Should You Cancel Discovery Plus in 2024?
Streaming services seem to multiply every year. One minute you’re subscribed to only Netflix and Disney+, the next you’ve somehow accumulated subscriptions to Discovery Plus, Apple TV+, an anime service, a horror movie channel, and some fitness app.
With endless options, you may be wondering: should I cancel Discovery Plus?
The short answer is that it depends. For hardcore fans of reality TV, home improvement shows, cooking competitions, and nature documentaries, Discovery Plus may be worth keeping. But more casual viewers or those looking to save money on subscription overload may consider dropping Discovery+.
This in-depth guide on cancelling Discovery Plus covers everything you need to consider, from the Max merger implications to how much you’ll actually miss out on if you cut the cord.
We’ll dig into questions like:
- What popular shows are only on Discovery Plus?
- How does the HBO Max merger and rebrand to Max impact things?
- Exactly how easy is it to cancel Discovery+?
- What are the best alternatives to replace it?
- Could other streaming services be better cancellation candidates?
Let’s explore the world of reality television and self-improvement shows to help decide once and for all: should YOU cancel Discovery Plus this year or not?
What Shows Does Discovery Plus Have?
Before weighing up that cancellation decision, let’s recap what Discovery Plus offers in its streaming catalog.
Discovery Plus gives you on-demand access to shows from all of Discovery’s TV channels and brands. This includes popular networks like:
- HGTV – Focusing on home improvement, real estate, and design
- Food Network – For cooking shows and competitions like Chopped
- TLC – Reality shows about unique families and people
- Investigation Discovery – True crime docuseries and shows
- Animal Planet – Nature programming and veterinarian shows
- Discovery Channel – Science, survival, cars and more
Some of the most popular shows that you can stream on Discovery Plus include:
- Fixer Upper
- 90 Day Fiance
- Guy’s Grocery Games
- Dr Pimple Popper
- My 600 lb Life
- Naked and Afraid
- Property Brothers
- Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
- Say Yes to The Dress
- Ghost Adventures
And many more binge-worthy reality TV titles beyond just this small sampling.
But an important question is…
How Does the HBO Max and Discovery Plus Merger Affect Things?
Back in the spring of 2022, a major announcement shook up the streaming world – HBO Max and Discovery Plus would merge into one combined streaming service.
After months of waiting, this new platform finally launched in summer 2023 under the name Max.
Max blends HBO Max’s collection of prestige dramas, blockbuster movies and Adult Swim content together with Discovery Plus’ reality shows around home improvement, relationships, food, true crime investigation, and more.
This consolidation leaves many subscribers wondering whether Max makes Discovery Plus redundant. Should they cancel their Discovery Plus membership now since the content is merged into Max?
The answer is that while much of the Discovery library is now available on Max, there are still some gaps.
Investigations have found that about one quarter of Discovery Plus content has not yet migrated over to Max yet.
So more niche reality shows that super fans loved on Discovery Plus may not be watchable on Max still. The service is lacking some more obscure titles.
That said, most major hit Discovery shows like Ghost Adventures, 90 Day Fiance, and Building It Forward are now all watchable on Max directly.
So evaluate exactly which Discovery shows you actually watch before making any cancellation decisions. Reality television super fans may want to wait until they confirm their favorites are on Max, while more casual viewers likely already have plenty to watch.
Next let’s look at the cost of Discovery Plus with and without ads…
How Much Does Discovery Plus Cost?
One factor to weigh up when considering canceling any streaming service is its cost.
Fortunately, Discovery Plus comes in at the lower end of the pricing spectrum, which may influence cancelation decisions.
Here is a breakdown of what Discovery Plus membership costs:
- With ads: $4.99 per month
- Ad-free:Â $8.99 per month
Comparatively, the ad-supported plan is only $5 dollars a month – the same cost as a fancy coffee. Pretty affordable, even on a tight budget.
Especially considering Max with ads now starts at $9.99, and services like Netflix no longer offer a cheaper ad-supported plan.
Additionally, Verizon Wireless customers on most unlimited data plans get Discovery Plus for free. So some subscribers don’t pay anything extra for it at all.
Of course $7 a month here, $10 there still adds up over time across multiple streaming services. So if you need to cut costs, Discovery Plus could still get the chopping block.
But its budget-friendly pricing may persuade you to keep it around, especially if you watch Discovery channels daily.
Now let’s get into the logistics of actually canceling Discovery Plus…
How Do I Cancel Discovery Plus?
If you’ve weighed up the Max merger implications, confirmed your shows, and still decided Discovery Plus just isn’t worth it anymore, here is a step-by-step guide to cancelling:
- Log into your Discovery Plus account on the Discoveryplus.com website
- Click your profile icon > Account
- Find Subscription and click Cancel Subscription
- Confirm cancellation on the pop-up prompt
And that’s it – just a few clicks and your Discovery Plus membership will be immediately canceled.
Well almost…while canceled, your access continues until the end of the current billing period when your subscription expires.
So once canceled, you can actually keep streaming for the remainder of the month. There is no prorated charge or refund though – your billing cycle must fully close out.
This does mean you should aim to cancel Discovery Plus at least 24 hours before your next renewal date, or you risk being charged again. Check your account details to see when the next payment will process.
After access ends when the term finishes, you will need to fully sign up again as a new customer if you want to reactivate your membership later on.
Should I Cancel Discovery Plus or Other Services Instead?
Assuming you still want to eliminate some streaming platform to save money, Discovery Plus may not be your best target for cancellation.
Let’s quickly compare it against other popular services like Netflix, Hulu and Apple TV+.
Cancel Netflix If…
You mainly watch older, existing shows rather than new releases. Netflix focuses much more on funding and promoting their original content now rather than licensing third-party shows and movies. But their quality has declined with increased output pressure affecting writers and budgets.
Cancel Hulu If…
You don’t care about getting next-day access to current television shows. Hulu is losing some NBCUniversal content over the next few years too, as that company shifts focus more exclusively to Peacock.
Cancel Apple TV+ If…
You have no interest in just a handful of big budget, star-studded shows and movies. While offerings like Ted Lasso and The Morning Show get attention, the overall catalog remains quite small compared to other streaming platforms.
Cancel HBO Max If…
Your preference is binge-watching full seasons of TV shows rather than major theatrical movie releases. While Max does have a deep catalog of shows, brand new series still tend to premiere on a weekly release schedule rather than all at once.
When comparing across streaming options, Discovery Plus stands on solid ground as a niche reality TV provider. Cancelling competitors instead may be smarter if you need to downsize subscriptions.
What If I Cancel Then Change My Mind Later?
A final consideration around canceling Discovery Plus is how easy it may be to resubscribe again in future if you have second thoughts.
Fortunately, restarting your membership after canceling is straightforward. Discovery Plus makes reactivating a canceled account easy:
- Visit Discoveryplus.com and login with your existing credentials
- Under account settings, find the Reactivate button
- Select a plan to relaunch your subscription
And your access instantly returns!
So don’t worry about canceling only to realize your mistake a month later when that new season of Naked and Afraid launches. Reversing course is simple enough if you experience subscription regret down the line.
Conclusion – Determine If Reality TV Still Interests You
After this extensive evaluation on whether canceling Discovery Plus makes sense in the new Max streaming era, let’s summarize the key questions to ask yourself:
- Are the reality shows and nonfiction content still interesting and worth watching regularly?
- Do you prefer documentary-style programming or more fictional movies and series instead?
If you answer yes to still enjoying reality television and home improvement shows, then Discovery Plus likely offers enough unique value to justify keeping your subscription. Between tried-and-true franchises like 90 Day Fiance and new Max originals in the pipeline, fans of the genre have plenty to watch for years to come.
But if your viewing priorities have shifted towards more drama series and movies instead, then discovery+ becomes more expendable. The actual savings from dropping $4.99 per month can really add up over time when being more selective.
Key Takeaways – Should You Cancel Discovery Plus?
To recap, here are the key highlights on whether cancelling Discovery Plus makes sense for you personally:
- About 25% of the Discovery+ catalog is still missing on the new Max service
- Reality TV super fans still get lots of unique shows and episodes
- Costs only $4.99 per month with ads, $8.99 ad-free
- Cancel through account settings, takes two minutes
- Reactivating later is easy if you change your mind
So before pulling the plug on your Discovery Plus membership, audit the reality TV shows you actually watch, weigh the affordable pricing, and be sure the content isn’t available on any other platforms first.
It offers a corner of the streaming world that no one else quite captures. Losing your fixer-upper homes and relationship drama may cost more than just a few dollars a month.
What shows can’t you miss from Discovery Plus? Have you canceled and regretted it? Share your thoughts below!
