What Netflix's Crackdown on Password Sharing Means for You

So, it happened—Netflix switched up the rules and decided to crack down on password sharing. But where does that leave you?The ones who remain mostly unaffected by Netflix's password-sharing sweep are those who don't share their accounts and those who do but reside in the same household. And even if you fit into one of those categories, you're still likely to face consequences. So let's explore what the crackdown could mean for you.

Let's start with the simplest. Netflix's password-sharing crackdown will not affect you if you don't share your password. That could mean you're the sole user on your account.

Or, you may have several profiles set up on your Netflix account, but each one belongs to members of your household. In the streaming service's eyes, that means it has no qualms with you.

If that's the case, you will likely only have to deal with inconveniences and hassles when you travel—more on that later.

It's no surprise that a lot of Netflix users share their passwords. But many people who share an account are indeed families, friends, or people with some type of relationship. However, in most cases, they live in different places, sometimes not even in the same city or country. And therein lies the problem—how Netflix sees it, you must live together to share an account.

But siblings often share accounts while living apart. Not to mention parents with children who are away in school and partners who travel extensively for work, and that's not even the tip of the iceberg.

There are countless reasons why you can share a Netflix account legitimately while also not living together. Well, Netflix has decided that doesn't matter. Instead, if you wish to share a single account while living apart, you're expected to pay an additional fee.

Netflix has a few monthly subscription plans you can choose from, from $6.99/month for the Netflix Basic with Ads plan to the one most people get, the Standard for $15.49/month.

After its crackdown, it will cost an additional $7.99/month to add another member outside of your household to your account. If you have more than one member you'd like to keep on, it can quickly rack up the cost.

At that point, you have a choice to make. You can either pay that additional $8 or create your own account, given the close price points—a basic Netflix plan with ads is $7/month, and without ads, $10/month.

And don't worry about having to start over with the algorithm and re-adding everything to your My List. Netflix's Profile Transfer feature lets you move your profile into your separate account.

Why Now, Netflix?

Once sharing a password was a sign of love. Today, it's breaking the rules and will cost you an additional fee. Why is that, and how did we get here?

Well, Netflix has long expressed interest in finding a solution to combat password sharing. After all, this isn't a new issue streaming services face today. And, though Netflix technically did come up with a solution, people are vocal in expressing their opposition to it.

Many speculate why Netflix is in such a rush to fix a problem that's less of a problem than the platform seems to think. As of the writing of this article, the streaming service remains the one with the most subscribers, with over 250 million. That number has steadily increased throughout the last few years, so why is Netflix risking alienating its existing subscribers with such a radical new rule?

After all, if people cannot, or simply refuse, to pay additional fees to hold onto their Netflix, it's more than likely they'll just move to different services.

Disney+ is of a similar caliber to Netflix; it's a giant that produces countless shows and movies yearly. And maybe it's time to rethink the Netflix subscription in favor of a Disney+ one.

What's more, despite Netflix having quite a few hit shows and original content under its belt, the consensus online is that it lags behind other services. A persistent joke is that any good series developed by Netflix gets canceled.

The latest such example is the show 1899, which got the boot after one season despite being highly anticipated. Yet, shows like Emily in Paris, which seem to exist solely to get ridiculed online, are renewed yearly.

What Happens to Your Netflix Account When You Travel?

The question on everyone's minds is what happens when you change locations, either due to travel or simply moving to a new place. Moving is easier—just change your primary household location. Traveling is a different story.

Netflix released an update on sharing that states, very simply, that you can watch Netflix while you travel. Upon digging further, you discover that to watch Netflix in a different location, but you have to go back to your primary household every 31 days.

To explain, unless you connect to your primary household's WiFi network every 31 days, you will get locked out of your account. So, if you should be away longer, no Netflix for you.

Netflix also gave an additional means of consuming its content while traveling: requesting a temporary code to sign in at a location other than your household. However, that will only work for seven days.

As most holidays typically range between five and fifteen days, that's not much of a solution. And users made that clear by complaining online.

All in all, this password-sharing crackdown Netflix has undertaken doesn't seem thought through well enough. Not for a service with over 250 million users.

As with most things, the answer is subjective. It depends on the content you consume—if you find you mostly choose Netflix when you want to watch something, then it's worth it. But if you stick to other streaming services or mix up your selection day-to-day, maybe don't keep the subscription.

If you're the one paying for the account you share with people outside your household, you'll now need to figure out if it's worth adding on the additional charges. Or having the profile holders pay the extra fee while you still pay the main part. It's a tough choice, and it won't be surprising if Netflix loses many subscribers who refuse to hold onto the service, if for nothing else then out of sheer spite.