There are many things we can sacrifice in order to save some extra money. New clothes, cable TV, and eating out at restaurants often frequent this list. But one of the expenses that’s always controversial is internet access. Most of us don’t count it as a need, yet it’s very important for doing every day things.
Our family is one of those who feels that internet access is a bill we need to pay. Here’s how we save over $30 a month on our internet bill.
Don’t Get the Package Deal
We are constantly bombarded by promotions and offers from our Internet company claiming we will, “Save $50” or “Earn $150 gift card” by bundling. The problem with these bundle deals is that they’re just a waste of money. All we need is access to the internet, since we don’t want cable or a landline.
It is tempting to want to get the package deal, especially if you’re only paying $20-30 extra a month to add on cable TV. However, if you already use a streaming service, like Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon Prime for shows, then adding cable TV really doesn’t make sense.
While it may only be an extra $20-30 per month, that adds up to $240-360 per year. I don’t know about you, but I would rather forgo cable TV for a year and spend the day at the spa for that kind of money.
Call and Ask for Discounts
My husband and I used AT&T U-verse for internet for almost three years. For most of that time, we had the fastest internet speed available for $35 or less each month. My husband would call in each time he knew our promotional price was ending and ask for a new promotion. I was amazed at how often we qualified for a six-month price promotion.
Just recently, they said they could not offer any new promotions. My husband told them he would switch to Time Warner Cable for internet then, since their rates were better. AT&T still did not budge, so now we are enjoying the promotional discount from Time Warner Cable. After our year-long contract and promotional pricing is finished with Time Warner, my husband will call again for a new promotion or switch back to AT&T if they offer a new promotion.
The internet package we have has always been priced at about $65 per month without the discounts. Just by calling in for promotions and switching companies, we have saved on average $30 a month for three years. That adds up to $1,080!
Share Your Complaint
If you have a valid complaint about their service, then let it be known. When we first signed up with AT&T, we were told our contract and services would move over very easily when we moved to a different home. However, when we actually called in to set our moving date, we were told it would take a technician two weeks to come to our new house to set up the internet.
I had a newborn, several freelance assignments to get done, and no internet for two weeks. You better believe I was not going to pay the full price of internet that month. When my husband explained the situation to customer service, (emphasizing the newborn baby card), they were happy to give us a month free.
Save Money on Your Internet Bill
These are just three ways that my family has saved on internet bills. There are many individuals who live in places that do not have a lot of internet options. I should know since I used to live in one.
DSL was not an available option several years ago and Time Warner Cable had a monopoly on most of the city. Thankfully, more and more internet options are becoming available nationwide.
How do you save money on internet costs?
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{ read the comments below or add one }
Ummm, nice clickbait but a little misleading. $1080 over 3 years is not too impressive @$30/mo discount.
I just called both Comcast and Directv and negotiated $30/mo discounts for both, without any arm twisting.
And I don’t know about your neighborhood, but here in California Comcast downloads at 125MB, while AT&T is maxed out at 45MB/second. Not even close.
Great article Ashley! I fully agree that the Package deals are often a rip-off.
For those who are stuck with their provider because of the lack of competitor in their area, I’d like to recommend the http://www.billxperts.com website (not only one of my friends work there but they also saved me almost $30 on my monthly Comcast bill). These guys negotiate with your provider on your behalf and they apparently leverage the volume of customers they have to get some interesting discounts.
It’s tough negioating with cable companies to offer any promotions
At the end of your contract. I guess being Grandfarthered in at times
Really doesn’t matter at times. Most of these cable companies Monoplyed
The system so you don’t have a choice. BrightHouse in Florida was the
Best cable provider I have dealt with. There technology and internet
Is Stella and no other cable company can’t come close to them making
Deal on promotions. I guess you have to try and negiote as possible to
Get the best deal for you.
Two words “google fiber”
I wish I could switch from my current internet provider! I have checked into every company I can find but no one but our current company, HTC, is active in my area. Right now we are paying $180.00 a month for their bundle. The fact that they have no competition in my area means that they currently have the monopoly and I am stuck with no choices. *sigh*