YouTube Premium has quietly become one of the most useful subscriptions in the UK streaming landscape. Ad-free playback, offline downloads, background listening, and access to YouTube Music — it all adds up to a genuinely polished experience. But at £12.99 a month, it’s not exactly pocket change.
The good news? You almost never need to pay full price. Whether you’re a student watching lectures on a budget, a household of five competing for bandwidth, or simply someone who wants to try before committing, there are legitimate ways to bring the cost down — sometimes dramatically.
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Here’s how to get a YouTube Premium discount in the UK, broken down into every option currently available.
Start With the 1-Month Free Trial
The most straightforward way to save money on YouTube Premium is not to pay for it at all — at least for the first month.
YouTube offers a one-month free trial to new subscribers. You get the full Premium experience: no pre-roll ads, no mid-roll interruptions, offline downloads for your commute, and the ability to keep videos playing when you switch apps or lock your phone. YouTube Music Premium is bundled in as well.
The trial is genuinely no-strings. You can cancel at any point during the 30-day window without being charged. Set a calendar reminder if you’re the forgetful type — YouTube will start billing at £12.99 per month the moment the trial ends.
It’s worth checking whether any promotional discount codes or cashback deals are live before the trial expires, too. If you’re going to continue beyond the free month, there’s no reason to pay full whack if a better deal happens to be floating around.
The Student Plan: Premium for Less Than £8 a Month
If you’re enrolled at a UK university or college, the YouTube Premium Student plan is one of the best-value deals in streaming.
For £7.99 per month — a saving of nearly 40% against the standard price — you get the exact same Premium features as everyone else. No reduced library. No missing perks. Just a lower monthly bill.
Verification is handled through SheerID, YouTube’s third-party student verification service. You’ll need to provide your name, institution, and date of birth, and you may be asked to upload proof of enrolment. The process usually takes a few minutes.
One thing to bear in mind: the student discount isn’t permanent. You’ll need to re-verify your student status annually, and YouTube will eventually move you to the full-price plan once you’re no longer eligible. Still, for the three or four years of a typical degree, that’s a meaningful saving — roughly £60 per year stays in your pocket.
The Family Plan: The Best Value Per Head
For households with multiple YouTube users, the Premium Family plan is hard to beat.
At £19.99 per month, it covers up to five separate accounts under one subscription. That works out to less than £4 per person — a fraction of what each member would pay individually. Everyone gets their own Premium access, their own recommendations, and their own offline downloads. No sharing a single login or arguing over watch history.
The main requirement is that all members must live at the same residential address. YouTube does check this periodically, so it’s not designed for flatmates at different postcodes or extended family spread across the country. You’ll invite members via email, and each person accepts and confirms their address.
For a couple, it halves the cost. For a family of four or five, it’s practically a steal. If you’re already paying for multiple individual subscriptions in your household, switching to a family plan is the single biggest saving you can make.
Stick With Free YouTube — Ads and All
It sounds obvious, but it’s worth stating plainly: YouTube’s core service is free.
If you can tolerate adverts — and plenty of people do — there’s no obligation to pay anything. The vast majority of YouTube’s library is available without a subscription. You won’t get offline downloads or background playback, and you’ll sit through the occasional unskippable 15-second spot, but the content itself doesn’t change.
For casual viewers who dip in once or twice a week, the free tier makes perfect financial sense. The Premium subscription becomes worthwhile when you’re watching daily, using YouTube Music as your primary streaming service, or relying on offline playback for commutes and travel.
There’s no shame in mixing approaches, either. Use the free trial to test whether Premium improves your routine, then make a call. If it doesn’t feel like £12.99 well spent, cancel and carry on as you were.
Is YouTube Premium Worth the Price?
That depends entirely on how you use YouTube.
For heavy daily users, Premium is transformative. The ad-free experience alone saves a surprising amount of time over the course of a week. Add in offline downloads and background playback — letting you listen to a long-form podcast while checking emails, for instance — and the subscription starts to feel essential rather than optional.
For occasional viewers, the maths is harder to justify. If you watch a handful of videos a week and don’t mind the odd advert, the free tier covers you perfectly well.
For music listeners, it’s worth comparing YouTube Music Premium against dedicated services like Spotify or Apple Music. If you’re already paying for a music streaming subscription elsewhere, bundling it with YouTube Premium through a single £12.99 payment could actually save you money overall.
Quick Summary: Your YouTube Premium Savings Options
| Method | Monthly Cost | Saving |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial (Month 1) | £0 | 100% for one month |
| Student plan | £7.99 | ~38% vs standard |
| Family plan (5 members) | ~£4 per person | ~69% vs standard |
| Free YouTube | £0 | Full cost, ad-supported |
A Few Extra Tips
- Check for promotional offers. YouTube periodically runs discounted introductory rates or bundle deals, particularly around major sales events. A quick search before subscribing can occasionally surface a better deal.
- Pay annually if the option appears. YouTube has trialled annual subscription plans in some markets. If an annual option is available in the UK, it typically works out cheaper than twelve monthly payments.
- Consider YouTube Music alone. If ads on videos don’t bother you but you want ad-free music streaming, the standalone YouTube Music Premium plan is available at a lower price point than the full Premium bundle.
- Use free trials strategically. If you’ve already used your own free trial, keep an eye out for promotional trials bundled with new devices, phone contracts, or other services. Google occasionally partners with hardware manufacturers to offer extended trial periods.
The bottom line is simple. YouTube Premium is a solid subscription — but it’s one you should rarely pay full price for. Between the free trial, student pricing, and family plans, there’s almost certainly an option that fits your situation and saves you money month after month.