Customers of a well-known streaming service are being urged to check their bills after some subscribers discovered a 'hidden charge' that was costing them an extra £60 a year. NOW TV offers a 'boost package' for an extra £5 a month, but those who have signed up to a seven-day free trial may be unwittingly overpaying for their package.
The Sky streaming service’s Boost option enables subscribers to view programmes in HD on a number of different devices and without any adverts - but if you signed up for the free trial and forgot to cancel it, it could cost you.
MoneySavingExpert.com said eagle-eyed customers had only realised they were forking out for the add-on after analysing their bill., the Mirror reports.
READ MORE: Sky Glass review: Satellite-free streaming TV has plenty to shout about but can be improved
Complaining users have now vented their frustration on social media, with one writing: "Why have I started being charged £5 for a Now TV 'Boost'?"
Another added: "Hello, I’ve only just noticed that I seem to have been being billed for something called 'Boost' on top of my Now TV subscription. I’m not sure what Boost is and I don’t remember subscribing to it."
Another miffed user said: "Just seen a charge for @NOW TV Boost on my bank account. I’ve actively avoided signing up for this extra charge that gets you basically nothing only to have Now sign me up without me knowing about it."
A NOW spokesperson has responded to disgruntled streamers, and .said: "We know our members value the option to stream our content in HD and on multiple devices simultaneously. Therefore, at checkout, we wanted to offer this functionality to all members as quickly and easily as possible via our Boost membership."
How you can swerve the yearly £60 Boost fee
It may ‘only’ be £5 a month, but that adds up to a sizeable £60 over the year. When first signing up to Now, new users are asked whether or not they want to sign up for the ‘Boost’ service.
During the check-out process, customers can opt in to add a Boost 7-day free trial, which then auto-renews for £5 a month unless cancelled once the trial is over.
This extra fiver is then added to whatever package you signed up for. When buying a bundle, cost-savvy customers need to make sure they remove the 'free Boost trial' at checkout if they don’t want it.
If you are an existing Now TV user and this story has you scrabbling to check your bill, you can make sure you haven't accidentally signed up to Boost by logging into your account online. Then, using the drop-down menu, simply navigate to ‘memberships and vouchers’ and look for Boost. If you see it and you don’t want it, click ‘cancel membership’.
You can still access your Now TV right up until the next bill is due, but then it will become inactive.
READ NEXT:
- Everything you need to know about Sky Glass
-
How to save hundreds on TV streaming subscriptions with one simple change
-
Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ - which is the best streaming site?
-
Is it time to cancel Netflix? I worked out my streaming usage to see if the price hike is worth it
-
I found out my Netflix account was hacked after someone watched Twilight in Vietnam
