Max Extra Member: Add On Costs $8 More as Password Sharing Crackdown Now in Effect

The password-sharing crackdown on Max is finally here, and a month after the company confirmed its arrival, it is also introducing an "Extra Member Add-On" option for users who want to continue sharing their accounts.

However, this comes at an additional cost, with users being charged an extra $8 per month on top of their existing subscriptions for the new profile.

Password-sharing crackdown has been adopted by many streaming platforms that want only users in the same household to use an account for streaming, with outsiders being blocked from its access.

Max Extra Member Option to Cost an Additional $8

In a new press release from Warner Bros. Discovery, the company announced that all users outside of a household that are using the same household's account would have to avail the "Extra Member Add-On" or lose access to the account.

This will set users back an additional $7.99 payment on top of their already existing subscription, and it is available for any tier on the Max streaming platform.

WBD is not entirely blocking password sharing for users in this latest change, with this Extra Member option giving them a chance to continue using the same account but with an additional cost.

It is important to note that, according to Warner Bros. Discovery, Max accounts can only add one Extra Member to share their accounts to, making it a standalone experience that would be eligible for a Profile Transfer.

Max's Password Sharing Crackdown Now In Effect

This new Extra Member Add-On goes alongside Max's new password-sharing crackdown policy on the platform, which is now in effect more than a year since the company announced that it is happening.

It is important to note that Max's Basic with Ads tier only costs $9.99 for a separate account and is close to the Extra Member pricing of $8. That being said, for those who are on the ad-free Premium, this may be the ideal choice as it costs $16.99 monthly.

Password Sharing Crackdown in Streaming

Streaming has seen a rise in popularity globally over the years, and it began with Netflix's significant dominance in the space. While co-founder Reed Hastings initially had no problem in sharing accounts, the company first tested its password sharing crackdown in 2022 and finally put it into effect in 2023 in the United States.

With a titan like Netflix starting this change, many others considered making their streaming platforms more exclusive. The next streaming platform to do this was Disney+ in 2024, and the company blocked all logins outside a household and offered them to opt for the additional member add-on to continue the experience.

Sharing a password or an account has long been the practice amongst subscribers to save on monthly or yearly premium payments as, instead of doing it alone, users would have one or more co-subscribers to split the bill.

While that worked wonders for several years, streaming companies no longer allow it as they want individuals to subscribe on their own or opt for the additional rates.