Get Ready! Netflix Users Can No Longer Share Account Passwords Without Paying Additional Fees

Netflix is testing a new feature, an add-on to crack down on password sharing practices. (photo: Yousafbhutta / Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Netflix is testing a new feature, an add-on to crack down on the longstanding practice of sharing passwords. With this feature, users will be charged an additional fee.

A trial of the add-on option will work for customers who share their passwords with people outside their homes, but for an additional $3 USD for two additional members.

“We've always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix accounts, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans. While these are very popular, they also create some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared," said Chengyi Long, director of product innovation at Netflix.

"As a result, account sharing among households affects our ability to invest in great new TV and movies for our members."

Over the next few weeks, the feature will only be tested in Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru. Subscribers on Netflix's standard and premium plans will be able to add Extra Member sub-accounts for up to two additional people who don't live with them for a set fee.

"We will work to understand the usefulness of these two features for members in these three countries before making changes elsewhere in the world," Netflix said.

Each sub-account will have its own profile and password. To facilitate change, customers at all levels can allow people who are now sharing their accounts to transfer their profiles, either to a new account or a sub-account.

Quoted from 9to5Mac, Thursday, March 16, users who wish to use their own account outside the home can still do so, but they may be asked to confirm their identity with a verification code.

This is just Netflix's latest attempt to crack down on password sharing. Last year, the company launched a trial in which it asked users who don't live with the account owner to create their own account in order to continue watching.