Is The Disney Bundle With No Ads Worth $19.99?

I'm not a Disney shill, but this will make me sound like one…

In the sea of streaming services, the options are nearly endless. Every major network -- and a few minor ones -- have their own service. But there is one company that is quickly gobbling up the market share: Disney.

To be clear, when we talk about Disney and streaming, we're not just talking about Disney+; the company also owns Hulu and ESPN. And you can get all three in one with their most popular option, The Disney Bundle (TDB).

At $19.99 for the no-ads version -- aka Trio Premium -- TDB is one of the more expensive streaming options, on par with the top-tier Netflix plan. Unlike Netflix, however, TDB offers a lot of bang for your buck, and the Trio Premium is arguably well worth the $19.99 price tag.

Buy two, get one free

The main thing that TDB has going for it above and beyond other services is that you're not just getting one service. The Trio plan has three popular services in one: Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. And at the $19.99 price point, you're getting the ad-free versions (note: ESPN+ has ads no matter what).

These three services include a huge amount of content. More importantly, it's a huge variety of content. Movies, TV, documentaries, sports, kids' programming...you get something for pretty much everyone in the family.

What's more, you're getting a pretty good discount when you get the bundled version. After Disney price increases go into effect this December, the individual services will cost:

Putting together any two of the services puts you over that $19.99 mark (unless you pay annually). So if you want more than one Disney-owned streaming service, TDB is the best way to minimize the damage to your bank account.

Things work out similarly when you look at the ad-supported bundles. Disney+ with ads will run you $7.99 a month. Hulu with ads has the same monthly cost. But you can get them both for $9.99 a month (new subscribers only), or get the Trio Basic that includes ESPN+ for just $12.99 a month (all subscribers).

Still a deal outside the Disney family

What about when you compare the cost to services Disney doesn't own and price? Well, you actually get similar results. Take a look at the cost of other popular streaming services:

Pair any two of these services, and you're looking at a price point very close -- or in many cases, over -- the cost of TDB. Even if you decide to compare ad-supported plan to ad-supported plan, you're getting a good deal.

Streaming card credits

Another thing that TDB has going for it is that you can find multiple ways to cut the cost with rewards credit cards. For one thing, you can use a good streaming rewards credit card to save up to 6% on your services, including TDB.

Then there's the credits. Multiple American Express credit cards offer statement credits when you use your eligible card to pay for TDB. This could cover some or all of your subscription, depending on the card. Just remember to enroll your card first so your purchases qualify.

Slimming the streaming budget

All right, so I realize this whole article has sounded like an ad. It's not. Disney didn't ask me to say any of this. I'm just really passionate about good deals. And this bundle really is a good deal (you know, relative to the streaming world).

I've cut a lot of fat from my budget this year (thanks, global inflation!), and I had to make some hard choices about which streaming services I should keep. I still cycle other services to watch specific content. But we stay subscribed to TDB year-round so everyone in the house always has something to watch.