Flickr, the popular photo-sharing service owned by Yahoo, has given an early Christmas present to all users, offering three months of its Pro service for free. Pro accounts generally cost $24.95 per year and offer a number of advantages, including unlimited uploads, high-resolution downloads and the ability to post in up to 60 separate groups. Users can access the offer by using the link flickr.com/holidaygift — according to an FAQ, even newly-created accounts are eligible to receive the upgrade.

The gift, which comes hot on the heels of a well-received new iPhone app, is likely an attempt to keep existing subscribers happy while shoring up the service's status as the leading alternative to Instagram. A controversial (if ultimately minor) change to Instagram's terms of service earlier this week caused howls of outrage and calls for a mass exodus from the app, a situation which could drive a stream of new users to the aging Flickr, first launched back in 2004.