Streaming can be expensive, which is why an estimated 100 million households worldwide share passwords. Unfortunately, you may not be able to use this money-saving trick for much longer. A massive crackdown on Netflix account sharing could kick you off your friend’s account.
Luckily, there are a few cheapskate secrets you can use to cut down on streaming costs. Tap or click here for five ways to spend less on entertainment. A new feature could make the transfer easy if you’re ready to set up your own Netflix account.
Netflix recently announced its “Profile Transfer” feature, which is available to subscribers across the globe. It lets you transfer your profile and viewing history to a new account. This way, you can start your new paid Netflix membership with all of your personalized recommendations instead of starting from scratch.
Why Netflix account sharing is coming to an end
Earlier this year, Netflix announced an extra $2 charge for anyone caught sharing account login details. If you’re sharing a password with someone in your house, the company won’t intervene. Although household sharing is acceptable, the company takes umbrage when password sharing crosses residential boundaries.
For example, let’s say your friend across the country shares their Netflix account with you. In this situation, you could both get in trouble. Netflix might crack down on your money-saving setup. That’s because Netflix account sharing costs the company around $6 billion annually.
If you must get your own account, you don’t want to lose your profile preferences. Luckily, Netflix’s Profile Transfer feature makes setting up your own account easy. We’ve got all the details.
On the bright side, this could be good for your cybersecurity
Sharing your password can put you at an increased risk of data leaks. Subscription sharing can put you in danger because you can’t control how your friends use your credentials.
Let’s say you share your Netflix password with a friend who passes it along to a coworker you don’t know. If that coworker is devious, they could try to get into your other accounts with your username and password.
Maybe you think this would never happen to you. Get this: A report from Beyond Identity found that 46% of people have had their passwords shared without their knowledge.
What you need to know about the new Profile Transfer feature
With this function, you can save your Netflix preferences from an account someone else is paying for. Not only that, but you can then transfer those preferences to your new paid account.
You need to create an original Netflix membership by entering your email address and an original password. If you live in the U.S., you’ll have to set up the Profile Transfer feature manually.
If you’re mooching off a friend’s account, ask them to turn profile transfers on. Send them these steps:
- First, sign into your Netflix account.
- Next, head to your Account page.
- Go to the Settings section and Turn on profile transfers.
- Select Allow. You’ll get a confirmation email.
- Open that email and select Enable Instantly.
Just like that, you’ll be able to log in to your friend’s account and transfer your settings to your original account.
It may sound complicated, but Netflix says this will be easy to set up. It even shared a GIF that shows you how it works. Check it out:
Now that you have a helpful visual, here’s the step-by-step guide to follow. Here are the steps from Netflix:
- Sign in to your Netflix account. Visit your Account page.
- Go to the Profiles and Parental Controls section.
- Choose the profile you want to start a new account with.
- Under the Transfer Profile section, select the Transfer link.
- Enter the email address and password for your new paid account.
Follow the prompts on the screen to set everything up. Now you can start using your original account. Just like that, you can stop worrying about getting into trouble over Netflix password sharing.
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