Don’t sign up for Fubo TV without knowing about this hidden fee

With the rising price of YouTube TV, there are a lot of people looking for similar services that come in at a lower price. I can’t blame anybody for doing that, because it’s exactly what I did. I ended up pulling the trigger on a free trial which then rolled over into a discounted first month.

There are four different tiers of Fubo TV to pick from between Essential, Pro, Elite, and Latino. The Essential package does as it says by giving you the essential channels, and it’s largely the same lineup as you’ll see with YouTube TV with the exception of the Turner networks. The Elite tier allows 4K viewing of supported content, but I think the majority of people would be just fine with Essential or Pro.

During the sign-up process, Essential and Pro appear as the same price, so it makes sense to just go for Pro since it’s seemingly the same cost. As it turns out, that’s not the case, and Fubo pulls the rug out from under you just before checking out.

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Looking at the four tiers, I decided to go with Pro, largely because I thought it’d be the same price as the Essential option with the bonus of regional sports networks. In hindsight, it’s obvious the sports networks wouldn’t be free, but it’s odd that Fubo doesn’t let you know that until it’s time to subscribe.

I followed the steps to sign up, and that’s when it decided to spring the additional $13 fee on me. To be fair, it happened before I paid, so while it was hidden deep in the process, I had the choice to back out if I wanted to. Your regional sports cost varies by where you live, and that could be an explanation as to why it’s not included in the initial price on the sign-up screen. Calling it a trick might be a tad harsh, but it did take me by surprise.

For people looking to move on from YouTube TV, it’s very deceptive to see this price and think it comes in cheaper. If you have been paying for a service like FanDuel Sports Network on the side on top of YouTube TV, it is cheaper, but only by a few bucks. A better way of doing this would be to have the cost disclosed upfront so you don’t get your hopes up for nothing.

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Fubo is still a good value

Don’t let the hidden fee deter you

YouTube / Pocket-lint

Although the price of the regional sports brings the overall cost to above the new YouTube TV price, it’s still good value if you like watching your local sports teams. FanDuel Sports Network costs $20 a month on its own, so when that’s coupled with YouTube TV, it brings the price to over $100.

The nice thing is you can keep the price at $80 a month if you don’t need the regional sports, so it’s a bit cheaper than YouTube TV, but it comes with the tradeoff of no Turner networks like TBS or TNT. A way around that is picking up a Max subscription, and many people might already have the service on top of a service like Fubo or YouTube TV.

Both YouTube TV and Fubo allow you to cancel anytime, so there’s no need to worry about locking into a yearlong contract like you would with cable. If you’re unhappy with the service, you can ditch it and look for something else. In some cases, you can threaten to cancel your service and get a discount, so make sure you exhaust all of your options if you’re unhappy with a price hike. As for right now, I’m happy with the service, especially since I have an Apple TV 4K.

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