If you’re an avid user of Google services like YouTube Premium and Google One but find the costs too expensive, we have good news for you. Google has a Pixel Pass subscription that offers both discounts on the latest Pixel models as well as the best Google service subscriptions. This is ideal if you’ve been keeping an eye out for the Pixel 6a.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new Pixel Pass. We’ll cover what it includes, how much it costs, and how to decide if it’s a good deal for you.
Think of the Pixel Pass as an all-in-one subscription service. It breaks down the latest Pixel phone’s cost into low monthly premiums. But to sweeten the deal, you also get access to a wide range of Google services like YouTube Premium and Google Play Pass. This is similar to the Xbox All Access subscription where you get the Xbox Series X or Series S with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Samsung also offers a similar service called Samsung Access, while Apple leans on a combination of the iPhone upgrade program and Apple One to provide a similar experience for the iPhone.
The Pixel Pass has a lot to offer. When you subscribe to the Pixel Pass, you get the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, or Pixel 6a, depending on how much you choose to pay (more on that below), but you also get access to various Google services that would typically cost a lot more if you bought them separately. But since Google has bundled them into a single monthly subscription, you get everything for much cheaper than you would normally. Here’s exactly what you get.
How much your Pixel Pass costs varies on the phone model you choose. The subscription spreads out the cost of the phone over two years while offering discounts so you can buy the latest Pixel model without burning a hole in your pocket. The plan costs more depending on the model of Pixel you pick, so make sure you pick the correct model or you may end up paying more than you thought or get a different phone from the one you want.
You can save even more if you use Google Fi, which gets you an additional $5 off on your plan.
But it’s not just about the handset, after all. You’re also getting several Google services baked into your plan, which can get expensive quickly if you buy them separately. For instance, YouTube Premium costs $12 a month, Google One (200 GB) costs $3 a month, and the Google Play Pass comes in at $5 a month. Add to that the cost of Preferred Care Coverage at $7 to $9 a month and you’re looking at spending hundreds of dollars a year without the Pixel Pass.
According to Google, you’ll save $160 with the Pixel 6a plan, $176 with the Pixel 6 plan, and $294 with the Pixel 6 Pro plan. All of those amounts are calculated over two years.
Whether the Pixel Pass is a good investment for you depends on how much you use Google’s services. You’re not getting eye-watering discounts, so if you don’t use YouTube, Google One, or Play Pass often, it may not be the best deal for you. You’re saving less than a couple of hundred bucks over two years, so it’s not an offer to jump on if you’re not deeply integrated into the Google ecosystem.
On the other hand, frequent Google users and people who love trying out new smartphone models can find a lot of value in the Pixel Pass, not just because of the discounts but also because you get all your favorite things together.
If you fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, where you use a few Google services and want to try out the new Pixel model, we recommend trying out the plan for a few months to see if it works well for your needs. If you’re only interested in one or two Google services, it might be a better option to buy those packages individually.
Google doesn’t lock you into the subscription until you pay off the phone’s cost, and if you decide you no longer want the plan, you can unsubscribe and just pay the remaining cost of the phone. However, if you cancel, you lose all access to your subscribed Google services, so keep that in mind if you lean heavily on the extra cloud storage or YouTube Music. But, you can always subscribe to those specific services separately if you like.
Are you tired of paying for streaming services you never watch just to get a phone plan feature you actually want? T-Mobile has good news for you! The carrier is rolling out new plans, called T-Mix, in early November to replace its old Experience lineup with a build-your-own perks system called Picks.
The benefits you choose vary from streaming and gaming to food delivery, AI, satellite service, and phone discounts. But if you are satisfied with your existing plan, you can keep it.
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