HBO Max Doesn’t Offer a Free Trial — We Found a Workaround

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Streaming services have continued to drop or reduce free trials over the last few years as they tighten their belts on deals and hike prices. One streaming service that hasn’t offered a free trial in years is HBO Max (formerly Max; formerly also HBO Max ).

It’s a shame because HBO Max has arguably the best selection of TV series. New hits like Lanterns , Heated Rivalry , The Pitt , White Lotus , and Hacks , as well as classics like Mad Men, The Sopranos , Curb Your Enthusiasm , and Game of Thrones , are only available through HBO Max (unless you want to spend a fortune buying individual episodes on Amazon). The streaming service also offers livestreams of many sports events, including MLB and NHL games.

However, if you want to watch any of these shows or live sports, you’ll need to pay for HBO Max’s relatively pricey monthly subscription. HBO Max plans start at $10.99 a month, which is more than Netflix, Paramount+, or Peacock. HBO Max also has strict account-sharing rules, making it very difficult to split a subscription between different households. Plus, HBO Max also does not offer a free trial.

HBO Max might not offer a free trial directly, but there is a way to watch HBO Max for free for a limited time. DirecTV , which has now all but fully transformed into a (very good) live TV streaming service, offers a complimentary HBO Max subscription in two of its packages — and both of them start with a five-day free trial. See below for more details on how to use DirecTV to get an HBO Max free trial:

DirecTV offers complimentary access to HBO Max in its MyEntertainment and Premier packages. Both of these start with a five-day free trial. The MyEntertainment plan also delivers access to Disney+ and Hulu at no additional cost, and it carries 55+ live TV channels. After the free trial, the MyEntertainment package costs $42.99 a month. The Premier plan is DirecTV’s largest package, boasting over 185 channels, ESPN, Hulu, Disney+, STARZ, and Paramount+, as well as HBO Max. Premier is currently priced at $169.99 a month, but you get $40 off your first month and $20 off months 2-24, so in reality it’s much cheaper.

If you don’t want to take advantage of the DirecTV HBO Max free trial hack, here’s a breakdown of HBO Max tiers and their prices:

Basic with Ads: $10.99/month or $109.99/year The cheapest plan that HBO Max offers is Basic with Ads. This plan lets subscribers stream on up to two devices at once with a maximum resolution of 1080p. It doesn’t support 4K resolution, and you won’t be able to watch live sports. As the name suggests, you’ll also be served ads in all content.

Standard: $18.49/month or $184.99/year HBO Max’s Standard plan is the best option for most users. It removes ads and lets you watch live sports like March Madness basketball games. You’ll also be able to download up to 30 titles to watch without WiFi or cell service.