Want to Save Money? Know When to Pause Your Hulu Subscription

Signing up for Hulu requires a credit card or a bank account so monthly subscription fees can be automatically drafted from your account. Putting your subscription on autopilot provides uninterrupted service and lets you watch on-demand content whenever you want for a relatively cheap price.

Depending on how much you use Hulu, it may be impossible to imagine life without the service. But even if you’re a Hulu fanatic, your circumstances can change in an instant. At some point, you might question whether to continue or cancel your service. Not because you don’t enjoy streaming movies and other content, but because you foresee watching less TV in the upcoming weeks or months – maybe you’ll be traveling, maybe you’ve got a big work project starting, or maybe you just incurred a heavy personal expense and need to cut unnecessary spending from your budget. Rather than cancel your service altogether, putting your Hulu subscription on hold is a wonderful and efficient option you may not have considered.

Some people don’t know about it, but you can put your account on pause for up to 12 weeks, or up to three times in a three-month period. The pause takes effect with your next billing cycle, so if life throws a curve ball or if you need a mini-break from streaming, you don’t have to permanently get rid of the service.

Here’s a look at four reasons why putting your Hulu subscription on hold makes sense.

1. You going home for summer break.

If you’re a college student living in a dorm or sharing an apartment with friends, getting a Hulu subscription is an excellent way to save on cable. You can watch the shows you love for a fraction of the cost.

But during the summer while you’re home, you may not need your own subscription. Maybe your family has a Hulu account you can use at no additional cost. In this situation, it doesn’t make sense to pay for a subscription you’re not currently using. To save money, put your subscription on pause, and then re-activate your account once the new school year begins.

2. You’re leaving home for a while.

You can also put your Hulu subscription on pause if you’ll be away from home and won’t have time for television. This might be the case if you’re traveling for an extended vacation, visiting family for a while or traveling for work over the next couple of weeks or months.

Of course, you can always take your Hulu subscription with you and watch from a laptop or supported device. But if you’re spending time with family, or if you know work will keep you busy, putting your subscription on pause lets you save money. It’s one less expense to worry about while you’re away from home.

3. Reduce financial burdens.

Your financial situation can change with little notice. You could lose a job, miss work due to an illness or face higher household expenses. Whatever the situation, reducing monthly expenses can help with your transition. This is one benefit of putting your Hulu subscription on pause. Even though Hulu is a small monthly expense, the monthly savings from pausing your account can really add up over time.

4. You’re waiting for new seasons to start.

Most series have their season finales in May, and their new seasons don’t begin until September. If you don’t watch a lot of TV in the summer, there’s no point in keeping your Hulu subscription active throughout that time. You can put your account on pause after season finales and restart your account before new seasons premiere.

Putting your Hulu subscription on pause is an excellent way to save money without canceling your service. It only takes a couple of minutes to pause your account. Log into your account, go to your account settings, choose the option to pause your account and then determine a duration. Your account will automatically re-activate once the hold expires. Hulu charges your credit card or drafts your bank account at this time and this date begins a new billing cycle.