The hard lessons of lifetime subscriptions

One-time payments with forever benefits are attractive to consumers looking to escape the sea of endless subscriptions, from streaming services to food delivery. ’Til-death-do-us-part deals are catching on in software and other digital services, like language-learning program Babbel and video-sharing platform Nebula, where $599 and $300, respectively, buy a lifetime.

Use the subscription long enough, the thinking goes, and you’ll eventually enjoy the product or service for free.

But a lifetime isn’t always as long as you think, and beyond the simple math of how many years it takes to come out ahead on the deal, there’s fine print. The terms can translate to less value than you might have expected. Companies can change benefits after you sign up. And some memberships get discontinued.

“You have to be a very savvy consumer to sign up for something like this, if you’re going to get your money’s worth," said Sally Greenberg, executive director of the advocacy group National Consumers League.

Jason Walker bought a lifetime subscription to Rolling Stone magazine in 2004 for $99, when he was 18. Most of the 400-plus print issues he’s received sit on his basement shelves. Rolling Stone today charges $59.88 for a year’s print subscription, meaning Walker has long since earned his money’s worth.

In May, Rolling Stone announced it was switching lifetime subscriptions from print to digital-only. Walker was annoyed.

He said a lifetime subscription might not be worth it to him again: “I don’t know if there’s anything I really want that bad."

Rolling Stone and its owner, Penske Media, didn’t reply to requests for comment. The magazine’s terms say it can change the format and number of issues distributed to subscribers.

Deal of a lifetime

The one-time expense of a lifetime subscription is equivalent to a certain number of monthly or yearly payments. Once you surpass that amount of time, the value kicks in.

Companies such as language-learning platform Rosetta Stone and streaming platform Plex offer them for various reasons. Those can include marketing, building customer loyalty and seeking to immediately boost revenue.

Language-software provider Babbel costs $17.95 a month. For users that upgrade to a more expensive subscription, the most popular pick is the lifetime membership, said Julie Hansen, Babbel’s chief revenue officer. It sells for $599, which equates to almost three years of paying the monthly subscription.

Lifetime deals can sometimes prove too costly for businesses.

American Airlines once sold lifetime access to its swanky Admirals Club lounges. The program was discontinued, but American honors the contract for people who bought it.

Another lifetime pass, launched in 1981 at a price of $250,000, promised unlimited first-class flights and lounge access. The airline stopped selling the AAirpass as travelers racked up the miles.

The fine print

In some deals, a lifelong benefit may not actually mean a buyer’s entire life.

Defining a lifetime was at the heart of a class-action lawsuit against SiriusXM. The satellite-radio company argued its membership referred to the lifespan of the radio originally used for a subscription, not the life of the listener. The deal cost between $357 and $755, according to court documents.

A 2020 settlement gave around 900,000 customers a lifetime subscription regardless of device. The subscribers have to pay $35 to transfer their account to new devices.

SiriusXM no longer offers new lifetime memberships. It didn’t respond to requests for comment.

“The problem with these kinds of offers is reading the fine print," said Greenberg, the consumer advocate. “Most of us consumers hear or see a lifetime subscription and we take it at face value."

It’s a good idea to check a company’s definition of lifetime in its terms of service. Babbel, for example, doesn’t let you pass your account onto your heirs—so cross that out of your will.

Lifetime also isn’t all-inclusive. Companies may try to gain revenue from their lifers by upselling other products. The video-streaming service Nebula, which began offering lifetime subscriptions in 2023, said new types of services may be subject to new fees for lifelong members.

End game

Buying lifetime access represents an investment in the future of a business and its products.

It may not pay off because the company could go out of business. If it’s acquired, or makes significant changes in its features, that could also threaten the value of your membership.

Craig Walsh, a 75-year-old from Honolulu, has bought two lifetime passes that are now defunct. One was for Ansett Australia, an airline, which ceased operations more than two decades ago. Another was to the Royal Show, a British agricultural event, which hosted its final show in 2009.

His lifelong pass for American’s Admirals Club, bought about three decades ago, still works.

Walsh said he wouldn’t buy a lifetime subscription now, given his experiences.

“I didn’t know that the lifetime card meant their lifetime," he said. “I thought it meant mine."

Write to Katherine Hamilton at katherine.hamilton@wsj.com