November marks the start of the holiday season, which means plenty of reasons to spend money — gifts, travel, holiday meals. With so many expenses piling up, it’s worth taking a closer look at which streaming services are actually earning their place on your monthly bill.
A Tom’s Guide survey about streaming habits found that readers are spending more than $60 a month on seven or more streaming services. That’s a lot to shell out on apps you may barely open. Instead of keeping every subscription active all year, treat your streaming lineup as a rotation: Cancel the services that aren’t delivering enough must-watch shows, then bring them back when something worth watching arrives.
For November 2026, Prime Video and Apple TV are the two services I’d be most comfortable cutting from my monthly bill. Both have plenty of worthwhile shows, but this month’s lineups don’t quite justify the subscription fees — especially when there are plenty of other places to spend your money this time of year. Here’s why these are the streaming services to cancel right now.
Why I’d cancel Prime Video in November 2026
Prime Video is a slightly trickier cancellation recommendation because most people don’t actually subscribe to it on its own. It comes bundled with Amazon Prime, along with free shipping and a whole buffet of other perks. That makes it harder to justify canceling just for the streaming side of things. Still, some people do subscribe to Prime Video separately, and even Prime members should think twice about whether the video library is enough to keep the subscription earning its keep.
November actually gives Prime Video a pretty impressive lineup. “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” season 3 arrives Nov. 11, with the first four episodes dropping at once. The remaining four episodes follow over the next two weeks, with the finale arriving Nov. 25.
That release schedule is exactly why I wouldn’t necessarily keep Prime Video active for the entire month. You can absolutely wait until next month and binge the entirety of season 3, rather than watch it week to week. “The Rings of Power” hasn’t proven to be the kind of show that generates a lot of social media chatter, so you can easily evade spoilers.
The month’s other big new title is “Blade Runner 2099,” premiering on Nov. 25, with all eight episodes available at once. The sci-fi series stars Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer and picks up 50 years after “Blade Runner 2049.” That’s a pretty compelling binge, but with its release date so late in the month, you can simply just wait a week while saving some money.
Why I’d cancel Apple TV in November 2026
Apple TV is one of the hardest streaming services to cancel on quality alone. It consistently punches above its weight, and November is no exception. But two of its biggest shows, “Slow Horses” and “Dark Matter,” recently wrapped their latest seasons, leaving a noticeable hole in the lineup. There are still reasons to stick around, but this could be a good moment to rotate Apple TV out and put that monthly fee toward the holiday season instead.
Some noteworthy November titles include “Stick” season 2 (returning Nov. 4), which brings Owen Wilson back as washed-up golfer Pryce Cahill.
Then comes “12 12 12,” a new crime thriller that turns a high-stakes heist into three different timelines. It arrives Nov. 13, adding another buzzy scripted series to Apple’s library. But like “Stick,” it’s a weekly watch rather than an instant binge, which makes it easier to wait until next month.
The month’s other big draw is “Way of the Warrior Kid,” a family adventure starring Chris Pratt as a decorated Navy SEAL who returns home to help his nephew, a bullied middle-schooler struggling to find his confidence. Based on the bestselling book by Jocko Willink, it’s an underdog story about resilience, discipline and learning to stand up for yourself. The movie drops on Nov. 25, another latecomer that can easily wait a week to be watched.
So why cancel? While Apple TV’s November lineup is good, none of it is “clear my schedule” binge-watching fodder. Their series air weekly, so both “Stick” and “12 12 12” will still be going into December. Practice a bit of patience and think of how much you’ll have to watch next month.
How much you’ll save by canceling Prime Video and Apple TV
The amount you’ll save by canceling both streaming services depends on how you subscribe to Prime Video. If you get it through an Amazon Prime membership ($14.99/month, $139/year), you’ll need to weigh the streaming benefits against the other perks, including free shipping. But if you pay for Prime Video as a standalone subscription ($8.99/month), canceling is a much simpler way to trim your bill.
Apple TV has a single monthly subscription tier, now priced at $14.99. A standalone Prime Video subscription costs $8.99 with ads, or $13.98 with the $4.99 Prime Video Ultra add-on for ad-free viewing. That means canceling both standalone subscriptions could save you nearly $30.
I know — that doesn’t seem like a fortune, but the savings add up when you rotate streaming services throughout the year. Skip a few months here and there, and you could save hundreds without giving up the shows and movies you want to watch. A bit of extra cash can only help when Black Friday deals roll around.
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