In their early days, streaming services were hailed for loosening the stranglehold traditional cable providers (and the contracts they dealt in) had over the TV watching public. Of course it was never as simple as that, since the accompanying copyright, distribution rights, and ownership laws helped shape what streaming was capable of from the very beginning. Personal ethics can now play a part as well: Streaming was a frontline at the recent entertainment industry strikes. And musicians are making it clear that streaming does almost nothing for them. Most recently, the services provided by the biggest names in the industry look more like the cable-based paradigm they supplanted. They’re now a far cry from the scrappy answer to cord-cutter prayers they started as. All of which makes it harder than ever to feel like you’re getting a good deal from your subscriptions.

So, here are our top eight, easy-to-follow tips to make sure you’re getting the most out of your chosen streamers.

8. Understand each of your subscriptions’ strengths.

Services like Shudder and Crunchyroll clearly serve a niche. But what about the gorillas in the room? Each of them also choose to specialize to some degree. Netflix has been on a years-long quest to produce or outright own their content, making third party shows and movies increasingly rare on the platform. Apple TV is garnering a reputation as the best place for prestige sci-fi. Hulu, meanwhile, multitasks as a home for streaming concurrent on-air TV, limited live sports, and indie movies.

7. Watch for bundles, sales, and perks.

Subscription services, like a lot of hot-ticket physical items, will go on sale around the same times of year. Monthly pricing is often drastically reduced on Black Friday through the holidays, during Memorial Day, and at the end of summer as fall programming ramps up. Occasionally these sales can be drastic, but the more dominant the streaming service, the less likely they are to offer sale prices.

Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN have been available as a bundle since launch. And Hulu can also be bundled with a basic Spotify plan. Both of which offer true value over subscribing to each separately.

Also! Make sure you take advantage of any bonuses or perks your streamer may provide. For instance, if you’re an Apple customer, most new device purchases will come with some number of free months of Apple TV+ (usually three). Netflix has been quietly building an amazing library of video games that are free to access to all subscribers. If you watch on your phone, you probably know, since featured games are one of the first recommendation categories. But if you tend to watch on a big screen, you might be leaving a ton of fun on the table.

6. Be aware of “soft” contracts.

For better or worse, streaming services are beginning to align their pricing schemes so that, rather than offering occasional sales, their best prices will be reserved for customers who sign up for long-term commitments that have low “monthly” payments that get lumped into bigger annual or semi-annual charges. Amazon Prime and live gaming services have always operated this way, but other media streamers are starting to follow suit. If you know that a service is one you mean to hold onto, these prices can be great as long as you have budgeted for the larger, more seldom payments. On the downside, this has a major effect on the next piece of advise.

5. Cancel unused services early and often.

Staying subscribed to a service you don’t use will obviously nickle and dime you. But with the premiums that Netflix and Amazon are now imposing (with Amazon further souring the deal with forced ads), an unused sub is costing you more than pocket change. I recommend setting up a reminder on your phone or calendar every other month to take stock of what you’ve watched or played on. Twice a year, I recommend reviewing your bank or card statement for recurring charges you may have even forgotten about. Cancel your least watched or unused subs with prejudice, knowing that you can come back just as soon as the service entices you again. Which brings me to. . .

4. Allow your anticipated shows and games to stockpile.

There may be a day in the not-so-distant future when streaming services bring back the binding customer contracts that led droves of users to leave cable in the first place. For now, though, deciding whether to keep a subscription can be as simple as adding up the amount of entertainment you get from them. If you only watch one or two anime on Crunchyroll, why not cancel and purchase the Blu-Rays? Not into collecting physical media? Then put a pause on that sub until you hop on the hype train for a few more shows or movies. Once you’ve watched those, cancel hard.

This advice can be hard for fans who love to be in on the conversation of new releases, but if that’s how you feel, I’d refer you back to the first bit of advice and only subscribe to the service that is releasing media that you are excited to be on the scene for. Speaking of being on the scene. . .

3. Sports fans have a lot of red tape to navigate.

Honestly, this topic merits its own post. Live sports and events are still largely the domain of traditional, linear mass media, whether via cable or over-the-air. Broadcast blackout regulations followed fans into the streaming era, and some sportscast services like Bally’s have contentious histories because of it. Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix have all now dabbled in shorter, or one-off live events like awards ceremonies, comedy specials, and even golf and tennis tournaments. But when it comes to entire sports seasons, getting at your favorite team’s broadcast schedule can be exhausting. If you’re set against ordering cable, the clearest bridge across the divide are web-based TV services like Sling, YouTube TV, or Hulu with Live TV. My advice would again be to cancel early and often. Find the service that carries the sport or team you watch, subscribe while they’re in season, and cut it off as soon as the finals have past.

2. Keep it as simple as the services are supposed to be.

All things considered, streaming services are meant to let us have fun and relax. Thinking about your budget and taking into account all the ways these companies try to stay on your billing statements are not fun or relaxing. So maybe the best option is to choose one or two and stick with them. Only allowing a new one access to your credit card when a previous one has been put on ice. But if something you really want to watch just isn’t available on your subs, you know what is fun and relaxing?

1. Visit your local library’s media collection.

You may be surprised to find out how up-to-date your public library’s collection of TV and Movie DVDs is. Furthermore, your library may offer limited access to borrowed or streamed digital media through apps offered on their website. If your media librarian is particularly hip, they might even offer 4k blu-rays, video games, and even the playback consoles for those mediums!

However you manage your subscriptions, we hope these tips help you get the most bang for your buck out of them or remind you that it’s past time to hit cancel on some of them.

How do you manage your subscriptions? Which ones do you think offer the best value? Tell us in the comments or over at the Boss Rush Discord.

Featured Image: NPR