For the better part of three years, Comcast has allowed its Xfinity video and Internet subscribers to get the premium tier of its streaming service Peacock for free.
The deal allowed customers to avoid paying $5 a month for unlimited access to Peacock’s library of hit TV series and movies like “The Office,” “Jurassic World: Dominion,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Despicable Me,” “Shrek” and thousands of other titles.
But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Starting June 26, Comcast is ending the extended free trial of Peacock Premium for its Xfinity X1 and Flex device users. A small group of long-time Xfinity customers will be able to get free access to Peacock Premium for a limited time (more on that later), but most Xfinity subscribers will have to pay somewhere between $3 a month and the full $5 a month if they want to continue their subscription.
Comcast won’t automatically start charging customers on June 26: Instead, streamers will have to re-enroll in Peacock Premium from that day forward if they want to keep watching TV shows and movies through the service. Those who don’t will automatically be converted to a limited, free tier of service that will offer debut episodes of Peacock Originals as well as recent episodes of popular NBC series like “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Chicago Fire.”
Customers who don’t find themselves using Peacock all too often might just want to cancel their subscription outright, especially if they use other streaming services like Paramount Plus or Starz. If you are one of those customers who really wants to cancel your Peacock Premium subscription, or you’d like to learn a bit more information about why Comcast will start charging customers for Peacock Premium, read on…
Jump to a section:
- Why is Comcast charging customers for Peacock Premium?
- Can Xfinity customers still get Peacock Premium for free?
- Can Xfinity customers get a discount on Peacock Premium?
- What if I signed up for Peacock Premium Plus for $5?
- How to cancel Peacock Premium through X1 or Flex devices
- How to cancel Peacock Premium on XClass or Xumo TVs
- How to cancel Peacock Premium through Roku
- How to cancel Peacock Premium through Amazon Fire TV
- How to cancel Peacock Premium through Android TV or Google TV
- How to cancel Peacock Premium through Apple devices, including Apple TV
- How to cancel Peacock Premium through the Peacock website
- What are some good Peacock Premium alternatives?
Why is Comcast charging customers for Peacock Premium?
Like other streaming services, Comcast spent billions of dollars — that’s not an exaggeration, literally billions of dollars — creating original content and licensing TV shows and movies for Peacock. That money was also spent snagging lucrative digital distribution rights for sports programming like National Football League games; the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics; PGA and LPGA Tour golf; and World Wrestling Entertainment shows and pay-per-views.
The move helped Comcast grow Peacock to 22 million paying TV subscribers, but allowing some of those customers to have free access to the service was not going to help the company recoup the money it spent producing content, acquiring programming rights and marketing the service over the last three years.
Regular readers of The Desk first learned Comcast was considering the idea of ending its free access perk for Peacock Premium last June, when former NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell said the company would eventually convert free Peacock Premium customers to paying ones. Shell said the company liked that Comcast customers were watching Peacock content, but wasn’t too crazy with the idea that they would get it for free over the long term.
Shell didn’t say when Comcast would end its free Peacock Premium promotion, but there were signs earlier this year that it might happen soon. In January, Comcast announced it would stop offering Cox Cable customers free access to Peacock Premium, which indicated it was probably going to do the same for Xfinity subscribers this year.
Sure enough, one month after pulling the plug on Cox Cable customers, Comcast announced Xfinity customers would have to start paying for Peacock Premium on June 26.
If I subscribe to Xfinity TV or Internet, can I still get Peacock Premium for free?
Yes, but only if you’re one of a select few customers who are enrolled in Xfinity Rewards, and only for a limited time.
Starting June 26, Comcast will allow customers enrolled in the Xfinity Rewards program to redeem an offer for one year of free access to Peacock Premium.
The perk will only be offered to Xfinity Rewards customers who are in the “Platinum” or “Diamond” tier. A customer moves across tiers based on the length of their Xfinity service. The Platinum tier is reserved for Xfinity customers who have maintained service for at least seven years, while the Diamond tier is for customers who have had Xfinity for more than 14 years.
Sometimes, the Xfinity Rewards system might put a long-term customer in a lower tier (Silver or Gold). Customers who think they should be in a higher tier can contact Xfinity Support to be moved to the higher tier.
Eligible Xfinity Rewards customers will get an email with an offer to redeem their reward for one year of Peacock Premium at no cost, with the messages going out from June 26 onward.
If I subscribe to Xfinity TV or Internet, can I still get Peacock Premium at a discount?
Yes. Starting June 26, Comcast will begin emailing Xfinity subscribers with an offer to convert their Peacock Premium account into a paid subscription at a cost of $3 per month, or $2 less than the normal cost of a Peacock Premium subscription.
Comcast says customers will be notified of the deal by e-mail and when they open the Peacock app on their X1 or Flex set-top boxes. Streamers won’t be notified on their TV sets if they use a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV (Google TV) or other streaming TV platform to watch Peacock Premium content, but they will still get the e-mail from Comcast.
The $3 a month only covers the first 12 months of service, and it is only offered for a limited time once Comcast ends free access to Peacock Premium on June 26.
I pay $5 a month for Peacock Premium Plus through Xfinity, will I still be able to use this after June 26?
Yes, but only if you convert your Peacock Premium plan to a paid one. You can take advantage of the $3 a month deal offered by Comcast to Xfinity subscribers, and still use the benefits of Peacock Premium Plus if you have that on your account.
Xfinity subscribers who don’t switch to a paid Peacock Premium plan will automatically have their accounts converted to the limited free tier, and they’ll stop being billed for Peacock Premium Plus. Even if they paid for Peacock Premium Plus before the change, they’ll lose access to the Plus benefits if they don’t convert their free subscription to a paid one after June 26.
Comcast has not said if customers who paid ahead for Peacock Premium Plus and who let their accounts convert to a limited free tier will get a pro-rated refund for Peacock Premium Plus.
How do I cancel Peacock Premium if I signed up through Xfinity X1 or Flex?
Xfinity TV and Internet subscribers who signed up for Peacock Premium through their X1-powered set-top boxes or Flex streaming devices won’t have to do anything if they do not want to pay $3 to $5 a month for Peacock Premium after June 26.
Starting June 26, all Peacock Premium subscribers who signed up for service through X1 boxes or Flex devices will automatically have their subscriptions converted to a limited free tier, and they won’t be charged for Peacock Premium at all.
Still, some customers will take advantage of Comcast’s limited-time deal for Peacock Premium ($3 a month for 12 months), only to change their mind later. Those customers will have to cancel their Peacock Premium subscription directly from their X1 or Flex boxes by following these steps:
- Go to Settings (which sometimes looks like a gear icon at the top of the TV screen), then click into the menu.
- Next, go to Apps & Subscriptions, and click into that menu.
- Then, navigate to Peacock and select Change Plan.
- Choose Unsubscribe, then follow the prompts.
If you’re on a monthly or annual Peacock Premium plan, you won’t receive a refund. Instead, you’ll be allowed to continue watching Peacock Premium content until what would have been your next billing date, at which point your service will cancel.
How do I cancel Peacock Premium if I signed up through XClass TV or Xumo TV?
Since XClass and Xumo TV sets are powered by the same operating system as X1 and Flex devices, the steps for cancelling Peacock Premium on these smart TVs is basically the same:
- Go to Settings (which sometimes looks like a gear icon at the top of the TV screen), then click into the menu.
- Next, go to Apps & Subscriptions, and click into that menu.
- Then, navigate to Peacock and select Change Plan.
- Choose Unsubscribe, then follow the prompts.
You can skip a few steps by saying “Manage Peacock” into your XClass or Xumo TV voice-powered remote control. Your service will continue until what would have been your next billing date, at which point your Peacock Premium subscription will end.
If you still need help, you can chat with an XClass or Xumo TV agent between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern Time during the week, or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekends, by visiting the Xumo TV website here.
How do I cancel Peacock Premium if I signed up through Roku?
Peacock Premium customers who sign up for their subscriptions through their Roku devices have a few different ways to cancel their subscription.
First, if you want to use your TV to cancel your Peacock Premium subscription on Roku, follow these steps:
- Press the HOME button on your remote.
- Navigate to the Peacock tile on the home screen.
- Press the STAR button on your remote.
- Choose Manage subscription, then press OK on the remote.
- Select Cancel subscription, then press OK on the remote.
- To confirm, select Cancel subscription again, then press OK on the remote.
- Choose Done to end the process.
If you paid for Peacock Premium through your Roku device, and you want to cancel your subscription online, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your Roku account by clicking or tapping here.
- Select Manage your subscriptions, or click or tap here.
- Under Active subscriptions, look for Peacock.
- Select Turn off auto-renew to cancel.
- Choose a cancellation reason, then select Continue to end the process.
These steps only work for Peacock Premium customers who paid for a subscription to the service through the Peacock app on their Roku devices. If you paid for Peacock Premium through another method (like on an Xfinity Flex device, or directly from the Peacock website), you’ll need to follow a different set of instructions for cancelling your service.
Note that deleting the Peacock app from your Roku device does NOT automatically end your subscription! You must follow the steps outlined above if you want to stop being charged for Peacock Premium.
How do I cancel Peacock Premium if I signed up through Amazon Fire TV?
Peacock Premium subscriptions that are purchased on Amazon Fire TV devices use a feature called Amazon Payments. There are two ways to cancel your Peacock Premium subscriptions when purchased through an Amazon Fire TV device.
The easiest way to cancel your Peacock Premium subscription purchased through an Amazon Fire TV device is to visit the Amazon website and follow these steps:
- Click or tap here, then sign in with your Amazon username and password.
- Look for Peacock under the Your Subscriptions menu, then select Actions.
- From the drop-down menu, choose Turn off auto-renew.
- Click or tap Turn off auto-renew to confirm your cancellation.
Peacock Premium will remain active until what would have been your next billing date, at which point the subscription will end. Amazon typically does not offer pro-rated refunds for cancellations, but, if you’re feeling lucky, you can always contact Amazon customer service and ask for one (or comparable Amazon store credit).
Note that deleting the Peacock Premium app from your Amazon Fire TV device will NOT automatically end your Peacock Premium subscription — you MUST follow the steps above to cancel auto-renewal BEFORE deleting the Peacock Premium app.
How do I cancel Peacock Premium if I signed up on Google TV or Android TV?
Cancelling a Peacock Premium subscription purchased through a Google TV or Android TV device is pretty easy, and there are a number of ways to do it if you no longer want to pay for Peacock Premium.
First, if you have access to an Android phone or tablet, you can cancel your Peacock Premium subscription by following these steps:
- Click or tap here to open the Subscriptions menu on the Google Play Store.
- Find Peacock, then tap Cancel subscription.
- Follow the prompts to cancel your Peacock Premium subscription.
If you don’t have an Android phone or tablet, you’ll need to cancel your Peacock Premium subscription using a computer, laptop or iPad. After logging in to your Google account, follow these steps:
- Click or tap here to open the Subscriptions menu through the online version of the Google Play Store.
- Look for Peacock, then click or tap on Manage.
- From the Manage menu, choose Cancel subscription.
- Select a reason — any reason — then click or tap Continue.
Cancellations through the Google Play Store won’t automatically result in a refund for any unusued days on a Peacock Premium plan. Instead, streamers will have access to Peacock Premium until what would have been their next renewal date, at which point their service will end.
Note that deleting the Peacock app on an Android TV or Google TV device does NOT automatically cancel a subscription to Peacock Premium! You MUST follow the steps above to end your Peacock Premium plan BEFORE deleting the app if you no longer want to pay for Peacock Premium.
How do I cancel Peacock Premium if I signed up on Apple TV, an iPhone or iPad?
Apple allows streamers to pay for a subscription to Peacock Premum right from their devices. You can cancel a Peacock Premium subscription from your Apple TV, even if you initially bought it on an iPhone, and vice versa, since Apple hands all subscription purchases on their end.
The easiest way to cancel a subscription to Peacock Premium purchased on an Apple device is to use an iPhone or iPad. If you have one, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app (grey icon with a gear).
- At the top, tap your name.
- Next, tap Subscriptions.
- Look for Peacock, then tap it.
- Tap Cancel subscription.
Want to cancel your Peacock Premium subscription on your Apple TV? No problem, just follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Using your remote, go to Users and Accounts, then select Subscriptions. On some Apple TV devices, your account name will appear before the word “Subscriptions.”
- Look for Peacock, then follow the prompts to cancel your subscription.
If you are having trouble cancelling your subscription to Peacock Premium on your Apple device, you can always cancel it on your Mac or PC computer. To do this, you’ll need to download and install the latest version of iTunes, which is free. Once you have that on your computer, follow these steps:
- Click or tap here to launch the Subscription portal on iTunes.
- On the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Account, then click View My Account.
- If you are asked to sign in using your Apple ID, enter your Apple username and password. If you aren’t asked to do this, skip this step.
- Scroll down to the Settings section. Look for Subscriptions, then click Manage.
- Find Peacock, then click Edit.
- Click Cancel subscription and follow the prompts.
If you can’t figure out how to cancel your Peacock Premium subscription after following the steps above, you can always contact Apple Support, and they will help you out. In some cases, they may also be able to cancel your subscription on your behalf.
Note: Deleting the Peacock app from your Apple TV, iPhone or iPad will NOT automatically stop your Peacock Premium subscription; instead, you’ll need to actually cancel the subscription BEFORE you delete the app.
How do I cancel Peacock Premium if I bought it through the Peacock website?
If you paid for Peacock Premium directly through the Peacock website, cancelling your subscription is very simple. Using a desktop or laptop computer (or a web browser like Safari, Chrome or Firefox on a phone or tablet), follow these steps:
- Log in to your Peacock account by clicking or tapping here.
- Go to Plans & Payments.
- Click or tap Change or Cancel Plan.
- Next, click or tap Cancel plan.
- Follow the prompts to confirm your cancellation.
Peacock won’t offer you a pro-rated refund when you cancel your Peacock Premium plan before your renewal date. Instead, you’ll be allowed to continue watching Peacock Premium content until what would have been your next billing date, at which point your service will end.
Note that deleting the Peacock app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV or Android TV (Google TV) device does NOT automatically stop your Peacock Premium subscription; instead, if you bought Peacock Premium through the Peacock website, you’ll need to follow the above steps to cancel BEFORE you delete the Peacock app.
What are some other streaming services I should check out after cancelling Peacock Premium?
If you like hit movies coupled with best-in-class television entertainment, check out Paramount Plus. The ad-lite version offers thousands of movies and TV shows, along with linear content streams full of comedies, dramas and kid-friendly shows, for just $6 a month. A premium version includes content from Showtime, live access to your local CBS station and removes commercials from on-demand shows for just $12 a month. Readers of The Desk can score a 7-day free trial to either Paramount Plus package when they sign up for service by clicking or tapping here.
Fans of “On Patrol: Live” who watched the show through Peacock can still catch the show on the Reelz Channel, which is offered on a number of streaming services. The cheapest one is Philo, which offers Reelz in its “Movies & More” package. Philo costs $25 a month and includes access to more than 70 live cable channels, including Paramount Network (Yellowstone), Nickelodeon (Friends, Spongebob Squarepants), TV Land (Everybody Loves Raymond) and more, complete with an unlimited cloud DVR that stores shows for one year. The “Movies & More” package costs an extra $3 a month. Readers of The Desk can get a 7-day free trial to Philo and the “Movies & More” package when the sign up for service by clicking or tapping this link.
