Raising the price of a service already being used is riskier than setting a higher price for new customers. The techniques used to manage that risk are consistent across the industry.
Existing subscribers react to change, not to level
A customer paying a given amount has accepted it, and the amount has stopped being a decision. Changing it reopens the question.
That reconsideration is the danger, because a subscriber reassessing value may conclude they were not using the service much.
Providers therefore look for ways to increase revenue without presenting the subscriber with an obvious moment of decision.
The same increase applied to a new customer costs nothing in cancellations, which is why prices for newcomers usually move first and by more.
Grandfathering delays the reaction
New prices frequently apply to new customers first, with existing members held at their old rate for a period.
This avoids an immediate wave of cancellations and lets the provider observe how the higher price performs before extending it.
The protected rate is normally temporary, and long-standing subscribers are moved across later in stages small enough not to trigger mass departure.
Tier restructuring hides the increase
Rather than raising a price directly, providers reorganise tiers, moving a feature from a lower plan to a higher one.
The subscriber's price may be unchanged, but keeping the same capability now requires an upgrade, which is an increase in a different form.
Because the presentation is a new range of options rather than a price rise, it draws considerably less resistance.
Advertising-supported tiers reset the entry price
Introducing a cheaper tier funded by advertising gives price-sensitive subscribers somewhere to go instead of cancelling.
It also makes the existing plan look like a premium choice rather than the standard one, which supports raising it.
The revenue per subscriber on the cheaper tier can approach the more expensive one once advertising income is counted.
Where that holds, a subscriber moving down a tier costs the provider very little, which is why such tiers are promoted during cancellation attempts.
Notice requirements vary by jurisdiction
Many places require advance notice of a price change and, in some cases, an explicit opportunity to cancel without penalty, but the rules differ by country and change over time.
Notices are commonly sent by email and worded neutrally, which means they are easily missed among routine service messages.
Reviewing recurring charges periodically is a more reliable safeguard than relying on a notification that was not designed to be noticed.