Netflix doubles fee for Blu-ray rentals, even higher for multi-disc plans

We thought that Netflix $1/month extra fee to rent Blu-ray discs was too good to be true, and now we find out, yes, indeed it was. The company has doubled the monthly tariff tacked onto its membership fee for Blu-ray rentals, which is now $2 a month for the cheapest plan.

So now, for the one-disc-at-a-time plan, instead of $8.99 a month plus that $1 fee for a total of $9.99, it’s $10.99 for the Netflix service with Blu-ray. Even so, we think it’s still a bargain, a far cry from the price gouging that’s going on in the Blu-ray sales market. Here’s Netflix’s explanation, received in an email this afternoon.

“The number of Blu-ray titles has increased significantly and will continue to do so. As we buy more, you are able to choose from a rapidly expanding selection of Blu-ray titles. And as you’ve probably heard, Blu-ray discs are substantially more expensive than standard definition DVDs. As a result, the monthly charge for Blu-ray access is increasing for most plans and will now vary by plan. The charge for monthly Blu-ray access on your 1 DVD at-a-time (Unlimited) plan will increase from $1 a month to $2 a month. The price of your 1 DVD at-a-time (Unlimited) plan is not changing and remains at $8.99 a month.”

Plans with more discs at a time will go up even higher — for example, to $5/month with the 4-at-a-time plan. Lame, but we forgive you, Netflix. Besides checking out HD discs from the library or stealing content via BitTorrent, this is the best deal in 1080p movies today.