As a long-time Netflix subscriber I know that getting billed on the same date every month can be inconvenient especially if your paycheck schedule doesn’t align. Sometimes you may want to pay your Netflix bill early to stay ahead or to pause service temporarily.
The good news is that with a few simple tricks, paying your Netflix bill early is easy to do. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll explain everything you need to know about paying your Netflix bill ahead of the normal due date, including:
- How the standard Netflix billing cycle works
- Steps to pay early directly through the Netflix website
- Tips to change your billing due date entirely
- What to do if you want to put your account on hold
Let’s get started!
Understanding Your Netflix Billing Date
To start, it’s helpful to understand the basics of how Netflix bills subscribers:
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Your personal billing date is the same every month, on the date you originally signed up So if you joined on the 10th, you’ll be billed on the 10th moving forward.
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Billing dates can shift a day earlier or later because of time zone differences.
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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 that month instead.
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Payment is automatically deducted around your billing date from the payment method on file, whether it’s a credit card, PayPal, etc.
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You can update your payment information at any time under Your Account settings on the Netflix website or in the app.
Knowing these standard billing details will help you figure out the easiest way to pay early if needed.
Paying Early Through the Netflix Website
The most straightforward way to pay your Netflix bill ahead of your normal due date is to simply log into your account and make a manual payment.
Here are the steps:
- Sign into Netflix.com and go to Your Account page
- Under Billing Details, click “Make a Payment”
- Enter your payment info and pay the amount due for next month
- The extra funds will be held as a credit on your account to be applied on your actual billing date.
This way, even if your recurring billing payment fails for some reason when your due date comes around, your account will stay active thanks to the early payment you already made.
The only small downside is having to manually pay each month instead of setting it on autopay. But it only takes a minute to log in and pay, giving you flexibility.
Changing Your Official Netflix Billing Date
If you find yourself wanting to pay early every single month, you can take it a step further and officially change your billing due date in Your Account settings:
- Go to the Billing Details page and click “Change Billing Date”
- Select a new billing date at least 2 days in the future and confirm
- Pay the prorated amount immediately to cover service until the new date kicks in
By shifting your billing date forward, you can align it better with the pay schedule that works for your financial situation.
Just keep in mind that the Change Billing Date option is not available to members in every country. But you can achieve the same outcome by canceling and restarting your subscription on your preferred new date.
Putting Your Netflix Account on Hold
Another approach if you want to pause your Netflix service for a while is to put your account on hold. Here’s an overview of how hold status works:
- Your account will be paused with no new charges accruing.
- You can restart service anytime by paying the monthly fee.
- Netflix saves your watch history, recommendations, etc. for 10 months.
To place your account on hold:
- Go to the Cancel Membership page and click “Pause Membership” instead.
- Your account will be paused at the end of your current billing period.
Using hold is ideal if you’ll be traveling or too busy to watch for a while. Just remember that if you restart mid-cycle, you’ll be charged a prorated amount right away to cover the remaining days.
Answering Common Netflix Early Payment Questions
Changing up your normal Netflix billing and payment timing often raises additional questions. Here are quick answers to some frequently asked questions:
What if I pay early, then my normal billing payment also goes through?
Any extra funds paid will be held as a credit on your Netflix account to cover future charges.
Can I get a refund if I pay early then cancel Netflix right after?
Early payments and account credits are non-refundable. The funds will be consumed with your final charges upon cancellation.
What’s the earliest I can prepay my Netflix bill in the month?
You can pay your Netflix bill up to a full month early if you want to stay far ahead.
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 pay for the active days used.
What happens if my early payment fails or bounces for some reason?
Your account may go unpaid on your billing date, so have a backup payment method on file to avoid any service interruption.
Why You Might Want to Pay Early
There are a few common reasons why paying your Netflix bill early can be helpful:
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Your paycheck comes before your billing date – Get ahead by paying as soon as you have the funds rather than waiting until later in the month.
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Avoid late fees or service interruptions – If your billing date sneaks up on you some months, paying early gives you a buffer.
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Temporary account hold – Prepay, then pause service if you’ll be traveling or too busy to watch Netflix for a while.
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Change billing date – Shift your payment date to better align with your financial schedule.
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Gift subscriptions – Pay for a friend or family’s Netflix account ahead of time as a gift.
No matter your specific reasons, having the option to pay early each month is convenient and provides peace of mind.
Step-by-Step Guide to Paying Early on the Netflix Website
If you’re ready to go ahead and prepay your Netflix bill online, follow this simple step-by-step walkthrough:
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Open any web browser and go to www.netflix.com
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Click “Sign In” in the top right and log into your Netflix account
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Hover over your profile icon and click “Your Account”
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Under Billing Details, click the yellow “Make a Payment” button
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Enter your payment information, like credit card details
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Pay the amount owed for your next billing cycle
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Confirm the payment and you’re all done!
The early payment will now be credited to your account and applied on your regular billing date. Easy peasy!
Tips for Hassle-Free Early Payments
To ensure paying your Netflix bill early goes smoothly each month, keep these tips in mind:
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Set payment reminders – Mark your calendar so you remember to pay ahead of time consistently.
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Check your balance – Log into your account to make sure your early payment went through as expected.
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Have a backup payment ready – Register an extra payment method just in case your first attempt fails.
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Pay a fixed amount – For predictability, pay the same set dollar amount each month instead of adjusting.
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Autopay your minimum – Still use autopay for at least the minimum monthly charge as a safety net.
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Contact support if needed – Netflix customer service can help troubleshoot any issues.
Paying ahead takes just a minute and means one less bill to worry about when your due date comes around. Sign into your Netflix account today and schedule that early payment!
Frequently Asked Questions About Paying Netflix Early
If you’re new to paying your Netflix bill ahead of time, chances are you still have some questions. Here are answers to some of the most common FAQs:
How early can I pay my Netflix bill?
You can pay up to a full month before your billing date. Netflix will hold the funds as a credit on your account.
What if I go on vacation and want to pause my account?
Put your account on hold to temporarily pause service, then restart it when you return. You’ll only pay for the days you use.
What happens if both my early and normal payments go through?
Any extra funds will be held as a credit on your account to cover future billing cycles.
Can I change my billing date permanently?
Yes, you can change your billing due date in Your Account settings on Netflix. This feature may not be available in all countries.
Will I lose my watch history if I change my billing date?
Nope, your entire account history including recommendations will be saved for up to 10 months if you make any account changes.
What if my early payment fails or gets declined?
Be sure to add a backup payment method to avoid any disruption if your first attempt doesn’t go through.
**Who do I contact for
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
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.