6 Digital Subscriptions You Can Give as a Holiday Gift

Subscriptions aren’t just for magazines anymore. In the digital age, subscriptions can deliver music, movies, video games, retail goods and a whole lot more. Digital subscriptions can be accessed anytime and cater to a wide range of tastes and interests. Here are six awesome modern-day subscriptions to consider:

Amazon Prime

They’ll love it for the free two-day shipping, but anyone who gets an Amazon Prime gift subscription ($99 a year) also gets unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows from the Prime Video library; ad-free music streaming with access to more than a million songs; unlimited cloud drive photo storage; and one e-book a month from the Kindle Lending Library (redeemable only on a Kindle or Fire mobile device).

Video game subscriptions

Whether the video gamer in your life is an XBox One or Playstation 4 fan, there’s a subscription service that lets them play in online multiplayer mode with their fellow gamers and also delivers free bonus games every month. The Playstation 4 subscription is called PlayStation Plus ($9.99 for one month, $17.99 for three months, $49.99 for a year). The equivalent Xbox service is Xbox Live Gold ($24.99 for three months, $59.99 for a year).

Netflix and streaming video subscriptions

Anyone who loves movies will be thrilled with the gift of Netflix, the online streaming service that plays movies and TV shows on any connected device. Netflix gifts are handled as gift cards as opposed to a traditional gift subscription; the recipient just has to enter the gift code on the card. Netflix gift cards are available in various amounts and gift card recipients can choose their tier of Netflix subscription ($7.99 a month for one screen at a time, $9.99 a month for two screens, $11.99 a month for four screens).

If the recipient of your Netflix gift card has never had a Netflix account, the first month is free.

For other streaming subscription options, consider YouTube Red, Hulu and HBO Now.

Kindle Unlimited

The bookworm on your gift list doesn’t need to have a Kindle e-reader to enjoy the benefits of the all-you-can-read book subscription service Kindle Unlimited. Dubbed the “Netflix for books,” Kindle Unlimited ($9.99 for one month, $59.94 for six months, $119.98 for a year) works on any connected device and offers a library of more than a million book titles and thousands of audiobooks.

Streaming music subscriptions

Music lovers know about the Internet music services Pandora and Spotify, but they may not know that both are available as ad-free versions called Pandora One and Spotify Premium. Pandora One gift cards are available online ($54.89 for a one-year subscription) or in some retail stores for shorter subscription periods. Spotify gift cards are also available in participating retail stores.

Digital newspaper subscriptions

Your local newspaper’s prices will vary on gift subscriptions, but digital subscriptions to the most popular newspapers in the U.S. make great gifts in any town. A New York Times digital subscription is available in various tiers for smartphone, tablet and “all-digital” access. A Washington Post digital subscription is available as a national edition ($99 a year) or a national and D.C. edition ($149 a year). The Wall Street Journal is offering new subscribers five free three-month digital subscriptions they can give as gifts (subscription price will vary depending on desired newspaper, tablet and smartphone access).