Subscription maths now decides what many of us read, share and trust each day.
The Financial Times has rolled out a limited-time price drop that changes that equation. Standard Digital falls to €319 for the first year, a 40% reduction against a listed €540, with the offer due to end on 29 October. A €1, four‑week trial sits at the entry point, while Premium Digital remains €69 a month, and a Print + Premium bundle is cut to €659 for year one.
What has changed
The headline is the Standard Digital cut, pitched at readers who want full site access without the premium extras. The discount trims €221 from the “monthly annualised” sticker price and brings the monthly equivalent to roughly €26.60 during the first year.
The Standard Digital plan drops to €319 for year one, a 40% saving against the usual €540, ending 29 October.
Premium Digital stays at €69 per month, with an option to prepay a year for a 20% discount. For readers who favour weekends in print, the Print + Premium bundle is priced at €659 for the first year, down from €725.
Newcomers can start with a €1, four‑week trial, then move to €69 per month unless they switch or cancel in time.
Key prices at a glance
| Plan | Headline price | First‑year cost | Approx. monthly equivalent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Digital | 40% off | €319 | €26.60 | Offer ends 29 October; compared with €540 “monthly annualised” list |
| Premium Digital | €69 per month | €828 if paid monthly | €69 | About €662 if prepaid for a year with 20% off |
| Print + Premium | Cut for year one | €659 | €54.90 | Was €725; includes Weekend print and full digital access |
What you get with each tier
Across the tiers, readers gain reporting and analysis, apps, and ways to tailor the feed. Premium layers on expert columns and extra editions.
- Global coverage with daily and long‑form analysis.
- FT app on Android and iOS for reading on the move.
- First FT morning briefing with the day’s biggest stories.
- 20+ curated newsletters to follow specific beats and sectors.
- Topic follows and alerts via myFT to track names, markets and themes.
- Video explainers and podcasts for commute‑friendly updates.
- Gift articles to share: 10 per month on Standard, 20 on Premium.
- Premium extras: the Lex investment column, 15+ expert newsletters, and the FT Digital Edition.
Why this matters now
Households are pruning subscriptions. Publishers are adjusting prices to keep readers paying for verified reporting, while also tempting new sign‑ups with clearer value and lower entry points. A time‑limited cut creates urgency, but it also lets readers test a routine at a lower run‑rate before prices revert.
More than one million people already pay for FT coverage, signalling steady demand for trusted business and policy reporting.
The package also leans into habits formed on phones. Apps, alerts and short audio pieces help busy readers fit analysis around working days, not the other way round. The Premium tier targets professionals who need market moves, boardroom shifts and policy detail before markets open.
Who should pick which plan
Casual but curious
Pick Standard Digital on the deal if you read several times a week, want fewer paywall surprises, and value the app. The gift articles let you share a piece with friends or colleagues without sending a screenshot.
Markets‑minded and time‑pressed
Choose Premium if you rely on the Lex column, expert newsletters and the Digital Edition to brief you before calls. Prepaying trims roughly €166 from a full year versus rolling monthly, which narrows the gap with Standard.
Weekend print loyalists
The Print + Premium bundle suits readers who like a slower weekend read but still need weekday digital access. At €659 for the first year, the monthly equivalent sits near €55, under the €69 monthly Premium rate once you account for print value.
The small print that saves money
- Set a calendar reminder a week before the €1 trial ends if you plan to switch or cancel.
- Check whether prices include VAT in your country; final bills can shift by location.
- Audit overlapping subscriptions. If newsletters duplicate what you read elsewhere, trim the redundancies.
- Use myFT alerts to track specific companies or sectors and avoid doomscrolling.
- Share gift articles wisely. Use them for long‑reads colleagues can act on, not headlines they saw elsewhere.
How the savings stack up
Two quick scenarios show the gap these deals create.
- If you move from paying €69 monthly for a year (€828) to the discounted Standard price of €319, you keep about €509 over 12 months.
- If you were eyeing Premium anyway, prepaying for a year drops the annual outlay to roughly €662, a cut of about €166 versus rolling monthly.
The Standard discount keeps around €221 in your pocket versus the listed €540, while Premium prepay trims about €166 across a year.
What changes day to day
Access matters most when news breaks after the bell. Earnings, court filings and policy speeches often land outside office hours. With a paid plan, you can read the full piece, save it to the app, and set alerts for follow‑ups. That routine beats chasing reposted snippets with missing context.
Newsletters help too, but less can be more. Start with the morning briefing and one specialist newsletter. Add others only if they drive decisions you need to take that week. Otherwise inbox fatigue sets in and value leaks away.
For teams and organisations
Multi‑reader options exist for organisations that need shared access and extra features. Central billing, user management and premium newsletters can reduce shadow subscriptions across a team. If three or more staffers file expenses for news, a pooled plan often pays for itself inside a quarter.
A quick method to choose
Try this simple test. Add up how many FT pieces you read in a typical week and why they mattered. If the answer is under five and mostly general interest, Standard on the discount is likely enough. If your answers involve pitches, trades or regulatory calls, Premium’s extras make sense, especially on the annual prepay.
Think about long‑term rhythm. Reading on the app during commutes, using alerts for key tickers, and setting aside one slot each weekend for a longer piece turns a subscription into a habit that earns its keep.
Risks and safeguards
Forgetting to cancel trials, over‑collecting newsletters and paying monthly when you could prepay are the common pitfalls. Safeguards are simple: calendar reminders, a quarterly audit of your inbox, and a cost check before renewal. If your workload changes, switch tiers rather than let unused features drain your budget.
Finally a sensible price—€319 for full access is close to what I actually use. I can live without Lex, but the app + alerts are the selling point for me.