How to get a Max free trial in limited time only offer

New Max logo on wall mounted TV with bowl of popcorn on table in front
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

There's plenty of exciting new content in store for Max in 2024. House of the Dragon returned for its second season, and the long anticipated Batman spin-off, The Penguin is due to premiere later in the year. While the former saw the HBO Max free trial reinstated for a limited time, that offer has sadly come to an end. There are still other means to get a great saving though, particularly if you choose to pay for a years subscription upfront.

While HBO Max's trial period was available at launch, it's long since been discontinued. Even with the rebrand to Max there has been no sign of it being permanently reinstated, though perhaps we can expect it to crop up as a flash offer again in the future. As ever, this is the page to keep up to date on the availability of a Max free trial so you can watch all the best Max movies as well as the best Max TV shows the cheapest way possible.

Is there a Max free trial available?

I'm afraid to say there's no HBO Max free trial currently. Warner Bros. did revive it for a brief period in June 2024. Other than that, it's not been seen since the service launched in the US in May 2020 and met its demise in early December of the same year.

At the time the HBO Max free trial was available to help uncertain customers decide whether the fledgling streaming service was for them for 7 days. 

Much like the Disney Plus free trial prior to its release of Hamilton, the Max free trial disappeared before the release of one of its biggest titles to date, Wonder Woman 1984.

While Max has, in more recent times, launched in parts of Europe and Nordic countries, there's been no sign of a HBO Max free trial in new territories directly through the site, though its rebrand to Max inline with the Discovery Inc. merger will see the service arriving in more countries, giving potential for the free trial to be revived.

Jace and Rhaenyra look out onto the ocean from Dragonstone in House of the Dragon season 2

(Image credit: Theo Whitman/HBO)

Are there other ways to get a Max free trial?

Those in the US are still able to secure access to Max for free if they sign up to one of Cricket Wireless' $60 unlimited plans, with the ad-supported plan thrown in at no extra cost.

There was a time when you could also get a Max free trial when adding it to your Hulu plan. However, this streaming deal, along with adding to your Prime Video subscription, has ended.

What's the cheapest way to get Max without a free trial?

You can save up to 20% by committing to an annual plan across any of its three plans. Starting at $99.99 a year for its ad-supported plan, go ad free and pay $149.99 annually, or Max's Ultimate Ad-Free plan is the only way to get 4K streams, costing $199.99 a year.

Pedro Pascal's Joel looks upset at an off-screen Ellie in The Last of Us season 1

(Image credit: HBO)

While the HBO Max free trial has gone for customers in the US – for now – potential subscribers can still check out some of their biggest shows for nothing. Just visit the Free Episodes section of its website to enjoy a small sample of their content: ranging from award-winning show Succession, new Kate Winslet hit The Regime, and Pedro Pascal's The Last of Us.

What can I watch on Max?

Pure TV gold. It’s got everything HBO ever produced, including critically acclaimed hits, while also being the exclusive home to sitcoms like Friends and The Big Bang Theory. Some of its titles include:

It also hosts films from dozens of major studios. Paramount Pictures, MGM, and Warner Bros all make an appearance, which means viewers can immerse themselves in cinema classics from the Hollywood Golden Age (Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz) all the way up to contemporary blockbusters like 2019’s Joker, and the award-winning animation of Studio Ghibli. It's also the place to watch Dune and 2023's summer hit, Barbie.

Daniel Pateman

Daniel Pateman is a freelance writer, producing articles across the cultural spectrum for magazines like Aesthetica, Photomonitor, The Brooklyn Rail and This is Tomorrow. He also provides text-writing services to individual curators and artists worldwide, and has had work published internationally. His favourite film genre is horror (bring on Scream 5!) and he never tires of listening to Absolute 80s on the radio.

With contributions from