7 streaming services worth paying for in Canada, plus the credit cards that cut your bill
A household running Netflix Premium, Disney+ Premium, Amazon Prime, Crave Total, and Apple TV+ now spends roughly $85 per month, more than basic cable cost in 2015. That number assumes you're paying full freight. Most Canadians shouldn't be.
The ad-supported tier is now the default entry price at every major platform. Netflix Standard with Ads starts at $5.99. Disney+ Standard with Ads is $7.99. Crave Basic with Ads is $9.99. If you want the ad-free, 4K versions, the premium jump is significant: Netflix Premium is $22.99, Disney+ Premium is $15.99, Crave Total is $22.00. Amazon Prime Video, bundled into the $9.99/month Prime membership, now charges an extra $2.99/month to skip ads.
Below are seven services that justify the cost in 2026, either because their library is indispensable or because they're subsidized by credit card rewards.
Netflix
Still the dominant platform by subscriber count. The back catalogue is thinner than it was in 2018, but the originals pipeline remains strong. Premium tier required for 4K and four simultaneous streams. Standard with Ads tier works if you watch alone and don't mind interruptions.
Card play: Scotiabank Gold American Express earns 6x Scene+ points on grocery and streaming. At $15/month Netflix spend, that's 1,080 points per year, worth roughly $10.80 toward future streaming or theatre tickets.
Disney+
The home for Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic. Also includes general entertainment (the former "Star" library in Canada). Premium tier unlocks 4K and offline downloads on up to 10 devices. Worth it if you have kids or are cycling through a Marvel phase.
Card play: American Express Cobalt earns 5x Membership Rewards on groceries and "eats and drinks," which includes some digital entertainment purchases depending on merchant code. Streaming coverage varies by merchant, so test your first charge with the issuer.
Amazon Prime Video
Comes with the Prime membership. You're already paying for faster shipping. The video library is adequate, The Boys, Reacher, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but the interface is cluttered with rentals. The $2.99 ad-free toggle is new as of 2026 and optional.
Card play: TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite occasionally offers bonus points on Amazon purchases, though the video portion does not always code separately.
Crave
The Canadian home for HBO, Max, Showtime, and legacy content from Warner Bros. Discovery. Required viewing if you follow prestige drama (Succession, The Last of Us, True Detective). Crave Total is expensive but includes STACKTV channels and on-demand movies. Basic with Ads is tolerable if you're patient.
Card play: Bell mobile or internet customers often get Crave bundled at a discount. No dedicated card offer, but Rogers-Bell churning is common.
Apple TV+
The smallest library of any major service. The originals are high-budget and critically well-regarded (Ted Lasso, Severance, For All Mankind), but the back catalogue is nonexistent. Month-to-month works better than annual here, subscribe for the series you want, cancel when you're done.
Card play: Apple One bundles TV+ with iCloud and Apple Music. No card-specific bonus, but BMO Eclipse Visa Infinite earns flat points on all purchases including subscriptions.
DAZN
Sports-specific. NFL Game Pass, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, select boxing and MMA. Expensive, with plans starting at $24.99/month for Standard or $49.99/month for Ultimate (concurrent streams, no commercials). Only worth it if the rights are exclusive to content you follow. Regional NHL and MLB are still on TSN+/Sportsnet+.
Card play: None. Pay full price or skip.
CBC Gem
Free tier is excellent and widely ignored. Live news, prestige Canadian drama (Burden of Truth, Sort Of), and documentary content with minimal ads. Premium tier ($5.99/month) removes ads and adds offline downloads. One of the highest value-per-dollar options in the country.
The baseline strategy: run the ad tiers, rotate subscriptions month to month based on what you're watching, and put the streaming category on a card that accelerates points. Over 12 months, that recovers one service.
A household running Netflix Premium, Disney+ Premium, Amazon Prime, Crave Total, and Apple TV+ now spends roughly $85 per month, more than basic cable cost in 2015. That number assumes you're paying full freight. Most Canadians shouldn't be.
The ad-supported tier is now the default entry price at every major platform. Netflix Standard with Ads starts at $5.99. Disney+ Standard with Ads is $7.99. Crave Basic with Ads is $9.99. If you want the ad-free, 4K versions, the premium jump is significant: Netflix Premium is $22.99, Disney+ Premium is $15.99, Crave Total is $22.00. Amazon Prime Video, bundled into the $9.99/month Prime membership, now charges an extra $2.99/month to skip ads.
Below are seven services that justify the cost in 2026, either because their library is indispensable or because they're subsidized by credit card rewards.
Netflix
Still the dominant platform by subscriber count. The back catalogue is thinner than it was in 2018, but the originals pipeline remains strong. Premium tier required for 4K and four simultaneous streams. Standard with Ads tier works if you watch alone and don't mind interruptions.
Card play: Scotiabank Gold American Express earns 6x Scene+ points on grocery and streaming. At $15/month Netflix spend, that's 1,080 points per year, worth roughly $10.80 toward future streaming or theatre tickets.
Disney+
The home for Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic. Also includes general entertainment (the former "Star" library in Canada). Premium tier unlocks 4K and offline downloads on up to 10 devices. Worth it if you have kids or are cycling through a Marvel phase.
Card play: American Express Cobalt earns 5x Membership Rewards on groceries and "eats and drinks," which includes some digital entertainment purchases depending on merchant code. Streaming coverage varies by merchant, so test your first charge with the issuer.
Amazon Prime Video
Comes with the Prime membership. You're already paying for faster shipping. The video library is adequate, The Boys, Reacher, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but the interface is cluttered with rentals. The $2.99 ad-free toggle is new as of 2026 and optional.
Card play: TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite occasionally offers bonus points on Amazon purchases, though the video portion does not always code separately.
Crave
The Canadian home for HBO, Max, Showtime, and legacy content from Warner Bros. Discovery. Required viewing if you follow prestige drama (Succession, The Last of Us, True Detective). Crave Total is expensive but includes STACKTV channels and on-demand movies. Basic with Ads is tolerable if you're patient.
Card play: Bell mobile or internet customers often get Crave bundled at a discount. No dedicated card offer, but Rogers-Bell churning is common.
Apple TV+
The smallest library of any major service. The originals are high-budget and critically well-regarded (Ted Lasso, Severance, For All Mankind), but the back catalogue is nonexistent. Month-to-month works better than annual here, subscribe for the series you want, cancel when you're done.
Card play: Apple One bundles TV+ with iCloud and Apple Music. No card-specific bonus, but BMO Eclipse Visa Infinite earns flat points on all purchases including subscriptions.
DAZN
Sports-specific. NFL Game Pass, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, select boxing and MMA. Expensive, with plans starting at $24.99/month for Standard or $49.99/month for Ultimate (concurrent streams, no commercials). Only worth it if the rights are exclusive to content you follow. Regional NHL and MLB are still on TSN+/Sportsnet+.
Card play: None. Pay full price or skip.
CBC Gem
Free tier is excellent and widely ignored. Live news, prestige Canadian drama (Burden of Truth, Sort Of), and documentary content with minimal ads. Premium tier ($5.99/month) removes ads and adds offline downloads. One of the highest value-per-dollar options in the country.
The baseline strategy: run the ad tiers, rotate subscriptions month to month based on what you're watching, and put the streaming category on a card that accelerates points. Over 12 months, that recovers one service.
Sources
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