Disney+ begins cracking down on password sharing in the US with a paid sharing plan

Back in April, Disney announced it would start cracking down on password sharing for its Disney+ streaming service. It began in a limited capacity in some countries in June. Today, the company said the full-blown password sharing crackdown started this week.

Disney revealed the new plan is now live in the US, along with Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region according to a new blog post. The company said that a Disney+ subscription can now only be used in one household, with the individuals who live in that house.

However, the people in charge of a Disney+ subscription now have the option to add an additional person who can access it even if they are not in the household with the new Extra Member add-on. The blog states:

Account holders who want to add someone outside of their Household to their Disney+ subscription will be able to do so For example, in the U.S., an Extra Member profile will cost an additional $6.99 per month for Disney+ Basic subscriptions and $9.99 per month for Disney+ Premium subscriptions. Note that only one Extra Member slot is available per account.

Of course, there's a catch. The Extra Member add-on is not available for accounts who have signed into Disney+ with one of the company's bundle plans with Hulu and ESPN+ or Max. It is also not available if you a billed from a third-party service; it has to be done directly with Disney. Also, anyone outside the household can go ahead and sign up with their own Disney+ subscription.

What about if you decide to go on a trip for an extended period and sign into Disney+ on another TV, like in a hotel room? This is allowed under this new password sharing plan. The blog post states:

If you’re on the go and you see the message “This TV doesn’t seem to be part of the Household for this account”, you can mark yourself as I’M AWAY FROM HOME, or select UPDATE HOUSEHOLD if you’ve recently moved and need to reset the Household location for your Disney+ subscription. These selections will require a one-time passcode that’s sent to the email address associated with the account.

The new password sharing crackdown started a few weeks before Disney+, along with Hulu and ESPN+, will raise their rates on most of their separate and bundle plans on October 17.