CBS All Access is a standalone streaming service that gives you live and on-demand access to CBS programming. As highlighted in our CBS All Access review, the service lets you watch 15,000+ episodes from the CBS back catalog along with hundreds of movie titles and four live TV channels. Your subscription also includes access to a bunch of popular new originals such as The Good Fight and Why Women Kill.
So it could be the perfect service to supplement a more comprehensive live TV streaming subscription such as Sling TV or Hulu + Live TV. The service also regularly offers promotions and bundles that could help you save some money in case you want to sign up.
Enjoy access to over 15,000+ episodes of CBS content, including premium shows and sports content. Starting at just $5.99, CBS All Access provides quality content at a respectable price.
CBS All Access free trial
CBS All Access offers a free trial for seven days, so you have enough time to get a feel for what the service offers and make an informed decision. This free trial period is on par with what most streaming services offer. And you can sign up for it through both the website and the app. This is where it’s ahead of services like Sling TV, which only offers a seven-day free trial if you sign up through the app.
During this free trial, you can either try the Limited Commercials plan or the Commercial Free version of CBS All Access. If you’re trying the Limited Commercials plan, make sure you check out the CBS All Access originals as well as the back catalog to see if it offers the kind of content you need. And don’t forget to keep a close eye on what the overall user experience is like so you can decide if it’s the right choice for you.
But if you’re trying out the Commercial Free plan, don’t forget to test how the ad-free experience feels. Since you still get commercials with live TV programming and promotional interruptions on select shows, even with this plan, you might want to see if the disruption is too unbearable for you and if the cost is worth it.
In addition, the Commercial Free plan allows downloads for offline viewing, so make sure you test that functionality and see if it works to your liking.
CBS All Access bundles
At the time of writing this post, CBS All Access no longer offers any bundles with other services or streaming devices. Previously, you could bundle it with your SHOWTIME subscription and save a couple of bucks, but the service no longer has that option.
While you can still get CBS All Access as an add-on to other streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, these options don’t offer any cost savings. However, adding it to your other streaming services allows you the added convenience of managing all your subscriptions and billing in one place.
Although there’s no knowing when CBS All Access will come up with another bundle offer, make sure you keep checking back for updates in case it develops some irresistible bundles.
Other CBS All Access deals and discounts
CBS All Access regularly comes up with new deals and offers every now and then. At some point, it even partnered with Roku to provide three months of free access with any device purchase. Although this deal is no longer available right now, you can still make use of the following deals depending on eligibility:
15 percent off the monthly cost with an annual subscription
While the cost of a monthly subscription to CBS All Access isn’t all that much, you can further reduce that price tag if you go for the annual plan instead. An annual plan for the Limited Commercials plan costs $59.99/yr., while the Commercial Free option will cost $99.99/yr.
So you get to save around 15 percent of the cost of a monthly plan. And in the case of the Commercial Free plan, you’ll end up saving around 17 percent on the monthly subscription cost. While this may not seem like much, it still makes sense for anyone who’s looking for a way to save a few extra bucks here and there to pay off student loans or set aside some funds towards a deposit for your new place.
Even for existing subscribers to the monthly plan, CBS All Access gives an option to upgrade to an annual subscription. However, the cost savings mentioned earlier won’t apply to the previous months of streaming access you’ve already used up. In other words, you won’t get a refund for what you’ve paid for already.
Once you upgrade, you’ll also have to give up on the rest of your trial or promotion if you’re currently taking advantage of either one. So to make full use of your free trial or promotion, consider upgrading to the annual plan only after the promotional period has ended.
Follow this link to sign up for CBS All Access.
25 percent off for students
Speaking of student loans, CBS All Access also offers an attractive deal that will further help students cut back on their spending. The service offers a 25 percent discount for students who are currently enrolled in a university or college. So you can access CBS All Access for only around $4.50/mo. and watch your favorite live TV programming or binge on some older shows.
Keep in mind, however, that this discount only applies to the Limited Commercials plan. So students who want access to the Commercial Free plan will have to pay full price just like everyone else. Other than that, you still get all the same content and level of access as other subscribers.
Our hot take
Although CBS All Access currently doesn’t offer an option to save money by bundling your subscription with other services, you can still cut back on entertainment costs with the annual plan or the student discount. Other than that, you can add CBS All Access to another streaming service such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu + Live TV or Sling TV so you can manage all your subscriptions in one place.
If none of these options work for you, you can wait for another CBS All Access deal or offer to come up, although the service doesn’t cost all that much, even without a discount. In the meantime, consider signing up for the CBS All Access free trial to see if the service is right for you.
Enjoy access to over 15,000+ episodes of CBS content, including premium shows and sports content. Starting at just $5.99, CBS All Access provides quality content at a respectable price.
