I’ve been paying via iTunes billing for years as the occasional discount on iTunes gift cards makes it cheaper than signing up directly via Netflix.
I’ll keep doing this until Netflix force me to switch, although the gift card discounts in the U.K. have been poor for the last year or so.
All of this Apple hate is weird. As a consumer, I LOVED the fact that I could switch to iTunes billing as then - as mentioned - I could take advantage of periodic 20% discount on iTunes credit. So - this was a good deal for me personally, and I'll keep doing it as long as I can.
Netflix gift cards go on sale about as often as iTunes gift cards. Even better, every so often a popular device will be bundled with Netflix as a promotional deal. Tons of those promotional gift cards usually end up on ebay. A few years back, I loaded up on those promotional cards and ended up with something like $600+ worth of Netflix credit for about $100-150 (I forget the details now, it had to do with a year of Netflix being bundled with some Samsung smartphones). That credit has only recently run out.
You should care because you're literally paying for it. Netlfix isn't paying that 30% cut, you are.I could care less about what kind of agreement Apple and Netflix have between them. Don't care. Netflix does not have a sustainable business model with or without Apple's cut.
If Netflix charges $11/month but only receives $7.70 due to Apple's cut, that means Netflix could charge $7.70 and you would still get the exact same service from Netflix. Netflix isn't paying that difference - you are. Maybe if Apple had fairer structures for subscriptions, Netflix wouldn't have increased their prices in 2017. Maybe if Apple makes fairer structures for subscriptions this year going forward, Netflix will be able to delay their next price increase.
Personally I always try to cut out the middle man. I'd rather my $11 all go to source than having some go to source and some go to middlemen. That's why whenever feasible I prefer to buy my beer directly from the brewery, my car directly from the manufacturer, and my streaming services directly from the provider. The cut that alcohol distributors, car dealerships, and app-store proprietors take is way out of proportion to value they add.