What Spotify Premium costs and what you get

Spotify Premium removes ads from your listening, lets you read songs to listen offline, and gives you better sound quality. The standard plan costs $11.99 per month in the United States, though the price varies by country. Spotify also offers a Student plan at $5.99 per month (requires verification through SheerID), a Duo plan for two people at $16.99 per month, and a Family plan for up to six people at $19.99 per month.

Before you pay for Premium, understand what you are actually getting. The offline downloads work only on the Spotify app — you cannot transfer them to other devices or players. The higher sound quality (320 kbps) is noticeable mainly on good headphones or speakers; on phone speakers or cheap earbuds, the difference is small. If you mostly listen to playlists Spotify creates for you, or if you skip songs often, Premium's main benefit is straightforward the absence of ads.

A free Spotify account lets you listen to any song, but with ads between tracks and the ability to skip only six times per hour. If you rarely skip and do not mind ads, free is genuinely usable. If ads interrupt you multiple times a day, Premium removes that friction.

Key Takeaways

  • Spotify Premium costs $11.99 per month for a single account, with cheaper options for students ($5.99) and discounted plans for two or six people.
  • You can start a free trial lasting one month before your first charge, though Spotify requires a valid payment method to begin the trial.
  • The subscription renews automatically each month on the same date you signed up, and you can cancel anytime without penalty.
  • Downloaded songs work only in the Spotify app and disappear if you cancel your subscription.
  • Spotify Premium removes ads and lets you skip unlimited times, but the sound quality improvement is only noticeable on good speakers or headphones.

How to sign up for the free trial

Go to spotify.com on a web browser or open the Spotify app on your phone or computer. If you do not have a Spotify account yet, tap or click "Sign Up" and choose to create an account with your email address, or sign in through Facebook or Google. You will need to enter your birth date, agree to Spotify's terms, and create a password if you used email.

Once your account exists, Spotify will show you the Premium plans. Select the plan you want — most people choose the standard $11.99 plan. Tap or click the button to start the free trial. Spotify will ask for a payment method: a credit card, debit card, or PayPal account. Enter the details and confirm. You will not be charged during the trial month, but Spotify holds the payment method on file so it can charge you automatically when the trial ends.

After you confirm your payment method, you are on Premium when ready. You can read songs, skip as many times as you want, and listen without ads. The trial lasts exactly one month from the date you signed up. On that date one month later, Spotify will charge your payment method and your subscription will continue.

What happens when your trial ends

One month after you start the trial, Spotify charges your payment method the full monthly price. This charge happens automatically — you do not need to do anything. Your Premium features continue without interruption. The same charge repeats on the same date every month until you cancel.

If you want to cancel before the trial ends, you can do so at any time without being charged. Go to your account settings, find the subscription section, and select "Cancel Premium." Spotify will ask you to confirm, and your account will revert to free when ready. You lose the ability to read songs and skip unlimited times, but you keep your playlists and listening history.

If you cancel after the trial ends and you have already been charged, Spotify does not refund the monthly fee. You can use Premium until the end of that billing month, then your account becomes free again.

How to manage your subscription and payment method

To see your current plan, billing date, and payment method, go to spotify.com and sign in. Click your profile icon in the top right, then select "Account." You will see your subscription type, the date your next charge is due, and your payment method. From this page, you can change your payment method, upgrade or downgrade to a different plan, or cancel Premium.

If you want to switch from the standard plan to the Family plan, or from monthly to annual billing, click "Change Plan" in the Account section. Spotify will show you the options and any price difference. If you are switching to a cheaper plan mid-month, Spotify credits the difference to your account. If you are switching to a more expensive plan, you pay the difference when ready and your billing date resets.

If your payment method fails when Spotify tries to charge you, you will receive an email asking you to update it. You have a grace period of a few days to add a new payment method before Spotify suspends your Premium access. Once you update it, your Premium features return when ready.

Student and family plan details

The Student plan costs $5.99 per month and includes all Premium features, but Spotify requires proof that you are currently enrolled in a degree program. During signup, Spotify directs you to SheerID, a third-party verification service, where you upload a student ID or tuition bill. Verification usually takes a few minutes. The Student plan is available for up to four years, after which you must switch to a standard plan.

The Family plan costs $19.99 per month and covers up to six people in your household. Each person gets their own account with their own playlists, downloads, and listening history — the plan does not share a single account among six people. When you create a Family plan, you add family members by email address, and they receive an invitation to join. Each person must accept the invitation and link their Spotify account to the family group. If someone leaves the family group, they lose Premium access unless they have their own paid subscription.

The Duo plan is $16.99 per month for two people and works the same way as the Family plan — each person has a separate account. Both plans include a feature called "Family Mix," a playlist that combines songs from everyone's top tracks, though you can turn this off if you prefer.

Troubleshooting common signup problems

If Spotify rejects your payment method during signup, the most common reason is that your card issuer blocked the charge as potentially fraudulent. Contact your bank or card company and ask them to allow charges from Spotify. Then try signing up again. If the same card fails a second time, try a different payment method or use PayPal instead.

If you see a message saying "This email is already in use," you have already created a Spotify account with that email address. Go to spotify.com and click "Log In" instead of "Sign Up." If you forgot your password, click "Forgot your password?" and Spotify will send you a reset link by email. Check your spam folder if you do not see it within a few minutes.

If you signed up for a free trial but do not see the Premium features (no offline downloads, ads still playing, limited skips), sign out of the Spotify app completely and sign back in. Sometimes the app does not refresh when ready after a trial starts. If that does not work, uninstall and reinstall the app, then sign in again.

How Premium compares to other music services

Apple Music costs the same as Spotify Premium ($11.99 per month) and includes offline downloads and ad-free listening. The main difference is that Apple Music integrates with Apple devices and iTunes, while Spotify works equally well on any device. Apple Music also includes access to Apple Music Classical, a separate app for classical music with better search and metadata. If you own mostly Apple devices, Apple Music may feel more natural; if you use Android, Windows, or a mix of devices, Spotify is usually simpler.

Amazon Music Unlimited costs $11.99 per month and includes offline downloads, but it is designed to work best if you are already an Amazon Prime member (who get a cheaper tier called Prime Music). YouTube Music costs $13.99 per month and includes ad-free YouTube as well as music streaming. Tidal costs $12.99 per month and emphasizes high-fidelity sound quality, which matters only if you have expensive headphones or speakers.

The choice between them usually comes down to which devices you use, whether you want access to music videos (YouTube Music), and whether you care about sound quality (Tidal). For most people, Spotify and Apple Music are the most straightforward options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Spotify Premium on multiple devices at the same time?

Yes, you can play Spotify Premium on different devices, but only one device can play music at a time. If you start playing on your phone, then start playing on your computer, the phone stops automatically. The Family and Duo plans allow multiple people to play at the same time, but a single Premium account cannot stream to two devices simultaneously.

What happens to my downloaded songs if I cancel Premium?

Downloaded songs disappear from your device when your Premium subscription ends. Spotify removes access to them automatically. Your playlists and listening history stay in your free account, but you cannot listen to the songs offline anymore.

Can I get a refund if I change my mind after being charged?

Spotify does not refund monthly charges, but you can cancel anytime and keep Premium until the end of that billing month. If you cancel within a few days of being charged, contact Spotify support through the app or website and explain the situation — they may issue a one-time courtesy refund, though this is not may provide.

Do I need a credit card, or can I use a gift card?

Spotify requires a credit card, debit card, or PayPal account for recurring charges. You cannot use a Spotify gift card to pay for a subscription — gift cards only add credit to your account for one-time purchases. If you do not have a credit card, PayPal is the easiest alternative.

What is the difference between Spotify Premium and Spotify Free?

Premium removes ads, allows unlimited skips, and lets you read songs to listen offline. Free includes ads between songs and limits you to six skips per hour. Both let you listen to any song on demand and create playlists. If you rarely skip and do not mind ads, Free is fully usable.