Paramount+ quietly removed its standard free trial in January 2026 — the same week it raised prices. Most people don’t realize the trial is gone until they’re already at the signup page staring at a payment screen. The good news: several ways to watch free or deeply discounted still exist, and most of them aren’t advertised by Paramount at all.
Paramount+ removed its free trial without a press release or any public warning. These are the questions people ask once they discover it’s gone — answered directly, so you’re not paying for something you could have gotten free.
Not through the main Paramount+ website. The standard 7-day trial was removed on January 15, 2026, when prices increased. However, Amazon Prime Video Channels still offers a 7-day free trial of Paramount+ Premium to eligible Prime members — and this trial is treated as entirely separate from any previous Paramount+ account, meaning people who had a Paramount+ trial in the past can still get one through Amazon. Check the Paramount+ channel page inside Amazon Prime Video to see if a trial is currently available for your account.
A Walmart+ membership ($12.95/month or $98/year) includes Paramount+ Essential as an ongoing benefit — not a trial, not time-limited. As long as your Walmart+ account is active, Paramount+ is included. If you’re already a Walmart+ member and haven’t claimed this benefit, go to your Walmart+ account, find the streaming benefits section, and activate Paramount+. It takes about two minutes and you’re already paying for it. Walmart+ also includes free grocery delivery, fuel discounts, and Paramount+ isn’t the only streaming perk — the combination makes the membership worthwhile even before counting the Paramount+ value.
With the verified student discount, Paramount+ Essential drops to roughly $4.50/month and Premium drops to approximately $6.99/month — both around half the standard price. Verification goes through SheerID at paramountplus.com, requires proof of current enrollment, and must be renewed annually. The discount is valid through December 31, 2026. Teachers qualify through the same process with the same pricing. At $6.99/month, the Premium plan — which normally costs $13.99 — gives you the full SHOWTIME library, ad-free on-demand, and every UFC event for less than a single streaming app usually costs.
Yes, for certain plans. T-Mobile’s All-In Home Internet customers get Paramount+ Essential included at no extra charge — and as a bonus, Hulu is also included with that plan. For wireless customers, qualifying Magenta MAX plan holders get the Paramount+ Essential benefit. Check the T-Life app or your T-Mobile account under “Benefits” or “Perks” — the benefit is there if you qualify but isn’t automatically activated. You have to manually claim it. If you’re a T-Mobile home internet customer and haven’t looked at your perks lately, this is worth checking immediately.
Directly through Paramount’s website — unlikely. Paramount+ is generally strict about one trial per account, and they verify against email address and payment method history. However, the Amazon Prime Video Channels trial is managed separately by Amazon and may be available even if you’ve had a direct Paramount+ trial before. The two billing systems are independent — a trial on Amazon’s side doesn’t communicate with Paramount’s trial history for direct sign-ups. Check your Amazon Prime Video account first before concluding you can’t get any free access.
Paramount+ keeps a rotating selection of free content available without any account, login, or payment information at paramountplus.com. This typically includes selected episodes of current originals, older movies, and news clips. It’s not a full library — you won’t find complete series or new releases here — but it’s genuinely free with no credit card required and no account to cancel. This is the right option if you only want to check out one specific show before deciding whether to subscribe. Search the Watch Free or Free section in the main navigation when you visit the site.
Depends on whether you’d use DirecTV. New DirecTV streaming subscribers on eligible packages get Paramount+ included — the top-tier Premier package includes it as an ongoing benefit, while lower-tier plans get a 3-month Paramount+ trial as part of the new subscriber bundle. The DirecTV Entertainment plan at $89.99/month includes ESPN Unlimited and Paramount+ bundled in, which can make the math work if you need live TV anyway. Don’t sign up for DirecTV just to get three free months of Paramount+ — the DirecTV subscription costs far more than Paramount+ alone. But if you’re already considering a live TV bundle, DirecTV is currently the only one that bundles Paramount+ directly into the plan.
The timing was deliberate. Paramount+ began carrying all UFC events in January 2026 under a 7-year, $7.7 billion exclusive deal with TKO Group Holdings — making it the only place to watch live UFC in the U.S. with no additional pay-per-view fee. The price increase and removal of the free trial came the same week. The UFC addition gave Paramount+ significant leverage to charge more and offer less in the way of free access. The irony is that despite removing the free trial, the subscription became a much better value for sports fans — a full year of Paramount+ Essential at $89.99 covers 43 UFC events that previously cost $79.99 each at pay-per-view.
Every legitimate route to free or reduced Paramount+ access, from no-cost ongoing benefits to verified discounts. “Free” in most cases means included with another service you’re already paying for — not a standalone free account.
| # | Method | Your Cost | Plan Level | Time-Limited? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watch Free (no account) | $0 — truly free | Selected content only | No — ongoing | Sampling content before subscribing |
| 2 | Walmart+ Membership | $0 extra (if you have Walmart+) | Essential included | No — ongoing with Walmart+ | Existing Walmart+ members |
| 3 | T-Mobile All-In Home Internet | $0 extra (with qualifying plan) | Essential included | No — ongoing with plan | T-Mobile Home Internet customers |
| 4 | Amazon Prime Video Channels trial | $0 for 7 days | Premium (with Showtime) | Yes — 7 days, then $13.99/mo | Prime members wanting a free trial |
| 5 | DirecTV Premier package | $0 extra (included in plan) | Premium (with Showtime) | No — ongoing with Premier plan | DirecTV Premier subscribers |
| 6 | DirecTV lower tiers | $0 for 3 months (new subscribers) | Premium trial | Yes — 3 months, then ends | New DirecTV streaming subscribers |
| 7 | Student discount (SheerID) | ~$4.50/mo Essential · ~$6.99/mo Premium | Essential or Premium | Annual re-verification required | Enrolled students & teachers |
| 8 | Military discount (SheerID) | ~$4.50/mo Essential · ~$7/mo Premium | Essential or Premium | No — lifetime with verification | Active duty, veterans, military families |
These options get you genuine access to Paramount+ content without paying Paramount+ directly. Two of them are ongoing rather than time-limited — meaning no expiration date to track, no cancellation deadline to remember.
Visit paramountplus.com and look for the Watch Free or Free section in the navigation. Paramount rotates a selection of content here — typically first episodes of current shows, older films, and news programming — that plays without any account at all. There’s no email address, no payment information, no subscription to cancel later. This isn’t the full library, and you won’t find current originals or live sports here. But if your goal is to watch one specific episode before committing, or if you want to test whether your device streams Paramount+ smoothly before entering payment info, this is the cleanest starting point available. No risk whatsoever.
A Walmart+ membership ($12.95/month or $98/year) includes Paramount+ Essential as a bundled benefit — not a promotional trial but a permanent part of the membership. If you’re already a Walmart+ member for grocery delivery, fuel savings, or other perks, Paramount+ costs you nothing extra. The Paramount+ access is at the Essential tier, which includes all UFC events, NFL on CBS, UEFA Champions League, the core Paramount+ original series and movie library, and CBS-branded content. To activate it: log into your Walmart+ account, go to “Member Benefits” or “Streaming,” find Paramount+, and click to activate. It takes about two minutes. Many Walmart+ members don’t realize this is waiting in their account unclaimed. New to Walmart+? A Walmart+ trial ($1 for the first 30 days for some new members) activates Paramount+ immediately and gives you 30 days to decide if the membership pays for itself.
T-Mobile’s All-In Home Internet plan includes Paramount+ Essential — and Hulu — as built-in perks at no additional cost. These aren’t trials: they’re ongoing benefits tied to your home internet subscription. T-Mobile Magenta MAX wireless plan holders also get the Paramount+ Essential benefit. To claim it: open the T-Life app (formerly T-Mobile Tuesdays) or visit t-mobile.com, go to your account, look for “Benefits,” “Perks,” or “Add-Ons,” and activate the Paramount+ benefit. If you’ve been a T-Mobile home internet customer for a while and never checked your perks section, there’s a good chance Paramount+ and Hulu are sitting there unclaimed. This is one of the better-kept secrets in the plan — T-Mobile doesn’t heavily market the streaming benefits alongside the internet package.
Amazon Prime Video offers Paramount+ as a channel add-on and manages its own free trial independent of Paramount’s direct sign-up system. Eligible Prime members can get a 7-day free trial of Paramount+ Premium — the tier that includes the full SHOWTIME library, ad-free on-demand viewing, live local CBS where available, and 4K content. The most important thing to know: this trial is separate from any trial you may have had through Paramount’s own website. If you had a Paramount+ trial in the past and were told you can’t get another, check Amazon Prime Video Channels — their system may show you as eligible. To check: go to Amazon Prime Video, click “Channels” or search “Paramount+,” and see if a free trial option appears. You’ll be billed through Amazon, not Paramount, after the trial ends — so cancel through Amazon if you decide not to continue.
Paramount+ offers a verified 50% discount for students, teachers, and military members. These aren’t coupons that expire in a week — they’re structured discount programs with annual or lifetime duration. Many eligible people never claim them because they don’t know they exist.
Verified college students and active teachers get 50% off Paramount+ Essential or Premium — your choice of plan. At the discounted rate, Premium drops to approximately $6.99/month, which is less than the standard Essential price. Verification goes through SheerID, which confirms enrollment or employment through your school’s institutional system. The discount is valid for 12 months after verification, then requires re-verification to continue at the reduced rate. If you let it lapse, you’ll be charged at the full rate automatically. Set a calendar reminder for month 11 so you don’t forget to re-verify. To apply: go to paramountplus.com, look for the student or educator discount signup link, complete the SheerID verification, and the discount code will be emailed to you. The discount is currently valid through December 31, 2026.
Active duty service members, veterans, and qualifying military family members get 50% off Paramount+ for as long as they keep the subscription. Unlike the student discount, there’s no annual re-verification — it’s a one-time confirmation that locks in the discount indefinitely. Verification is also through SheerID at paramountplus.com. At 50% off the current prices, that works out to approximately $4.50/month for Essential or roughly $7/month for Premium. Important caveat: the discount applies to the current price, not a locked historical rate. If Paramount+ raises prices again, your discount updates proportionally — you pay half of whatever the new price is, not half of what it was when you signed up. To apply: find the military or veteran discount link on paramountplus.com, verify through SheerID (you’ll need service documentation), and the discount code will be issued. Subscribers currently billed through Apple, Google Play, or Roku may need to switch to direct Paramount+ billing first before the discount can be applied.
Paramount+ periodically runs a promotional intro rate of $2.99/month for the first two months — for both new and sometimes returning subscribers. This offer appears directly on the Paramount+ signup page when active and doesn’t require a code. It was running as recently as March 2026. Check the current signup page before paying full price — if the intro rate is active, it will show automatically. After the two promotional months, the subscription renews at the standard rate.
Before using any free or discounted method, it helps to know which plan you’re getting — because most bundles and third-party deals give you Essential, not Premium. Here’s what actually differs between the two.
The ad-supported tier that covers most of what people want from Paramount+. Includes: all UFC events (no PPV fees — every numbered card and Fight Night), NFL on CBS, UEFA Champions League soccer, the full Paramount+ original series library (Tulsa King, Lioness, 1923, Mayor of Kingstown), South Park’s complete back catalog, classic CBS shows, Paramount movies, and selected SHOWTIME titles. Does not include: your live local CBS station stream, the complete SHOWTIME library, ad-free on-demand, or 4K/HDR content. For most subscribers — especially sports fans — Essential covers everything they actually watch.
Everything in Essential, plus: ad-free on-demand viewing (live events still carry commercials), the complete SHOWTIME library (Yellowjackets, The Agency, Billions, Dexter, The Chi), your live local CBS station where available, ability to download content for offline viewing, and select 4K/HDR titles. At $5/month more than Essential, the upgrade makes most sense for people who watch SHOWTIME originals regularly or who want to avoid commercial interruptions on on-demand content. With the student or military discount, Premium drops to around $6.99–$7/month — which undercuts even the standard Essential price and makes the upgrade an easy yes for eligible people.
UFC numbered events previously cost $79.99 each on ESPN PPV. If you watched 12 numbered events per year, that was roughly $960 before the cost of a streaming subscription. Under the Paramount+ exclusive deal that began in 2026, every numbered card and every Fight Night is included with any Paramount+ plan at no additional charge. A full year of Essential at $89.99 covers all 43 UFC events — that’s roughly $0.75 per main card. For anyone who bought even two UFC pay-per-views per year, a Paramount+ subscription pays for itself many times over.
Log into your Walmart+ account at walmart.com, click on your account name or profile, and look for “Member Benefits” or “Streaming Benefits.” Find Paramount+ and click Activate. If you’ve never done this, there’s a good chance you’ve been paying for a Walmart+ membership that included Paramount+ the whole time without knowing it. The activation takes about two minutes. Your Paramount+ Essential access starts immediately and is tied to your Walmart+ membership — if you ever cancel Walmart+, the Paramount+ access ends with it.
Go to Amazon Prime Video on any device. In the navigation, look for “Channels” or search “Paramount+” in the search bar. Select the Paramount+ channel and look for a free trial offer. If one appears, you’ll get 7 days of Paramount+ Premium — the higher tier — at no charge. Note the exact billing date and set a reminder two days before it. To cancel: go to Amazon’s “Your Account” → “Prime Video Channels” → find Paramount+ → cancel from there. Do not go to paramountplus.com to cancel — if you subscribed through Amazon, only Amazon can cancel the billing.
Go to paramountplus.com and look for the student or educator offer link — it may appear in the footer or under a “Deals” section. You’ll be redirected to SheerID, which verifies your enrollment or employment status using your school’s institutional records. No uploading documents in most cases — SheerID connects to your school’s system directly. After verification, you’ll receive a discount code by email. Use it at checkout when selecting your plan. If you’re already a paying Paramount+ subscriber, you may be able to apply the discount to your existing account — contact Paramount+ support to ask rather than canceling and restarting.
The military discount is one of the best streaming deals available for service members — 50% off permanently with a one-time verification. Visit paramountplus.com, find the military or veteran discount page, and complete the SheerID verification. You’ll need your military ID or VA documentation for the verification process. Once verified and the discount is applied, it stays on your account without any annual renewal. One thing to check before applying: if you currently subscribe through Apple, Google Play, Amazon, or Roku, you may need to cancel through that platform and restart a direct Paramount+ subscription before the military discount can be applied. The discount only works on billing that goes directly through Paramount+.
Essential at $8.99/month covers every UFC event — there is no PPV surcharge, no premium tier required for specific fights. Every numbered card and every Fight Night is included. If you’re on T-Mobile All-In Home Internet or have Walmart+, you already have access to all of it at no extra cost — activate those benefits first. If you qualify for the student or military discount, Essential drops to about $4.50/month for the same access. The absolute cheapest paid path to every UFC event is Essential at $89.99/year billed annually — roughly $7.50/month. For a heavy UFC fan who previously bought 8 PPVs per year at $79.99 each, that’s a saving of over $550 annually.
The most common mistake is canceling through the wrong platform. Paramount+ is available through at least eight different billing channels — Paramount’s own website, Amazon, Apple, Google Play, Roku, Walmart+, T-Mobile, and DirecTV. Each one bills independently. If you signed up through Amazon and try to cancel at paramountplus.com, the cancellation will appear to work but you’ll keep being charged through Amazon. Find your original Paramount+ billing confirmation email — it tells you which platform processed your payment. Cancel through that specific platform. If you’re not sure, check your credit card or bank statement to see who is charging you, then cancel through that service.
Pricing, plan availability, promotional offers, trial eligibility, and discount programs are subject to change by Paramount+ and its partners without notice. All pricing figures reflect publicly announced rates as of mid-2026. Promotional deals — including intro pricing, discount codes, and free trial availability — may expire or vary by account eligibility. Always verify current offers on the official Paramount+ website or partner service before entering payment information. This content is entirely original and for general informational purposes only.