How to Watch HBO Max in the UK?

If you are a Harry Potter or a DC fan, you know that rewatching your favourite movies becomes a tradition. So naturally, you want them available at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. But what if they are owned by a streaming platform that isn’t available in your country, such as HBO Max?

Don’t worry. We have your back! Keep reading to find out how to watch HBO Max in the UK.

Five Easy Steps to Watch HBO Max in the UK

Watching HBO Max in the UK is nowhere near an impossible mission. All you would need in order to gain access to your favourite HBO titles is a reliable VPN. 

Here are five quick steps that can get you closer to accessing the streaming platform:

Why Use a VPN to Watch HBO Max in the UK?

Until 2024, there’s a long-term agreement between HBO and Sky Group (Comcast) for broadcasting the majority of HBO’s programming. Sky Group operates Sky Atlantic, which is available in the United Kingdom. 

Last year in March, WarnerMedia confirmed that HBO Max would not launch in the UK before 2025 due to the existing deal with Sky Group.

This leaves us no choice but to look for ways to get around the geo-restrictions applied by HBO Max. And here’s where VPNs come in.

VPNs are used to establish a secure connection between you and the Internet. The VPN will route all your data traffic through an encrypted virtual tunnel, which in turn disguises your IP address when you are online, making its location invisible. 

Many people use VPNs to watch content that isn’t available in their region. Don’t worry — it’s not illegal to do so. Your VPN will simply allow you to browse the Internet as if you were based in another country.

So let’s see how you can watch HBO Max using a VPN.

How to Use a VPN to Watch HBO Max in the UK?

When you try to access HBO Max from the UK without using a VPN, you will get the following message: 

Your VPN will help you solve this by assigning you a US IP address. You will easily access HBO Max’s site if you follow the steps above. However, you need to have an existing HBO Max account for this to work. If you don’t have a valid subscription, we will go over how to get an HBO Max subscription in the UK shortly. 

The following are HBO Max supported devices:

Now let’s go over the best VPNs for HBO Max.

What Is the Most Reliable VPN in the UK for Watching HBO Max?

If you’re having doubts about which VPN to choose for watching HBO Max, we got you covered. Our recommendations are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark. We’ll do a short review for each to help you make a better-informed decision.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN offers:

ExpressVPN is a robust provider that’s fast, secure, and easy to use. It can help you unblock just about anything ranging from Netflix to HBO Max, and it also supports torrents. It is on the pricey side, but without a doubt, it will get you your money’s worth. 

You can get ExpressVPN’s most popular annual plan for £5.07/month and get three months free. Its monthly subscription comes as high as £9.85/month. However, if you want to test out the service before committing, the 30-day money-back guarantee is at your service.

NordVPN

For our second option, we present to you NordVPN:

With strong torrent support and plenty of smart features to keep you safe and anonymous online, NordVPN is a great choice when it comes to a reliable VPN provider. It offers a significantly larger number of servers than ExpressVPN, and it can be used on up to six devices simultaneously. 

NordVPN’s cheapest plan is its two-year subscription — £2.89/month, while its annual plan costs £3.59/month. The most expensive option is the monthly subscription — £8.79. NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee as well.

Surfshark

Finally, Surfshark — a budget-friendly option that offers:

Surfshark has one of the best value introductory deals around. And the best part is — no device limits. 

Surfshark transforms all VPN traffic into regular HTTPS traffic, allowing you to pass as a normal subscriber of the streaming platform. 

With the Surfshark two-year subscription, you save up to 81%, which means that you will be paying only £1.84/month. Unfortunately, Surfshark doesn’t offer a yearly subscription, and its monthly plan costs £9.57. However, if you are ready to commit, the two-year plan will save you a lot of money.

Two Ways to Subscribe to HBO Max in the UK

If you don’t have a valid HBO Max account, there are two options to consider — creating a new account using an American credit card or a gift card. Here’s how to do it:

Using an American Credit Card

Suppose you have a credit card issued in the United States or know someone US-bound who wouldn’t mind sharing their credit card info with you. In that case, it is relatively easy to create a new HBO Max account. Just use your VPN and select a US-based server before proceeding to HBO’s site and starting the registration process.

The detailed steps are the following:

Using a Gift Card

If you can’t get a hold of a US credit card, you can try subscribing to HBO Max with a gift card.

HBO Max Subscription 

How much is HBO Max in the UK? 

HBO Max offers two types of subscription plans — with and without ads, starting from £7.56/month and £11.34/month, respectively. 

With Ads

If you’re on a budget and on the lookout for a more pocket-friendly alternative, opt for the plan that comes with ads. You’ll pay £7.56/month, and you’ll get 4 minutes worth of ads for every hour you watch. 

If this ends up being your pick, you have two options:

Without Ads

Choosing the premium version will grant you a couple more benefits along with the ad-free service. First, you will be able to download any movie or TV show and watch it offline. Next, you can catch up on all Warner Bros movies the same day they hit the theatres, and finally, you’ll get a few selected titles to watch in 4K UHD.

This subscription plan also comes in two tiers:

Wrap Up

Today, our task was to answer the question: “How to watch HBO Max in the UK?” and half of that answer lies in choosing a good VPN. If you have an existing HBO Max account, a reliable VPN will help you watch your favourite new HBO shows in no time.

However, if you have yet to subscribe to HBO Max, following our detailed steps in this article will give you all the information you need to successfully create a new HBO Max account and enjoy this streaming platform.