As a happy Netflix subscriber for over 5 years now, I know firsthand how convenient and affordable their subscription service can be But one aspect that isn’t always ideal is having to wait for your Netflix billing date each month before you can pay your bill.
Whether your paycheck hits a few days before your billing date or you simply like staying on top of payments, you may want the option to pay your Netflix bill early. The good news is – with a few tricks, you can pay ahead of schedule and make sure your account stays active.
I’ll tell you everything you need to know about paying your Netflix bill early in this detailed guide, such as:
- How the Netflix billing cycle works
- Ways to pay early through the Netflix website
- Tips for changing your billing date entirely
- What to do if you need to put your account on hold
Let’s get started!
Understanding the Netflix Billing Cycle
First, it’s helpful to understand how the standard Netflix billing cycle works.
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Your billing date is the same date each month that you originally signed up on.
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In this case, if you signed up on the 15th, you will be charged every month on the 15th.
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Billing dates can shift by a day due to differences in time zones.
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If your billing date falls on a day that doesn’t occur every month (like the 31st), you’ll be charged on the last day of the month instead.
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Payment is taken automatically around the billing date from the payment method you have on file.
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You can update your payment info anytime in Your Account settings.
Knowing these billing basics will help you figure out the best way to go about paying early.
Paying Early Through the Netflix Website
If you want to pay your bill ahead of your normal billing date, the easiest option is to simply log into the Netflix website and make a manual one-time payment.
Here are the steps:
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Sign into your Netflix account online and go to Your Account page.
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Under Billing Details, click Make a Payment.
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Enter your payment info and pay the amount due for the current month’s charges.
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The extra payment will be held as credit on your account to be applied on your billing date.
By paying ahead, you ensure your Netflix service stays active even if your normal payment fails for some reason when the billing date comes around.
The downside is having to manually make each early payment instead of setting it on autopay. But it only takes a minute, and gives you flexibility.
Changing Your Netflix Billing Date
If you find yourself wanting to pay early every month, you can take it a step further and officially change your billing due date in Your Account settings. Here’s how:
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From the Billing Details page, click Change Billing Date.
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Select a new billing date at least 2 days in the future and Confirm.
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Pay the prorated amount immediately to cover service until the new date kicks in.
By shifting your billing date forward, you can better align it with the pay schedule that works for your financial situation.
Just keep in mind that the Change Billing Date feature is not available in every country. But you can achieve the same result by canceling and restarting your subscription on your preferred new date.
Putting Your Netflix Account on Hold
Another option if you want to pay Netflix bills early or pause service for a bit is to put your account on hold. Here’s how hold status works:
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Your account will be paused with no charges accruing.
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You can reactivate service anytime by paying the monthly fee.
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Your watch history, recommendations, etc. will be saved for 10 months.
To place your account on hold:
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Go to the Cancel Membership page under Your Account.
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Click Pause Membership instead of Cancel.
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Your account will be paused at the end of the current billing period.
Hold is great if you’re going to be traveling or too busy to watch Netflix for a while. Just keep in mind that if you restart during the middle of a billing cycle, you’ll be charged a prorated amount right away.
Answering Common Netflix Billing Questions
Changing up your Netflix billing date or payment timing often leads to more questions. Here are some quick answers about how early payments work:
What happens if I pay early, then my normal billing payment also goes through?
Any extra funds paid will be held as credit on your Netflix account to cover future charges.
Can I get a refund if I pay early then cancel Netflix right after?
Refunds are not provided for early payments or account credits. The funds will be consumed with your final charges upon cancellation.
What is the earliest I can pay my Netflix bill in the month?
You can pay your Netflix bill up to a full month early if you want to stay really ahead of the game!
What if I go on vacation and want to pause my account for a month?
Simply put your account on hold, then restart it when you return – you’ll only be charged for the active days.
What happens if my early payment bounces for some reason?
Your account will go unpaid on the billing date, so you’ll want to add a backup payment method to avoid interruption.
What if The “Change billing day” Option is Unavailable
It is common among users not to have the “Change billing day” option on their accounts. It is because this function is not available for all the countries. Don’t worry though, here are a few secondary options that will ultimately change the billing date for you.
Yes, you read that right. It’s a smart way to get a new billing date. You will still be able to enjoy your subscription for the remaining days of the current plan even after cancellation. After that, wait for the preferred date to come and restart your membership. If you are having second thoughts to lose your recommendations, don’t worry. Netflix won’t delete your information and choices for ten months. Therefore, you can come back anytime in the period and restart your membership flawlessly. Here’s how to cancel your membership on Netflix.
- Go to your Account Settings on Netflix.
- Then, click on “Cancel membership” in the Membership & Billing section.
- Lastly, confirm your cancellation on the next page.
If you aren’t using an automatic payment method, you can forget about the membership for a while. Netflix will put your account on hold unless you pay the amount for the coming month. This way, you only have to pay when you want to watch something. Given that, the subscription will be active for the next 30 days from the day of payment. But, you won’t get charged unnecessarily even if you are not using Netflix.
Imagine Netflix as a salaried employee. Your prepaid payment is distributed equally for every day of the month. What that means is if you change your current plan, your billing cycle will shift slightly. Let’s say your billing day is the 9th of every month, and you are using the Standard plan. Now, you decide to upgrade your plan to Premium, which costs almost double the Standard plan. Since Netflix wants you to enjoy premium benefits without any setback, it upgrades your plan immediately. In exchange, it pulls back your next billing date.
If your subscription value doubles, you can expect the next billing day to occur in half time from your current date. So, changing the plan ten days before the due date will bring the next billing day on the 4th or 5th day. This calculation can be tricky; therefore, you must check it manually by accessing the “Change plan” page (visit).
Another noteworthy point is this trick is only applicable if you are upgrading the plan. There won’t be any difference in the billing date if you are downgrading the plan. So, if you decide to downgrade your plan, it will take effect in the next subscription period. You will still have all the benefits of the current plan for the running month.
You can quickly change your Netflix billing date from account settings, requiring you to pay the amount for the gap instantly. However, this method is only available in limited countries. In such cases, I recommend you cancel your subscription and take a break for a while before restarting it on your preferred date. Meanwhile, if you are also looking to upgrade your plan, the Netflix billing date changes automatically.
You will be able to use Netflix until your current plan ends, even if you cancel your subscription. The changes will take effect after the last day of the current cycle.
Yes, the recurring payments are billed and debited monthly. However, you can quickly stop auto payments from your bank to avoid unnecessary billings.
If your current plan is exhausted and you haven’t paid the next fee, Netflix will hold your account for ten months. You can restart your membership at any time in that period without paying for the lost months.
How to Change Netflix Billing Date
Changing the billing date on Netflix is a straightforward task you can do from the account settings on Netflix. However, the feature is not available for every country. Therefore, you have to rely on some tricks that will change the Netflix billing date in unique ways. Let’s see how we can change the date for paying your Netflix bills.
Netflix has kept its user experience pretty straightforward. Therefore, you can do any task in less than a few clicks. Here’s how to change your billing date on Netflix.
- Sign in to your Netflix account on a browser and go to your Account Settings.
- Look for “Change Billing Day” on the right side.
- Change the date and click “Review and Confirm.”
Changing the billing date on Netflix will require you to pay for the gap immediately. Let’s say you are changing the date from 1st of November to 10th of November; you will have to pay for those ten days before continuing with the process. You can also choose to select the last day of the month option if it helps you keep your finances sorted.
There are a few points to consider while changing your billing date. These are some rules and limitations to this process. Let’s have a look at what things you should remember while changing the billing date on Netflix.
- This method is only applicable if you use a debit/credit card or PayPal for payments.
- This feature is not available in all countries.
- You can’t change the billing date on the billing date. It can be before or after the date.
- Changing the billing date is not possible if your account is on hold.
- You can’t change the billing date during a free period.
- Your billing date can be a day before due to time-zone differences.
- If your billing day comes on a non-repetitive date, like the 31st, it will be charged on the last day of the month.
If you are reading this article from a country like India or that do not present the “change billing date” option
Netflix How To Pay Your Bill Instructions, Guide, Tutorial
FAQ
Can you pay Netflix ahead of time?
Can I change my Netflix payment date?
Why is my Netflix billing date a day earlier?
Your billing date may be one day earlier or later due to time zone differences. If the day of your billing date does not occur in every month (for example, the 31st), you will be billed on the last day of that month instead. If you pay for Netflix through a third party, your Netflix billing date may vary from your provider’s billing date.
How do I Change my payment method on Netflix?
Log in to Netflix.com and select your profile icon > Account > Manage payment info > Add Payment Method. On the payment info page, select Make preferred next to your new billing method. Select Remove next to the old one. On the Netflix Account page, you can change your billing day, add a backup payment method, and view billing details.
Can I Change my Netflix billing date?
You will still have all the benefits of the current plan for the running month. You can quickly change your Netflix billing date from account settings, requiring you to pay the amount for the gap instantly. However, this method is only available in limited countries.
How do I pay for Netflix?
There are many options to pay for Netflix including credit or debit cards, and third parties. If one of our accepted payment methods is not working, please contact us for help. If you are billed through a third party or have a package that includes Netflix, your account could be canceled for a number of reasons. There is an issue with your payment.