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Verizon’s Plus Play Arrives in Beta With Offer of Free Year of Netflix Premium

Verizon’s Plus Play, a hub for managing several streaming and subscription services, was introduced in March. Verizon is now giving up the service in beta to its mobile and 5G and 4G LTE home internet users, despite not having completely launched by the end of the year as promised.

The carrier is offering a free year of Netflix Premium to entice users to test out its subscription management platform by signing up for “a 12-month or seasonal membership” to one of its other partners. In the beginning, subscribers may choose between AMC Plus, Super Duolingo, Calm, Peloton, and the NFL’s NFL Plus, in addition to the NBA’s League Pass.

Twenty partners, including Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, HBO Max, Discovery Plus, and The Athletic, will be available for the test launch, with “many more” to be added in the first quarter of 2023, according to Verizon.

Netflix Premium, which features 4K streaming and simultaneous viewing on four devices, typically costs $20 per month or $240 per year. While you can’t combine this offer with a monthly subscription to another service, you may combine it with a few “seasonal” alternatives that make the offer rather attractive.

For the remainder of the season, you may pay $25 for access to NFL Plus Premium, which allows you to view both local and national NFL games on your mobile device. Verizon is offering a free year of Netflix Premium in addition to NFL Plus if you spend $25 to join up for both services through Plus Play.

Note that the carrier also offers a seasonal deal for the normal NFL Plus for $13, but that only the $25 Premium version will work with the Netflix offer (the same is true for the NBA’s League Pass).

You may upgrade to Netflix Premium with your existing Netflix account by using Plus Play. Verizon doesn’t seem to provide Netflix’s other plans, and it isn’t clear if you’ll be able to drop from Premium to Plus Play after your free year is over. You can follow the directions on Verizon’s website to transfer your Netflix subscription.

Existing HBO subscriptions can be transferred to the HBO Max platform, but not many others. So says the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Verizon website. Most of Verizon’s Plus Play deals need you to cancel existing subscriptions and set up brand new accounts in order to participate.

Verizon Plus Play’s capabilities and limitations

Plus Play is designed to serve as a central location from which Verizon customers can access a wide variety of streaming service signup, management, and cancellation options. You may expect to see promotions and free trials from your carrier on the Play Plus website. It won’t be possible to actually watch material on the platform, but you can get suggestions for what to watch and what to do. Instead, you’ll be sent to the relevant app or website for that service.

Previously, Verizon assured that it would have no way of knowing what programmes or content you were engaging with on the service. Recommendations would be made “based on information about you we’ve gathered independently of what you are watching on a specific service,” Frank Boulben, chief revenue officer of Verizon’s consumer division, said in March.

Plus Play may be accessed independently of Verizon’s cellular or home internet services; however, it is unclear whether or not users will be allowed to make changes to their plans or subscribe to additional services if they do so. Verizon for comment and will provide an update if we receive a response.

Verizon will not include the cost of these services in your monthly cellular or home internet bill, but rather will charge the credit or debit card on file.

If you pay for your Plus Play subscription using a credit card instead of a cellphone bill, the carrier won’t add any fees. If you purchase using a Verizon credit card, though, you’ll get 2% cash back on Plus Play memberships.

Verizon is restricting beta access, but it eventually wants to make the Plus Play service available to all Fios customers. However, it hasn’t offered any estimates on when that may occur. Furthermore, it has not disclosed a release date for the service’s prepaid wireless customers.