Disney Freaks Out Verizon Customers With Included Disney+ Bundle, But All Should Be OK

Disney+ announced back in August that they were raising prices on almost every single plan they offer, from stand-alone Disney+ to their various bundles, including those with Hulu and ESPN+. The news wasn’t shocking, as we can’t seem to go more than a couple of weeks without a streaming service informing us that their model isn’t working and they hope we’ll all just be fine paying more each month to keep them afloat until the next price hike.

For a certain group of Verizon customers (those on older Play More and Get More Unlimited plans) who have received the Disney+ bundle for free as a part of their plan, the price increase was something to keep an eye on, just in case this might mean the end of the freebie.

Today, Disney+ sent out a very confusing and poorly worded email that raised some eyebrows (to us, our readers, and reddit) and had many of us wondering if this was an announcement about the immediate end of this benefit. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve settled on this not being the immediate end and mostly just an awkwardly worded email from Disney that caused unnecessary confusion.

Here’s the bulk (and confusing part) of the email from Disney+ that went out today:

You are currently subscribed to the Disney Bundle. Beginning October 17, 2024, the Disney Bundle (Disney+ (No Ads), Hulu (With Ads), ESPN+ (With Ads)) will increase from $18.99+ tax per month to $21.99+ tax per month.

If the Disney Bundle is an included feature of your Verizon plan (Play More or Get More Unlimited), there will be no changes to your bill until your next billing date after it is no longer included, on or after October 17th, whichever is later.

That section about how “there will be no changes to your bill until your next billing date after it is no longer included,” is what drew concerns. Was this Disney+ confirming that the free bundle would no longer be included? It’s likely, after reading through Verizon’s own FAQ on the matter, that they were leaving a vague suggestion that if Verizon were to no longer include the bundle, then folks would have to pay. Again, worded in the weirdest way.

Here’s what Verizon’s FAQ says, and I’ve bolded the most important part:

*The Walt Disney Company recently announced that beginning 10/17/24 it will raise the price of Disney+ Basic (With Ads) from $7.99/mo to $9.99/mo, Disney+ Premium (No Ads) from $13.99/mo to $15.99/mo, and Disney Bundle (Disney+ [No Ads], Hulu [With Ads]), ESPN+ [With Ads]) from $18.99/mo to $21.99/mo. If you are currently subscribed or begin subscribing to Disney+ Basic, Disney+ Premium or the Disney Bundle through a promotion (and so long as you remain on an eligible service plan), the new rate will begin at the end of your promotional period or 10/17/24, whichever is later. If your subscription to Disney+ Basic, Disney+Premium or the Disney Bundle is included with your plan, your subscription will continue to be included in your plan. If you are currently paying for Disney+ Basic, Disney+ Premium or the Disney Bundle on your monthly bill, the new rate will take effect on or after 10/17/24. If you do not subscribe to one of the Disney subscription services through your account, there is no impact to your bill.

So to bring that piece out, it says that if your Disney+ Bundle is already included with your plan, your subscription will continue to be included. In other words, there is no change – you still get the Disney+ Bundle, at least for now.

Will this change in the future? Verizon has really been on a push to get you off of these older unlimited plans (like Play More and Get More) and onto their current myPlan plans, that don’t offer as much value and will certainly cost most people more money each month. For now, though, you can keep enjoying the included bundle, but don’t be too surprised if that deal comes to an end at some point in the future.