User level: Level 1 (12 points)Why is Apple Music so expensive? I’ve paid for the family plan for years now and the latest price increase just hurts… I cancelled. Why is ther no loyalty for anything anymore…
Posted on Sep 23, 2026 3:56 AM
User level: Level 10 (105,996 points)Sep 23, 2026 4:31 PM in response to Scotty—P
Pay with an Apple Card using Apple Pay and you would get 3% cash back. That is a benefit only to Apple users and you would also get 2% cashback for all other purchases too. Every month I am pocketing about $45 in cashback for being an Apple user. You can call that a loyalty discount if you want and for Apple Music, it costs a dollar less/month than the same Spotify music plan.
User level: Level 10 (201,695 points)Sep 23, 2026 7:52 AM in response to Scotty—P
Here is information gleaned from Google comparing prices over time between Spotify and Apple Music.
Spotify and Apple Music both launched standard individual tiers at $9.99 per month a decade ago, but Spotify now costs more following recent price increases.
10-Year Individual Plan Price Evolution
Current Tier Comparison (2026)
You can certainly do such a comparison with other services and decide which one gives you the most value for your money. Spotify, for example, has a free ad-supported tier, something Apple doesn't have. You may be perfectly happy with that; many people are.
User level: Level 7 (28,946 points)Sep 23, 2026 5:54 AM in response to Scotty—P
It’s called inflation. Sorry but what a dollar bought years ago won’t buy the same thing today. If you can find a cheaper service that has all the features and library of Apple Music please let us know.
User level: Level 10 (105,996 points)Sep 23, 2026 8:00 AM in response to Scotty—P
Unless you want an ad-supported music service, Apple Music is the best value out there right now. Everything costs more now than what it did years ago, loyalty has nothing to do with it.
User level: Level 8 (43,489 points)Sep 23, 2026 4:15 PM in response to Scotty—P
Apple is a publicly-traded corporation.
Any company cares about shareholder value. (Shareholders ARE the “owners”)
Unless something impacts that value, they’ll tend to stay on the same trajectory.
Obviously retaining customers IS part of that overall shareholder value.
User level: Level 7 (28,946 points)Sep 23, 2026 4:18 PM in response to Scotty—P
Anyway you stated you have canceled your subscription. What more is there to say? I gladly pay $39.95/mo for Apple One Premier that includes Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness, and 2TB of iCloud+. A lot of bang for the buck in my opinion.
User level: Level 1 (12 points)Sep 23, 2026 3:59 PM in response to lkrupp
Ok I get everything costs more guys… omg I’m not new to this world. Just saying it would be nice to recognize loyalty from a company that makes more money than anyone could ever imagine. Lol
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256363349