If you’re anything like me, one thing that always stings is paying for subscriptions like Spotify, Netflix, and Amazon Prime every month. And in my eyes, one of the biggest drawbacks of AI tools is how quickly your list of paid services keeps growing.

The worst part? AI subscriptions tend to be expensive. Luckily, users in the US can currently get a 12-month free subscription to one of my favorite AI tools to date, Perplexity. And the best part? You just need to have either of the accounts most people already use to manage their subscriptions.

All you need is a PayPal or Venmo account

Today, PayPal announced a partnership with Perplexity, allowing Venmo and PayPal customers in the US and select global markets to get a 12-month trial of Perplexity Pro, which is typically valued at $200 per year.

With Perplexity Pro, users get access to a wide range of premium features, including 10x as many citations in answers, access to Perplexity Labs, unlimited file and photo uploads, extended access to Perplexity Research, extended access to image generation, limited access to video generation, one subscription for all the latest AI models including GPT-5 and Claude Sonnet 4, and much more. If a free 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription isn't enough to intrigue you (though it should be), this new offer also gives users early access to Perplexity's new Comet AI browser, which launched in July.

If you aren't familiar with Comet, it's Perplexity's AI-powered Chromium-based browser, designed to blend web browsing with real-time AI assistance. With the browser, you can quickly access Perplexity whenever you want without needing to manually search for the website, since the Perplexity AI Assistant resides on the sidebar at all times.

The AI can also perform different tasks for you, like clearing up distracting tabs, browsing the web, finding a flight ticket, grouping all related tabs by content, and more. Comet also integrates directly with services you rely on daily, like Gmail and Google Calendar, so it can perform tasks such as identifying important emails and even replying to them.

Before PayPal announced this offer, only Perplexity Max subscribers and those lucky enough to get off the Comet waitlist were able to try out and use Comet. Another way to get access to the browser was through a referral code from someone who already had Comet, as each existing user could refer up to two additional people. That system wasn’t ideal, because if you didn’t personally know someone with access, there was no way in.

With this new PayPal offer, however, anyone eligible can finally test out Comet without relying on referrals or waiting on the list. PayPal customers can find this new offer directly within PayPal's new subscriptions hub, which is essentially a one-stop destination to view, manage, and discover all their recurring subscriptions in a single place. The subscription hub is available to US customers starting today and will roll out to additional markets later this month.

Starting today, PayPal and Venmo users within the United States can sign up for Perplexity Pro directly in the respective apps. Keep in mind that you won't be eligible for this offer if you've already subscribed to Perplexity Pro (or have before). Each user will also only get one invite per person. The offer is valid through December 31, 2025.

PayPal explains that global customers in select markets will also be able to activate this offer through different marketing channels, like email or via the dedicated landing page online.