an email targeted at customers whose accounts are being used in multiple locations.

The email provides two options: transfer the extra person's profile to a new membership that they can pay for separately, or spend $7.99 a month extra to "share your Netflix account with someone who doesn't live with you."

"Starting today, we will be sending this email to members who are sharing Netflix outside their household in the United States," Netflix announced.

Netflix asks customers to set up a "Netflix Household" at their primary location, but household members can keep using the streaming service in other places to at least some extent. "A Netflix account is for use by one household. Everyone living in that household can use Netflix wherever they are--at home, on the go, on holiday--and take advantage of new features like Transfer Profile and Manage Access and Devices," Netflix's announcement today said.

As for how Netflix determines which customers are sharing accounts, the company says it uses "information such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity to determine whether a device signed into your account is part of your Netflix Household." In an attempt to assuage concerns about location privacy, Netflix says it does not collect GPS data from user devices.

Netflix was lenient about account sharing for many years but started rolling out new fees for extra members in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru over a year ago. Netflix also announced plans for an ad-supported tier in April 2022 in response to slowing revenue and a loss in subscribers. The $6.99 ad-supported plan launched in the US in November 2022.

Extra members cannot be added to either Netflix's $6.99 ad-supported plan or the $9.99 Basic plan. Extra member slots are an option only for the $15.49 Standard plan and the $19.99 Premium plan.