This Google One deal is a calculated insult if you ask me

Just before Christmas, Google dropped a 50% discount on its Google One AI Pro annual plan — a deal that expires today. But while some see this as a holiday gift from the almighty Google, I see it as nothing more than a calculated insult.

There’s a big issue with the deal in question. I take it as a slap in the face from a company I’ve supported for a long time. And looking at the comments on its official X account, I’m far from the only one who now holds a grudge against Google.

Google’s deal has a catch — it’s only available for new users. I have a major issue with that. I am being intentionally excluded, despite being a loyal subscriber for years and having spent over $1,000 on Google One so far. Apparently, that investment means nothing to Google, and frankly, it feels like I’m being taken advantage of for my loyalty.

Treating new users better than those who have been with the company for years is a massive sign of disrespect. It shows exactly how much Google cares about its users: zero. The company is prioritizing user acquisition over user retention, disregarding the fundamental business principle that acquiring a new customer is significantly more expensive than retaining an existing one.

However, Google is no ordinary company, and it knows it. Its strategy is simple: lure users in with promos, get them hooked on the service, entrench them in the ecosystem, and then hike up the price. Google knows that once your Gmail is at capacity and you have terabytes of photos and videos stored in its cloud service, the costs of switching are too high for most people to bear. The technical pain of migrating data to a new provider is a larger hurdle than the financial pain of a price hike. It’s a brilliant business move, but it’s predatory, and it’s exactly why Big Tech feels so soulless.

This isn’t the first time Google has pulled a bad move. I remember when Google Photos was a free service. The company got the entire world to upload their life’s memories, then pulled the rug out and started charging a monthly subscription. I wasn’t happy then, and I’m even less happy now. This business strategy — which borders on blatant price discrimination — is getting me so riled up that I’m seriously looking for an exit. But in an industry full of voltures, moving from one soulless corporation to another hardly feels like a win.

I’m sad to say this isn’t just a Google problem — it’s a standard strategy across almost every sector. Most people don’t seem as bothered by this as I am, which is exactly why companies get away with it. We have become far too tolerant of being treated like an afterthought.

Streaming services offer introductory rates to new users while hiking prices for long-term fans. Online publications slash prices for new readers for an entire year. Even my bank offers new customers significantly higher interest rates on savings accounts, while I’m stuck with the bare minimum despite being a client for over a decade. In my book, this is a loyalty tax we all have to pay, and I’m tired of it.

And don’t even get me started on regional pricing — where users in different countries pay less than half for the exact same digital service. It’s fascinating to me that this level of blatant price discrimination hasn’t been regulated out of existence.

Just once, I’d like to see Google and companies like Netflix and Spotify show some actual respect to their long-term user base. Give us an extra free month, a loyalty discount, or a storage bump. Respect should be a two-way street, but right now, I feel like a loyal customer that the algorithm has forgotten about. And until we stop accepting this as normal business, nothing will change.

That’s my take, but what’s yours? Are you as tired of the loyalty tax as I am, or do you think this is just fair play from Google and other companies? Let me know in the poll above and share your thoughts in more detail in the comments.