Subscription price hikes are everywhere – and it’s likely left you wondering which streaming channels and smart home services you can do without. However, if you use the money-saving hack suggested by Martin Lewis, you can make the most of your Ring subscription while paying less for longer.
Ring’s shock price rise is the latest to be announced, with the US cost of its Protect Basic subscription plan rising 25%, from $39.99 to $49.99. Pay monthly customers will see their bills rise from $3.99 to $4.99. However, Plus and Pro packages are not affected. You can see all the US subscription options at Ring.
Things are even worse for UK customers, where prices on the Basic package have been hiked by 43%, from £34.99 to £49.99 per device per year, or from £3.49 to £4.99 per month. The Ring Protect Plus plan is not affected – as yet. Check out the subscription packages at Ring.
Price increases will take effect on 11 March 2024. But you can use this to your advantage.
How to avoid the Ring price hike until 2025
Money-saving guru Martin Lewis has suggested a simple hack that’ll allow you to retain your current price plan for another year.
His advice is to cancel your current subscription and take out a fresh annual subscription before 11 March. The remainder of your subscription fee will be refunded and you can then sign up for a full year of the Basic package at the current price of $39.99/£34.99.
Bear in mind that when you cancel your subscription, you may well lose any saved videos.
How to cancel your Ring Basic subscription
- Log into your Ring account.
- Click on ‘Protect Plan’, which should be at the top of the page.
- Find your subscription and choose ‘Cancel Plan’.
- Hit ‘Continue’.
- You’ll see options for cancelling your plan at this point. To use Martin Lewis’ hack, you’ll need to choose to cancel your plan immediately.
- Confirm your cancellation by clicking on ‘Cancel Ring Protect’.
Should you cancel your Ring subscription plan altogether?
The other option is to cancel your Ring subscription plan altogether, but this means you’ll lose some features and functionality of your Ring smart home devices.
You’ll still have HD live view, two-way talk and motion alerts without a subscription.
However, you’ll lose video recording, saving and sharing for cameras and doorbells, plus person and package alerts.
It depends on how much you rely on these features as to whether it’s worth it for you.
If you’re thinking of replacing your video doorbell, have a look at our top recommendations, including a budget-friendly, subscription-free option: Ezviz’s DB2.
Author: Emma Rowley, Group Home Tech Editor
Emma has been a journalist and copywriter for over 20 years and has been testing and writing about home tech and appliances for seven years. She tries out every appliance she writes about at home, and aims to recommend time- and energy-saving products that will last.