3 Tips to Save Money on an Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription
Video editing software is the bread and butter for any YouTuber, and it’s no secret that software can be expensive. Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe CC) is our editing software of choice because it works on PC and Mac, and as a designer, I also use Lightroom, Photoshop, and Illustrator. If you use more than two products from the Adobe Suite, it’s worth considering. Otherwise, consider a free video editing software like DaVinci Resolve 15.
Our equipment stack is custom built PC’s for the office and Macbooks for travel, so picking a video editing software that’s compatible for both operating systems is essential. Here are 3 tips on how to find a deal on an Adobe CC subscription.
1. Buy during Black Friday
Timing can be difficult, especially if you’re reading this post and it’s nowhere near November, but you can save 25% on an annual subscription during Black Friday. Note that the special pricing is available for first-time customers only.
The annual plan prepaid or paid monthly come out to the same price, so you’re not saving any money by paying upfront. The discount only applies to annual subscriptions, and the monthly plan is $79.49/month.
If you purchase an annual plan and decide that you don’t want it, you have 14 days to cancel without a fee. Otherwise, you’ll be charged 50% of the annual subscription.
Students and Teachers get an even better deal, $15.99/month for an annual plan.
Black Friday 2018 pricing. Image via https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html
2. Adobe CC Retention Offers
In April 2018, the Adobe CC annual monthly pricing increased from $49.99 to $52.99. Since I enrolled in the Black Friday offer in 2017, my annual subscription ended on Nov 2018. November was my first increased bill, and going from $39.99/month to $52.99/month was a significant increase. I was within the 14-day no-penalty cancellation window, but I wanted to call their customer service to ensure that there weren’t any hidden charges.
Fun fact: Adobe has retention offers! Who said retention offers were for only for credit cards?
The retention offer I received was an annual Adobe CC Suite plan, paid monthly for $29.99/month + 3 FREE months. What?! Of course, I accepted. $29.99 is cheaper than the Black Friday pricing, and 3 free months seals the deal.
Here’s the script:
(Call customer service)
Me: Hello, I would like to cancel my Adobe CC subscription
Agent: Sure, what’s the reason?
Me: It’s too expensive
Agent: I see. Which apps do you use the most?
Me: Adobe Premier and Lightroom
Agent: Let me see what I can do for you
(Puts me on hold)
Agent: We’d like to offer you a special pricing of $29.99/month on an annual plan, plus 3 months free. Hopefully, that puts some ease on the budget. Do you accept the offer?
Me: Yes, can that be applied retroactively since I was billed $52.99 on the previous statement?
Agent: Yes, we will need to cancel your subscription, process a refund, and start a new subscription
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The renewal process was quick and took less than 10 minutes to accept and process the new contract. I’m curious, have you received a retention offer from Adobe before? And if so, what was it? Let me know in the comments below.
3. The Basic “Free” Adobe CC Plan
If you’re someone who’s doing light video editing, Adobe offers a free starter plan that has limited access to Adobe Premiere Rush CC and Adobe XD. With limited access to features, it’s questionable how useful the programs will be. A good alternative for free video editing software is DaVinci Resolve 15.
How to access the free Adobe plan:
Signup for a free 30-day trial of the full Adobe CC Suite
After the 30-day trial is up, your account will automatically convert to the free plan
The free Creative Cloud membership gives you:
Free starter plan for Premier Rush CC
Free starter plan for Adobe XD
Free fonts
Free mobile applications
Free 2GB of storage space
Access to file syncing and sharing features
Access to new desktop application trials
Learn more on Adobe’s website: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/benefits-creative-cloud-free-membership.html