If you’ve got cable TV or internet, I’m sure you’ve seen your bill creep up over time. After the promotional period expires you’re stuck with whatever the latest price is that they’ve got to offer. You can go out to their website and see all the great deals they have to offer…to new customers only. So what are you to do?
You can try switching services to get a lower deal, but that’s a pain. Below are two ways that I’ve personally used to keep the same services you already have, but at a lower price.
- Look for fees on your monthly cable or internet bill that you can eliminate. Do you see a “modem fee” or some other device fee? When it comes to cable modems, did you know you can sometimes buy the same device that you have in your home for a little more than the monthly fee you’re paying? I’m currently helping a friend drop their $5.99/month modem fee by getting the same model modem on eBay for $8.55 with free shipping. At that rate, you will start saving money in less than 2 months.
- Call your provider and ask for one of the offers they have online. Sounds pretty simple. However, the first person you usually talk to can’t do much, if anything. If their first offer isn’t appealing then ask for something better. You can always say something like “I was really hoping to lower your bill but keep the same services.” Eventually they’ll transfer you to a “customer care associate” or to the “retention department”. At that point, you’re talking to someone who can make the necessary changes and give you a deal. I’ve personally used this method to keep our internet bill at the same rate after the 12 month promotional period. There is usually a month or two where I end up paying the higher rate, but eventually I get it locked back in at the lower rate for another 12 months.
Potential Savings: In the examples above, I’m personally saving $15.99/month by eliminating the modem fee and keeping my internet rate the same. That’s over $190/year. You may be able to do even better than that.
If you have any questions on how to use either of the techniques above, simple leave a comment below or use the contact page to reach out to me. If you’ve found any creative ways of saving money on your cable TV or internet, leave them in the comments as well.
Featured Image courtesy of franky242 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
As an update
As an update, the actual price for the level of internet that I have is actually $57.99 regular price, so we’re actually saving $23 on the service and an additional $5.99 for the modem fee for a total savings of $347.88 a year!