Over the past few days, I’ve been subject to watching YouTube through the accounts of people who don’t have YouTube Premium. Every second I spent watching was another second when I was thankful I got used to paying for Premium. I’ve been on it since late 2021 and I’ve had no regrets. Not surprising, considering I’m an avid YouTube enjoyer.
Well, here’s some bad news for some of the earliest users of the platform. The grandfathered pricing that they were all enjoying is set to be put into the grave. It seems Google feels like it has paid off the perk of that loyalty at this point, so those users will need to get with the program and pay more, or leave the Premium subscription.
YouTube Premium’s Grandfathered Pricing Takes a Massive Jump Upwards
Over 10 years ago, Google launched a new service called YouTube Music Key. That service provided access to ad-free music and also made playing YouTube videos in the background straightforward. At launch, the plan cost a nice, round $9.99, but for those who decided to get the service a test run early on, they got to enjoy a 20% discount, bringing the pricing down to $7.99.
YouTube Music Key eventually evolved into what we now know as YouTube Premium (which includes YouTube Music), and even despite that rebranding, the earliest users still got to enjoy the $7.99 pricing that they got at the very start of the journey. Quite incredibly, for over 10 years, Google allowed that pricing to stay intact, rewarding the loyalty of those who gave that new service a chance at the very beginning.
Unfortunately though, the perks of loyalty can expire, and that has just happened. That grandfathered pricing is no more, as Google has pushed that price up by a massive $5, which is a more than 50% increase. Now, those users will need to pay $12.99 to continue to enjoy the perks of the service. However, they shouldn’t complain too much, as they’re still getting Premium for $1 less than a brand-new user would be.
This Follows a Similar Hike to Grandfathered Pricing in the EU Last Year
This might not come as a surprise to everyone, as it was only last year that the earliest adopters in the EU had to take a similar hit to the jaw. The earliest pricing in the EU was €7.99, but in 2024, the decision was made to push that up to €10.99. With that in mind, it was only a matter of time before the US joined the club.
YouTube Premium Lite Is the Reason for Google Finally Retiring That Very Discounted Pricing
If you’re wondering why now of all times was chosen to retire the grandfathered pricing, it’s because of YouTube Premium Lite. That service is currently only available in a few countries, including the US, but it provides a more affordable option for those who don’t want to spend as much as $13.99 every single month.
YouTube Premium Lite focuses mainly on providing access to ad-free videos, without any of the extra perks of Premium. Plus, it costs $7.99, so there would have been a pretty clear conflict if some YouTube Premium subscribers were still able to pay that little for the full battery of perks.
