YouTube Phasing Out Grandfathered Pricing: Early Adopters Face Hike to $13.99 for Premium

YouTube is gradually phasing out the grandfathered pricing for its Premium subscription service, which has been in place since 2014. Initially, early adopters paid $7.99 per month for YouTube's Music Key streaming service, and even after the price increase to $9.99 post-beta, these users retained their lower rates. In 2018, when YouTube relaunched its music service, new subscribers had to pay higher prices of $9.99 or $11.99 for Premium. A significant change came in 2023 with a $2 price hike, setting the Premium cost at $13.99 per month and Music Premium at $10.99. Despite this increase, users on the $7.99 plan were unaffected until recently. Now, reports are emerging of more customers receiving notifications about upcoming price increases, with these changes typically rolling out region-by-region. As of now, YouTube Premium costs $13.99 per month and $22.99 for Family plans in the US.