How Family Plans Can Save You $1,000+ Per Year

Family and group plans are one of the easiest ways to save money on subscriptions. By sharing costs with family members or trusted friends, you can cut your entertainment and software costs by 50-70% while still enjoying premium services.

The Math Behind Family Plans

Let's look at the real savings:

Individual vs. Family Plans

If you share 5 services with family:

• Individual cost: $66.41/month per person
• Family plan cost: $20.83/month per person
• Annual savings per person: $546.96

Which Services Offer Family Plans?

Music Streaming

Spotify Family

• Cost: $16.99/month
• Members: Up to 6 people
• Savings: $48.95/month vs. individual plans
• Requirements: Same household address

Apple Music Family

• Cost: $16.99/month
• Members: Up to 6 people
• Savings: $48.95/month
• Requirements: Family Sharing group

YouTube Premium Family

• Cost: $22.99/month
• Members: Up to 6 people
• Savings: $60.95/month
• Requirements: Google Family Group

Entertainment Bundles

Apple One (Family)

Includes:

• Apple Music (6 people)
• Apple TV+ (6 people)
• Apple Arcade (6 people)
• iCloud+ 200GB (shared)
• Apple News+
• Fitness+

Cost: $25.95/month for 6 people = $4.33/person

Individual equivalent: $19.95/person

Savings: $15.62/person/month = $187/year

Disney Bundle

• Disney+
• Hulu (ad-supported)
• ESPN+

Cost: $14.99/month

Can share: With household members

Savings: vs. subscribing separately

Software & Productivity

Microsoft 365 Family

• Cost: $9.99/month
• Members: Up to 6 people
• Includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, 1TB OneDrive each
• Savings: $31.95/month vs. individual plans

Adobe Creative Cloud (Teams)

• Cost: Varies by plan
• Members: Multiple users
• Best for: Creative professionals sharing with team

Cloud Storage

Google One (Family)

• Cost: $19.99/month (2TB) or $29.99/month (5TB)
• Members: Up to 6 people
• Shared storage pool
• Savings: Significant vs. individual plans

iCloud+ (Family Sharing)

• Cost: $9.99/month (2TB)
• Members: Up to 6 people
• Shared storage

How to Set Up Family Plans

Apple Family Sharing

Requirements:

• One person is the "Organizer"
• All members need Apple IDs
• Must be in the same country

Steps:

1. Organizer: Settings → [Your Name] → Family Sharing
2. Tap "Set Up Your Family"
3. Invite family members via email or iMessage
4. They accept the invitation
5. Share subscriptions, purchases, and storage

What can be shared:

• App Store purchases
• Subscriptions (Apple Music, Apple TV+, etc.)
• iCloud storage
• Screen Time settings (for kids)

Google Family Group

Requirements:

• Google accounts for all members
• Must be 13+ years old
• One person is the "Family Manager"

Steps:

1. Go to families.google.com
2. Create a family group
3. Invite family members
4. Set up payment method
5. Share subscriptions and purchases

What can be shared:

• YouTube Premium
• Google Play purchases
• Google One storage
• Google services subscriptions

Spotify Family

Requirements:

• All members must live at the same address
• Spotify verifies address (sometimes)

Steps:

1. Go to spotify.com/account
2. Click "Get Spotify Family"
3. Enter payment details
4. Invite family members
5. They accept and verify address

Note: Spotify may ask for address verification, but enforcement varies.

Legal Considerations

Terms of Service

Most family plans require:

• Same household - Living at the same address
• Family members - Related by blood, marriage, or adoption
• Age restrictions - Some services require members to be 13+

What Happens if You Violate Terms?

Potential consequences:

• Account suspension
• Loss of access
• Requirement to switch to individual plans
• Rarely: Legal action (extremely rare)

The Reality

Many people share family plans with:

• Close friends
• Roommates
• Extended family in different locations

Risk level: Generally low, but varies by service. Some services (like Spotify) are stricter than others.

Maximizing Family Plan Savings

Strategy 1: The Full Family Bundle

Combine multiple family plans:

• Apple One Family: $25.95/month
• Spotify Family: $16.99/month
• YouTube Premium Family: $22.99/month
• Microsoft 365 Family: $9.99/month

Total: $75.92/month for 6 people = $12.65/person

Individual equivalent: $66.41/person

Savings: $53.76/person/month = $645/year per person

Strategy 2: Split Costs Fairly

If you're organizing the family plan:

Option A: Equal Split

• Total cost ÷ number of members
• Everyone pays the same

Option B: Organizer Pays Less

• Organizer pays 50% of their share
• Others split the remaining 50%
• Rewards the organizer for managing

Option C: Usage-Based

• Heavy users pay more
• Light users pay less
• Fair but more complex

Strategy 3: Rotate Organizer Role

Take turns being the family plan organizer:

• Month 1: Person A pays
• Month 2: Person B pays
• Month 3: Person C pays
• etc.

This spreads the cost and responsibility.

Services That DON'T Offer Family Plans

Some services are individual-only:

• Netflix (offers "Extra Member" add-ons, not true family plan)
• Most news subscriptions
• Many software subscriptions (Adobe, etc.)
• Gym memberships (usually individual or couple)

Alternative: Share login credentials (check terms of service first).

Setting Up Payment Sharing

Payment Methods

Option 1: One Person Pays

• Organizer pays full amount
• Others reimburse via Venmo, PayPal, etc.
• Simplest but requires trust

Option 2: Split Payment

• Use apps like Splitwise to track
• Settle up monthly or quarterly
• More fair, more work

Option 3: Rotating Payment

• Take turns paying
• Keep a simple spreadsheet
• Works well for small groups

Tracking Family Plan Costs

Use Subssy to:

• Track which subscriptions are shared
• Calculate per-person costs
• Set reminders for renewals
• Monitor for price increases

Pro tip: Create a "Family" category in Subssy to see all shared subscriptions together.

Common Family Plan Mistakes

Mistake 1: Not Tracking Who Paid

Solution: Use a simple spreadsheet or Splitwise to track payments.

Mistake 2: Forgetting to Remove Members

Solution: Regularly review family group members and remove those who left.

Mistake 3: Not Communicating Changes

Solution: Let family know before cancelling or changing plans.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Address Requirements

Solution: Be aware of terms, but know that enforcement varies.

Real Savings Examples

Example 1: Music Lover Family

Before (Individual):

• Spotify: $10.99 × 4 people = $43.96/month
• Apple Music: $10.99 × 2 people = $21.98/month
• Total: $65.94/month

After (Family Plans):

• Spotify Family: $16.99/month
• Apple Music (via Apple One): Included
• Total: $16.99/month
• Savings: $48.95/month = $587/year

Example 2: Tech-Savvy Family

Before:

• Microsoft 365: $6.99 × 5 = $34.95/month
• iCloud: $2.99 × 5 = $14.95/month
• Apple Music: $10.99 × 5 = $54.95/month
• Total: $104.85/month

After:

• Microsoft 365 Family: $9.99/month
• Apple One Family (includes iCloud + Music): $25.95/month
• Total: $35.94/month
• Savings: $68.91/month = $827/year

Getting Started

This Week:

1. List services you and family members use
2. Identify which offer family plans
3. Calculate potential savings

This Month:

1. Set up one family plan (start with biggest savings)
2. Invite family members
3. Set up payment sharing system

Ongoing:

1. Track costs in Subssy
2. Review family members quarterly
3. Look for new family plan opportunities

The Bottom Line

Family plans are one of the easiest ways to save money on subscriptions. The key is:

1. Identify opportunities - Which services offer family plans?
2. Organize the group - Who will manage it?
3. Set up fairly - How will you split costs?
4. Track everything - Use Subssy to monitor

Potential annual savings: $500-1,500+ per family

Start sharing today and watch your subscription costs drop!