How to get a free month of Netflix

We’ve had to beg for it here in Spain, but the multiplatform streaming service Netflix has finally arrived and with it an enormous catalogue of movies, TV shows, and documentaries. While you usually have to pay a monthly fee to enjoy it, to start you can register and get free access for 30 days. Here we explain how to do it.

• The first thing to do is access the official website. On the site’s own homepage you should find the option to register and get a free month, so click there.

• Now you’ll select the plan you want depending on your needs, keeping in mind that the basic plan does not offer streaming in HD and can only be used by one person, meaning it’s not great if you’re planning to share your account with other people.

• Likewise, the only appeal of the Premium over the standard package is streaming in 4K, so if you don’t have a TV or monitor that can handle that there’s not much sense in opting for that one. In any case, for the free month this decision is irrelevant as it will be free no matter what.
• Next you need to insert your email and password. Pleasantly, you don’t need to add any more personal details to your account. That done, you just have to insert your payment information, either via credit card or PayPal. As usual, we recommend the latter. The reason they ask you for bank details to register your free account is that it will enable automatic recharge, but you can of course cancel once you get the free 30 days. (We’ll show you how up ahead so you can keep from getting charged.)

• After you confirm the payment method and your other registration data, it will ask you a few questions to customize your Netflix experience. Concretely, it will ask you what kind of device you’re planning to stream from. You can now do so on any device that runs a web browser, although there are also official apps for iOS, Android, and integrated channels on several models of Smart TV. You can even stream from consoles like PlayStation 3 and 4 or Xbox 360 and One. A lack of options there is not.
• It will also prompt you to add names for all the people who are going to use your Netflix account so it can then separately give them recommendations and show their streaming histories. You can also tick a box so that certain users are only shown kids’ content. Finally, it will ask you to select three titles from a list of shows and movies, which will serve as an initial reference on which to base the suggestions on your homepage.

• OK, one super-important thing left. If you’re not planning to renew the service and don’t want them to charge you for another month after your 30 days are up, you need to go your setup panel and click on your username at the top right of the screen to go to My Account. The Cancel subscription button will be visible, allowing you to erase your bank details, although you can keep enjoying your free month till it’s over.

Although all these steps have been done from a desktop browser, you can also do the same thing from an Android using the official Netflix app, whose browsing system and user account system is identical across all platforms. In fact, with so many streaming options, you can use whatever streaming format you can think of, whether it’s a Chromecast or rather more odd ideas like using the new Steam Link as a bridge. Any other ideas?

Although now you can officially access Netflix from Spain, there were already a lot of people using it even in countries where it was still not available. Don’t forget, there are lots of ways to access regionally blocked content as well as install and use Android apps with similar restrictions.