Best digital subscriptions to gift this holiday season

Adeolu Titus Adekunle

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I hope my loved ones read this article to know I would really appreciate a holiday hamper with my digital subscriptions. Gifting digital subscriptions during this holiday is really thoughtful, especially if your loved ones need them for work or career development. It is an out-of-the-box, practical, diverse, and personal alternative to tangible gifts. This articles walk you through the best digital subscriptions to gift this holiday season and how to choose the best options for your loved ones.

Also read: Best cards for paying subscriptions while travelling

Choosing the best digital subscriptions to gift this holiday season

Digital subscriptions are very diverse, and since most people would need more than one, you need to be able to prioritise which subscription they’d really love. Here are some questions you should answer to choose the best digital subscriptions to gift your loved ones this festive season.

Identify their interests: What are they most passionate about? Learning, reading, gaming, entertainment, or work?
Consider their needs: Which digital tools are they likely to use most in the new year? How long would they need it? Do they have an existing subscription, and when does it expire?
Gifting options: How do I get this digital subscription across to them? Can I use gift cards, gift them directly via their email address, or pay with my card?

Best digital subscriptions to gift this holiday season

Once you have answered these questions, it is easier to choose from the available options. Depending on their interests, here are the best digital subscriptions to gift this holiday season.

Digital learning platforms

If they are big on career advancement, pivoting, or hoping to hone a skill, paying for a subscription to an educational platform can be very supportive of their journey.

MasterClass: offers annual subscription plans that provide unlimited access to a library of over 200 classes taught by experts in various fields. All plans are billed annually, with no monthly payment option. Pricing may vary based on location and ongoing promotions, such as holiday sales, which can offer significant discounts.
- Individual (standard) - Around $120 per year.
- Duo (Plus) - Costs around $180 per year, allows access on two devices simultaneously, and includes video downloads for offline viewing.
- Family (Premium): Costs around $240 per year, allows access on up to six devices simultaneously, and includes video downloads for offline viewing.
Coursera: Has collaborations with nearly 400 leading universities and companies, offering a wide range of educational content and certifications. Coursera Plus provides unlimited access to over 90% of the course catalogue with more than 10,000 courses. It costs around $59 per month ($399), including a 7-day free trial. You can pay a one-time fee or a monthly subscription (starting around $49/month) for a single course or an entire specialisation until you complete all the included courses and earn a certificate.
Skillshare: An online learning community focused primarily on creative skills such as illustration, design, photography, and video. It operates on a subscription model, offering unlimited access to thousands of classes. It's user-friendly for beginners and supports access from multiple devices. Skillshare Premium Membership costs around $32 per month and $167.88 per year (about $13.99 per month), which saves you a lot.

Also read: How to pay for online courses and certifications with Grey

Streaming and entertainment subscriptions

For entertainment lovers, streaming services offer endless content without the need for physical items.

Netflix: This is most people’s go-to for movies and TV shows. It is an endless catalogue of recent and old movies across various genres. There are child-friendly movies, which makes it ideal if you have kids in mind. Subscription costs generally depend on your location. Netflix gift cards make it easy to gift your loved ones access to endless entertainment.
Spotify Premium: Spotify is one of the most affordable music streaming platforms, offers cool features, and is perfect for music enthusiasts. It's easy to gift and compatible with international accounts.
Disney+: This is ideal for families and offers Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar content for about $11 per month. You can even add Hulu bundles for more fun.

Apple Music is a great alternative, and with a YouTube Premium subscription, your loved ones have access to ad-free videos and music.

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Productivity and creative tools

Gifting work tools can be really thoughtful, especially for people who are just starting or your colleagues.

Adobe Creative Cloud: For designers, including Photoshop and Illustrator, from $27 monthly. You can use a virtual USD card, such as Grey’s, to simplify your payments.
Microsoft 365: This includes essential apps like Word and Excel and starts at $8 per month, making it great for students or professionals.
Canva Pro: Makes it simple for anyone, regardless of design experience, to create professional-looking content using a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. Users can get unlimited design templates and stock images for $13 annually. A Canva Pro subscription is a thoughtful gift because it is a versatile tool for social media posts, presentations, branding, photo and video editing, and simple websites or landing pages.
Grammarly Pro: This is a writing assistant that goes beyond basic spelling and grammar checks, offering advanced features to improve clarity, tone, and overall writing quality using a powerful AI engine. It costs around $30 USD per month and around $144 USD annually.
Capcut Pro: This is one of the best video editing platforms right now, with advanced editing tools and an easy interface. It can be a great subscription gift for content creators, marketers, and social media managers.

Also read: 13 essential tools and resources for digital nomads around the world

Managing digital subscription payments with Grey

You can thoughtfully pick out the best digital subscriptions for your loved ones this holiday, and then get frustrated when trying to pay for them. So, if you made it this far and you’re wondering how to gift me digital subscriptions without payment problems, this is where Grey comes in. With virtual USD cards that integrate seamlessly with various platforms, you can manage subscriptions for yourself and your loved ones (like me). Grey offers multi-currency accounts that let you hold USD, EUR, and GBP in one place, giving you more payment options.

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