YouTube Premium US Subscription: the Complete Guide — Signing Up from China + Family Plan
The complete YouTube Premium US subscription guide, including YouTube Music and Family plan setup.
YouTube Premium unlocks: no ads + background play + offline downloads + YouTube Music Premium. For Chinese users the core pain point is no ads (skipping the 30-60 second pre-roll ads + mid-roll ads). This tutorial walks you through subscribing to US-region YouTube Premium end to end, and weighs the viability of “cheap region” subscriptions.
1. YouTube Premium Plan Comparison
| Plan | US monthly price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | $13.99 | No ads + background + downloads + Music Premium |
| Student | $7.99 | Requires SheerID verification (US .edu) |
| Family | $22.99 | Up to 5 family members |
Family split across 6 people works out to ~$3.83/month each — the best value. But Google Family Sharing must be set up correctly.
2. Prerequisites Before Subscribing
- A Google account (Gmail is fine; an existing account works)
- Google account country set to the United States: switch at myaccount.google.com → Personal info → Country. Switching has a 1-year cooldown!
- A US BIN virtual card: we recommend the RDVCC US card
- A US billing address: Google strictly checks that the ZIP matches the state
3. 5-Step Subscription Flow
- Step 1: Switch your Google account to the US
myaccount.google.com → Personal info → Country or region → change to United States. Note: region switching has a 1-year cooldown — the newly chosen country cannot be changed again within a year. Tip: use a dedicated US-region Gmail for all your US services, separate from your daily Gmail.
- Step 2: Confirm YouTube shows the US region
Open youtube.com; in the bottom-left, Settings → Privacy → Country should show United States. If another country shows, refresh or log in again.
- Step 3: Subscribe to Premium
Open youtube.com/premium → Try it free ($13.99/month, first month free) → choose Individual.
- Step 4: Bind the card + US billing address
Google uses its own payment system (not Stripe). Enter the RDVCC US card number / expiry / CVV. Use a US billing address; Google will run a $0 pre-authorization to verify the card.
- Step 5: Free trial activated
Subscription complete — the 1st month is a free trial. On day 30 it auto-charges $13.99. If you do not want to convert to monthly billing, cancel manually before day 28 of the trial.
4. Cheap Regions vs the US Region
YouTube Premium prices vary hugely across countries. A “cheap region” subscription saves money but carries risk:
| Country | Monthly price | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $13.99 | Most stable, no ban risk |
| Argentina / Türkiye | ~$2-3 | High (Google cracks down on region fraud; bans possible) |
| India | ~$1.5 | Same as above + requires an Indian credit card |
We recommend the US region. A cheap region saves $130 a year, but Google periodically purges accounts; if region fraud is detected, the subscription gets cancelled + the whole plan unwound + other Google services may be affected. The stability of the RDVCC US card far outweighs these cheap-region schemes.
5. Family Plan
The Family plan is $22.99/month and can add 5 people. But it requires Google Family Sharing setup:
- The family manager (you) creates a family group at families.google.com
- Invite family members by Gmail (members must accept the invitation)
- All members should have the same Google account country (a US family group takes US-region members only)
- Address verification: Google occasionally asks to confirm members live at the same address
Google Family Sharing address checks are laxer than Netflix / Spotify, but rapid hops between locations (frequent US / China / Japan IP switches) can still trigger a review.
FAQ
Q: After subscribing to YouTube Premium, is YouTube Music free too?
Yes. Premium includes YouTube Music Premium — ad-free listening / offline downloads. YouTube Music alone costs $10.99/month, so buying Premium = video + music memberships in one.
Q: Can I use it in mainland China after subscribing?
YouTube is not directly accessible in mainland China; you need a stable overseas connection. The subscription is valid globally — as long as you are logged in to your Google account, Premium applies.
Q: If I am still in the 1-year cooldown after a region switch, how do I subscribe to YouTube from China?
YouTube has no official Premium in China. If you cannot switch to the US region (cooldown in effect), you can only wait out the year or use a new Gmail. The domestic “YouTube international version” is not a Premium equivalent.
Q: How do I cancel the subscription?
youtube.com/paid_memberships → Manage membership → Cancel. The current month is not refunded; cancelling during the trial costs nothing.
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