Slickdeals is community-supported. We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.
We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.
Want to stream The Office without another monthly bill? We get it. Peacock TV used to be free, but they pulled that option in 2023. Still, there are ways to get around the paywall to some extent, even if only temporarily.
The streaming landscape is brutal these days. You're probably already signed up to Netflix, maybe Hulu, possibly Disney+. Adding Peacock for another $10.99 a month? That hurts. But here's what we discovered: NBCUniversal might have killed the free tier, but they left some backdoors open. Seven of them, actually.
We’ve been testing different approaches to find methods that actually work in 2025. Some give you genuine free access for a couple of weeks, others cut the price so low it's practically free. Either way, there are ways to avoid paying full retail.
NBCUniversal launched Peacock in 2020. The content library? Pretty solid, honestly. NBC classics like Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and The Office. Universal Pictures movies. Live sports including Premier League soccer and WWE. Plus their original programming.
Current pricing runs at $10.99 monthly for Premium (limited ads) or $16.99 for Premium Plus (mostly ad-free and includes downloads). This isn’t cheap when you compare it to other subscriptions.
The sports content alone makes it tempting for many viewers. Premier League games, Olympic coverage and WWE events are all available through Peacock. You can't get that combination elsewhere, so in an Olympic year you might be more tempted to pay up.
Here's the deal with Peacock's free situation. They launched with a free tier – limited content, but free nonetheless. In January 2023 they removed it for new users. Why? Money, obviously.
Is Peacock free these days? Not for newcomers, no. If you signed up before 2023, you may still have access to some free content but we're only talking select episodes, news programming, maybe some older movies. Nothing spectacular.
The free tier was always pretty restricted anyway. Full seasons, live sports and new movies have always lived behind the paywall from day one.
This method is clever. Instacart+ includes Peacock Premium as a membership benefit. Instacart+ also offers a free trial. You see where this is going.
Sign up for the Instacart+ trial. No credit card is needed, which is refreshing in today's world. Once you're registered, head to the benefits section of your account. Find Peacock in the offers area and activate it. Boom. Two weeks of Peacock Premium.
We tested this approach multiple times with different email addresses. Works every time. It takes about 5 minutes to set up and then you're streaming immediately. It even works if you've had a Peacock subscription before.
One catch: remember to cancel Instacart+ if you don't want grocery delivery service. Otherwise, you'll get charged $10 per month for something you probably won't use.
Your cable company might already be giving you free Peacock. Seriously. Check your account.
Xfinity customers get several options. Gigabit internet subscribers often get two years of Peacock Premium included. Diamond and Platinum Xfinity Rewards members get it ongoing, though reaching those status levels takes 7 to 14 years of service. Their NOW TV package also bundles Peacock Premium with 125+ live channels for $20 a month.
Spectrum users with qualifying plans get 12 months free. The exact plans vary, but it's worth checking your account portal or calling customer service.
We've found that many customers don't realize they already have this benefit. It’s worth a quick login to your provider account to investigate.
Bought a Galaxy device recently? Samsung throws in three months of Peacock Premium free.
Download the Peacock app from Galaxy Store specifically (not Google Play), then sign in with your Samsung account. The promotion usually appears automatically, though sometimes you need to dig into Samsung Benefits.
Three months gives you plenty of time to decide if you want to keep paying after the freebie period ends.
College students get Peacock Premium for $2.99/month for 12 months instead of $10.99. That's a 73% discount.
Verification happens through SheerID – standard process these days for student discounts. You'll need your educational email and institution details. The verification typically completes in minutes, not days.
At $36 for a full year, it's less than many people spend on coffee in a month. You can renew annually as long as you're enrolled.
These groups get meaningful discounts:
All require SheerID verification. The process is secure and typically quick and you can renew these discounts annually if you continue qualifying.
We appreciate that Peacock actually makes these discounts substantial rather than token savings. If you fall into any of these categories you should definitely take advantage!
This strategy takes patience but works if you're already using cash-back apps. Apps like Fetch let you scan shopping receipts for points, which convert to gift cards.
Scan receipts from your regular shopping – groceries, gas, whatever. Accumulate points over several months, redeem for Visa gift cards and use them to fund your Peacock subscription.
It's not immediate gratification, but if you're methodical about scanning receipts, you can essentially make streaming "free" using money you're spending anyway.
It’s worth checking to see if you created a Peacock account before they eliminated the free tier. Recover your old account, log in and see what's still available. It could be that you still have access
Don't expect full seasons or live sports. But there might be news content, select episodes or older movies accessible. This is better than nothing if your budget is super constrained.
Some users report that Peacock occasionally runs limited-time free access promotions for legacy accounts, though these are unpredictable.
Timing matters with Peacock promotions. Black Friday consistently delivers the year's best deals. We've tracked their pricing for several years and November promotions typically offer 60-75% discounts on annual subscriptions.
Last Black Friday saw annual subscriptions drop to $20. That's less than two months of regular pricing for an entire year, so keep an eye out for similar savings this November.
Other promotion periods include back-to-school season, major sports season launches, and random mid-year sales. Follow Peacock’s social media accounts for real-time deal announcements.
Promo code locations:
Enter codes during checkout for new subscriptions or add them to existing accounts through Plans & Payments.
Let's be realistic about content availability with these methods.
Legacy free accounts offer limited programming. Think select episodes, news highlights, some older movies. This is not exactly binge-worthy material for most people.
Premium access through trials gives you the full experience temporarily. Complete NBC seasons, live sports, new movies, Peacock Originals, next-day network programming. This offers a substantial difference in the quality and quantity of available content.
The Premium tier includes everything except ad-free viewing and download capability. For most users, the ad-supported version provides good enough value, especially at discounted rates.
Even if you end up paying something for Peacock, these strategies minimize costs:
Technology comes up short sometimes. Here's how to troubleshoot common issues:
We've found that persistence pays off with technical problems. Don't give up after the first attempt.
After extensive testing, we found the Instacart+ approach offers the best risk-free way to evaluate Peacock's content without financial commitment. Two weeks provides enough time to see if the programming matches your interests.
Long-term savings depend on qualifying for specific discounts. Students and military personnel get genuine deals that make Peacock competitive with budget streaming alternatives.
But let's be honest about expectations. If you just want background entertainment and don't care specifically about NBC content, completely free services may better suit your needs.
Our approach: Try Instacart+ first since it costs nothing and requires minimal effort. If you find yourself using Peacock a lot during the trial period, then evaluate your options or wait for Black Friday discounts to sign up.
Remember that streaming promotions change regularly. These methods work as of September 2025 but deals expire and new opportunities can always emerge. We update this information periodically, so bookmark this page if you're planning to wait for a better time to buy.
The worst case scenario though? You spend 5 minutes signing up for the free trial and get two weeks of free streaming.
Not always directly, but partner services provide trial access to Peacock Premium.
Very limited options exist. Instacart+ provides the best temporary free access to Peacock.
Student discount at $2.99/month for qualifying college students.
This depends on your content preferences. NBC fans and sports viewers get good value. Casual streamers might prefer completely free services like Tubi.