Netflix's price hike has a hidden victim: your Verizon bill

Verizon customers who've been enjoying a discounted Netflix and HBO Max streaming bundle are in for a rude awakening. Starting May 6, that $10-a-month perk is climbing to $13, thanks to Netflix's latest price hikes now trickling down into carrier bundles.

Netflix's price hikes are already hitting carrier bundles

A new report confirms Verizon has updated its support page: the Netflix and Max (with ads) myPlan perk will cost $3 more per month starting May 6. Monthly savings drop from around $9 to roughly $7 compared to subscribing to both services on your own.

This is a direct consequence of Netflix bumping prices across every streaming tier last week, its second increase in just over 14 months. The ad-supported plan rose from $7.99 to $8.99, and the Standard and Premium tiers each went up $2. Verizon has already started sending notifications, and Reddit users are confirming they've gotten the heads-up.

If you're on a promotional rate or trial right now, your price stays put until that period wraps up. Once it does, though, the $13 rate takes over.

T-Mobile already set the precedent

Verizon isn't the first carrier to hand Netflix's price increases straight to its customers. When Netflix raised prices back in January 2025, T-Mobile played the same card: it covered the basic ad-supported tier but left customers on Standard and Premium plans to absorb the difference. The playbook is obvious at this point. Carriers will foot the bill for the cheapest option and let you deal with anything beyond that.

I saw this play out personally as a former T-Mobile customer. The "free Netflix" perk looks great in marketing materials, right up until the streaming service raises prices and your carrier quietly tacks the extra cost onto your bill. Carrier perks have never been as secure as they're made out to be, and this is just more proof.

Verizon had a real opportunity here, and missed it

What gets me is the timing. Verizon's new CEO Dan Schulman stood up earlier this year and openly admitted that the carrier bled over 2 million subscribers thanks to constant price hikes. He talked about a culture shift, said the company was done with "empty price increases," and committed to putting customers first.

A $3-a-month bump on a streaming perk sounds small on its own. But this was a chance for Verizon to actually back up those words. Picture the messaging: "Other carriers pass the cost to you, but we're eating it because your loyalty matters to us." That kind of move could have meant something from a company fighting to win back customer trust after years of subscriber losses. Instead, they took the same road every other carrier takes.

Netflix deserves its share of the blame, too

Make no mistake, Netflix is the one driving all of this. Two price hikes in 14 months is bold, especially from a company that walked away from the Warner Bros. deal with a $2.8 billion breakup fee in its pocket. Revenue climbed 16% last year and Netflix is eyeing over $50 billion for 2026. The whole "reinvesting in quality entertainment" line only stretches so far before it starts to ring hollow.

If you're a Verizon myPlan customer counting on carrier bundles to keep streaming affordable, keep this in mind: your savings are only as reliable as Netflix's pricing decisions. And lately, those haven't been reliable at all.