Netflix Announces Extra Member Tier as First Step of U.S. Password-Sharing Crackdown

Netflix has announced that its increased measures to prevent account password sharing will begin going to into effect in the U.S. today, May 23.

The streaming giant said U.S. accounts who are suspected of password-sharing will receive an email today (which you can read in full below) which says, in part, “Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with – your household.”

It also announced the option to add an additional user to an existing Netflix account, allowing someone outside of your household to use your membership – but it’ll cost an extra $7.99 monthly per additional user.

Netflix expands further on the new feature on its Help page, which explains that account owners now have the option of buying another slot for someone outside their household. While this “extra member” will have their own profile and password, their slot will be paid for by the owner of the account. They also must activate their account in the same country as the account owner’s, and cannot create additional profiles.

Additionally, Netflix highlighted its new transfer profile feature, which will allow anyone using someone else’s account to move their current profile onto a new account.

Password sharing, which sees a single account holder share their login details with several other households, has been a target of Netflix for a while. The company said in January that it was preparing to begin converting “borrowers” and later revealed new premium features available to subscribers.

Netflix did cause a bit of confusion in February, however, as it announced its method of blocking password sharing before walking back its statement. Regardless, it said in April that it would be cracking down on these shared accounts by the end of June, and we now know exactly when and how it will be doing so.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.