In this article we will tell you about how to share a Netflix account and is it safe and legal. What does Netflix say about leaving your password with someone? We tell you everything you need to know about the age-old art of account sharing.
Although Netflix is one of the streaming platforms with the most competitive prices on the market account sharing is a common option to pay less at the end of the month.
And the fact is that many people share or have shared a Netflix account (and other platforms) with friends or family, a very good way to reduce costs but which also raises a few questions. What is the maximum number of users that can connect to the same Netflix account? Is it completely legal? What are the risks of sharing our accounts with strangers?
It is true that, as users of the platform, we can set up different profiles to access our Netflix account, however, they are limited to five per user and they all depend on the same Netflix account. So, can we pass our account data to someone else to create their profile? The answer is very big it depends. Let’s see, in detail, how to share Netflix account safely and legally.
Netflix account sharing using profiles: What are the limitations, what does Netflix say about it?
Profiles are the most common way to share a Netflix account: we sign up on the streaming platform and pass our account and password to someone we trust. From there, different devices and usage profiles are set up. Easy, fast, and for the whole family. Regardless of the plan that is contracted, we can create up to five different profiles with a single Netflix account.
A very practical function that has the objective, according to Netflix, that members of the same family can “enjoy a personalized experience”. After all, the profiles are used so that, within the same account, we have different content suggestions, lists, and ratings, among many other functions.
Remember that no matter how many profiles an account has, simultaneous playback depends entirely on the contracted plan. In other words, the fact that we have five profiles created does not entitle us to five simultaneous reproductions, which will depend on our plan. No matter how many profiles we have, if we have the basic plan, we will only be able to use one screen to play content. This is the number of screens that can be viewed at the same time within each plan:
- Basic plan ($8.99 per month): one screen.
- Standard plan ($13.99 per month): two screens.
- Play premium ($17.99 per month): four screens.
As you can see, even if you pay for the premium plan, you will not be able to enjoy all five profiles at the same time. This is partly because, as we said, the purpose of the profiles is to share your account with members of the same family.
And how does Netflix know if an account is being used by the same family unit? This is the million-dollar question. After all, it is normal to share our accounts with co-workers, friends, relatives, or distant relatives. However, if we take a look at Netflix’s terms and conditions, we will see, in point 4.2, that the platform does not allow sharing a subscription with individuals outside your household. This is exactly what this controversial point says:
Point 4.2. The Netflix service and all content viewed through the service are for your personal, non-commercial use and may not be shared with individuals outside of your household. During your Netflix subscription, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access the Netflix service and view Netflix content.
In addition, Section 5 of these Terms of Use expressly refers to passwords and account access, placing all responsibility on the account holder. According to this point, this person must control all devices that connect to the account and must not disclose the password to anyone.
Point 5. Passwords and account access. The subscriber who created the Netflix account and on whose Payment Method fees are charged (the “Account Holder”) is responsible for the activity that occurs through such a Netflix account. To maintain control over the account and prevent anyone from accessing the account (which would include information about the account’s viewing history), the Account Holder must maintain control of all Netflix compatible devices used to access the service and not disclose the password or Payment Method details associated with such account to anyone. You are responsible for updating and maintaining the accuracy of the information you provide to us about your account. We may terminate or block your account to protect you, Netflix, or our partners from identity theft or other fraudulent activity.
As you can read, in the event you provide fraudulent information to Netflix or allow blatant access to your Netflix account, your account may be terminated or blocked.
Okay, wait a minute. But if everyone shares their Netflix account, what’s going on here? Netflix doesn’t have or doesn’t want to have an effective way to check whether an account is being shared lawfully (a family with several members and profiles) or rather “rogue” (a dozen friends sharing passwords). What’s the difference between a family living together signing up for Netflix and a group of students sharing an apartment? What if one member of the family is moving out? Controlling this seems complicated.
So, with rather ambiguous terms of use, Netflix tiptoes around the issue. Although more than a third of users share an account and therefore do not pay for the service, the streaming giant prefers to turn a blind eye, hoping that those who share an account today will be loyal users tomorrow.
For the moment, it’s an issue that doesn’t seem to matter too much to Netflix. Even if they lose money on the “problem” of account sharing (it is estimated that Netflix loses several million dollars a year because of this practice), dealing with the problem could cost them from image problems to user leakage, so it is understandable that the platform does not want to open this melon.
In short, if you’re wondering how many people you can pass your Netflix account and password to, unfortunately, there’s no clear answer. Netflix leaves it up to the user to decide whether or not to make lawful use of their account, authorizing us only to share our account with people who live with us.
What are the real risks of sharing Netflix accounts?
Giving our username and password to a close friend or family member does not have to be a problem as long as we trust that person and we are sure that they are not going to share our data with a third party.
What can happen if there is a “data leak” by someone in your circle? If you only use that password for your Netflix account, don’t worry. If not, you may have a serious problem: if that new user uses your email and password on other platforms where you are registered (e.g. Gmail), things can get very ugly.
So, stick to the following: if you are going to share a Netflix account with other people, whoever they are, use a unique password for Netflix, if possible, also set up a unique email. This way, in case the password gets into the hands of a third party you will have nothing to fear. Of course, you can always use a password manager and change your password frequently to further strengthen your security.
If a stranger has access only to your Netflix account (because someone has given them your username and password), that person will have the ability to change your plan or restrict access to other accounts by changing the associated email address. As of today, you do not need to have access to your email account to change your Netflix password, so if your Netflix account falls into the wrong hands you could be left without access to it.
If that happens, your only option is to contact Netflix support for help in recovering your account.
How to control who connects to our Netflix account?
Simply go to your account options and access the section called “Recent device streaming activity”. In this section, you will be able to see all the devices connected to your Netflix account. If for whatever reason you do not recognize any of them, our recommendation is that, again from the account options, click on “Log out from all devices”.
Once logged out, if your account buddies don’t know how to give you a reasonable explanation, change the password.
How to share a Netflix account safely, both with friends and with strangers?
Of course, the easiest and safest way to share a Netflix account with someone is through trust. Don’t give your Netflix account and password to someone you don’t know or trust entirely.
In addition, we repeat our previous recommendation: create an email and password that you will only use for Netflix and change it frequently. Finally, check the connected devices from time to time and make sure that no one is “out of the loop”. Remember that Netflix plans have a screen limitation: the more people sharing a Netflix account, the more likely you are to reach the simultaneous screen cap.
On that note, if you’re the person who’s been left a Netflix account, don’t abuse it. No one likes a freeloader. Don’t share your password with anyone and stay grateful, your loyalty will be rewarded.
That said, if you have no one to share an account with (because you live alone or because your friends are more into HBO), the ideal is to go to trusted platforms such as Suscrip or Together Price. In any case, we do not recommend you to buy Netflix accounts on the black market or look for partners in certain Internet forums, you have many chances that this will be canceled or that you pay and get nothing in return.
Regarding Together Price, it is a website where you can join a group with acquaintances or strangers to split the price of the account among several, it works both for Netflix and for another half a hundred subscriptions. It is especially recommended for sharing accounts with people you know.
Subscribe, on the other hand, focuses more on sharing our account with strangers or joining the group subscription of other users. It is a 100% secure application with a very easy-to-use interface, ideal for sharing expenses even with strangers, they are presented as the Tinder of subscriptions.
How to manage Netflix payments when sharing an account?
No matter how many people share a Netflix account, the payment will only be made to one user, specifically, to the account holder. Right now, Netflix charges every month, direct debiting the bill to a single bank account, so if you are the person in charge of paying the monthly fee, the easiest thing to do is to tell your family and friends to pay you via PayPal or Bizum.
They can make payments to you on a month-to-month basis or a single annual payment with the amount prorated. Of course, the idea is to be as transparent and communicative as possible with these payments so that there are no unexpected spats in your relationship.
In addition to PayPal or Bizum, you can also use other apps to manage shared payments such as Twyp or Verse, all of which are very useful for sharing expenses between friends and family.
In case you want to simplify things a bit more, once again, we recommend you to use Together Price, which, besides facilitating the account sharing process, will take care of managing the payments.
Although using Together Price increases the final fee somewhat (the platform keeps $1 per month), the result is a considerable saving on our subscription. Finally, as Together Price acts as an intermediary, we will save problems both at the time of payment and collection as well as in terms of account security.
