Now that the streaming bundle that puts Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max all on one tab has been available for more than a year, we're pretty confident in calling it the best streaming bundle that you can get. At $16.99 a month for a subscription with ads (and $29.99 to go ad-free), this bundled trio saves up to 43% off the price of individually subscribing to each platform. Not bad for three of the best streaming services around.
Below is a step-by-step process for how to sign up or switch over from existing subscriptions. Note that you'll only be able to register or update your plan from a web browser, not in-app, and only directly through Disney+, HBO Max (fka Max), or Hulu, not a third-party like Roku or Apple or TV/internet provider.
How to Get the Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max Bundle
For newbies:
Easy: Head over to the sign-up page on Disney+, HBO Max, or Hulu. From there, you can pick whichever plan best suits you, enter your email to create a login that will be connected to all three streaming services, put in your payment info, and start streaming right away. Unfortunately, there is no free trial period for new subscribers.
For existing subscribers:
If you currently only subscribe to one of the services included in the bundle, head over to the page where you manage your subscription and update your plan accordingly. That'll essentially become your primary streaming service through which you're billed. Once you do that, you'll be able to link up the other two streaming services via the primary account.
Current subscribers to Disney+'s Duo plan (which includes Hulu) or Hulu with an HBO Max add-on can follow the same steps:
- Go to your Disney+ or Hulu Account page.
- Click 'manage plan' on Hulu or 'subscriptions' on Disney+, and select the option for Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle, With or Without Ads. If you were already subscribed to the Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ bundle and switch over, you'll have to add on ESPN+ just like any other extra channel like Showtime or Starz. (Max's Ultimate Ad-Free plan and Hulu + Live TV, however, are not available as add-ons.)
- You'll be billed the new price on your next statement.
What if I have three separate accounts for Disney+, HBO Max, and Hulu?
The steps are more annoying, but for the amount of money you're potentially saving (see below), it's well worth the effort. You could also just connect to the customer service chat on any of the streaming services' websites and have an agent help you out.
For monthly subscribers:
- First, pick whichever streaming service you want to be charged from.
- Next, you'll have to "manage" the subscriptions for the other two – meaning, you'll have to cancel them so you're not subscribed to them twice.
- Go back to the page where you manage subscriptions on your primary streaming service and select the option for Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle, With or Without Ads.
- The plan takes effect immediately and the price will update on your next billing statement.
If you're changing over annual subscriptions on any of the streaming services, the steps will be identical. The only difference is that you'll be refunded the prorated amount from when your yearly billing cycle starts.
For even more troubleshooting, visit the bundle FAQs on the Max (most useful), Disney+ (medium useful), or Hulu (least useful) sites.
How Much Money Do I Save by Bundling Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max?
Let's play with round numbers here, since streaming services like to charge some dollar amount and 99 cents. Accounting for the year, the bundle costs $204 with ads and $360 for no ads in total. Which sounds scary until you break it down:
A basic HBO Max plan with ads costs $10 a month, or $100 with an annual subscription; the standard ad-free plan is $17 monthly, or $170 a year; and its premium plan, which gets you access to 4K streaming, jumps to $21 and $210. Across the board, choosing any HBO Max annual plan saves 16%. Just at a glance, the monthly ad-free Max subscription costs the same as the bundled trio with ads.
The existing Disney+ and Hulu Duo bundle with ads clocks in at $11 a month and increases to $20 for premium with no ads. For Disney+ alone you're paying $10 a month with ads (but there's no option for an annual plan) and $16 a month, or $160 a year, for the premium plan. Solo Hulu subscribers pay $10 a month, or $100 a year, for a plan with ads and $19 a month to go ad-free with no annual option.
Here's the quick math: If you opt for individual plans on each streaming service with ads, you'd be paying $31 monthly. Going for the $17 bundle nets a savings of $167 per year. Or if you bundle Disney+ and Hulu and pay for Max separately, your bill would be $21 a month. It's $4 cheaper per month to sign up for the bundle, which isn't nothing!
For those who want that ad-free experience, you'd be paying $37 to $41 monthly (depending on the Max subscription tier) for the Disney+ and Hulu bundle and a separate Max sub, or $52 to $56 per month for all three individually – which, yikes! Switching over to the bundle saves up to $312 a year (!!). Granted, the biggest savings means giving up 4K streaming on Max – the bundled trio currently does not include that option. For the non-4K ad-free tier, that's still up to $264 in savings.
Is There an Annual Subscription Plan for the Disney+/Hulu/Max Bundle?
Unfortunately for people used to saving another couple dollars by opting for an annual subscription, the bundles are only available as monthly subscriptions at present. They'll only let us have so many discounts, y'know?
Leanne Butkovic is an Editorial Project Manager at IGN and has previously written about movies, TV, and the business of streaming.
