The Internet has quickly turned into a must-have piece of technology and having a blazing fast internet connection can cost you a lot. The need for a good connection at home has become even more essential than ever with growing work from culture. Unfortunately, a good internet connection doesn’t come cheap, while we can’t help you to diminish your bill completely, we can however help you save money. Here are some of the best ways to lower their internet bill without making huge sacrifices.
1. Buy Instead of Rent
One of the most obvious ways to save money on the internet is by buying your equipment instead of renting. While internet providers don’t advertise it, most of them will allow you to buy your own equipment instead of renting it from them. Renting a modem/router often costs around $10-$15/mo. That adds up to $180/yr. buying your own equipment can help you save around $200 per year based on your internet provider. A normal router costs around $50-$100, even if you cut out the extra costs, you can still save more than $100 per year.
2. Bundle Your Internet Service
If you have a cable service along with internet service, you should plan to bundle them together to save money. Bundling an internet and TV service can save you somewhere between $5 and $40/mo. Saving this much amount can make a huge difference while you are thinking of reducing internet bill.
If you wish to save even more money each month, then you can reduce your cable TV service to a more basic package. You can even dump your internet service altogether for a streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. Cable TV can be extremely expensive and there may be more opportunities to save money on internet bills by cutting down your Cable TV service.
3. Determine Your Ideal Required Speed
Most consumers end up paying extra because they don’t actually know how much speed they actually need for their homes. One of the best ways to save money on internet bills is by knowing your ideal internet speed. It can be easy to think you need faster speeds than you actually do when internet providers offer speeds up to 1 GBPS. In reality, limited households need speeds over 200 Mbps and most can survive under 100 Mbps. If you are working from home then any speed over 100 Mbps will suit you perfectly. If you think you can manage with a slower internet connection, you can downgrade your speed to save money on your internet bill.
4. Look Into Switching Providers
If your internet bill is going out of control even after doing every possible thing to cut down internet costs then you need to switch internet providers. While it may sound like a tough task, switching internet providers can potentially save you a lot of money.
The best part is that you can get promotional rates for the first 12 or 18 months with your new internet provider. You also may be able to find an internet service provider that offers lower rates by signing up for a long-term. You can save money on internet bills by doing all of these:
- Ordering Online: Most providers offer discounts or waive off certain fees, such as the internet installation cost, or activation fee when you order your services online.
- Switching To Fiber Internet: If fiber optic internet is available in your area, then you can get fewer speeds than you are getting now and still work smoothly. It can also help you in saving money on internet bills.
- Choosing a Long-Term Contract: Every single internet service provider that you will come across offers discounts for customers who sign up for long-term contracts. If you have no problems entering into a two-year contract then you will save money.
5. Negotiate Your Internet Bill
Before you go ahead and switch internet service providers, you can try and negotiate your internet bill with your current ISP. Negotiating costs can be a really tough, long, and annoying process, but if you are prepared, it can be fairly straightforward.
Any internet service provider wouldn’t want to lose their customers for a few bucks. It’s in their best interest to lower your internet bill to keep you as a customer. Here’s all you need to know before you start negotiating internet bills with your ISP for reducing internet bills:
- Don’t Bluff: If you tell your current internet service provider that you’re looking to switch providers to save money, make sure you already have an option in your mind. Do research in your area and find out which internet providers offer what costs and if you can save money by switching. If your current provider won’t lower your internet bill, then you will have better options in your area.
- Know Your Customer Information: The best way to prepare for negotiating with your internet provider is to know as much information about your monthly bills and other customer information. Here is all the detail you should have at hand before negotiating your internet bill.
- How much you pay each month
- How many charges do you have on your internet bill?
- Any problems you have had with your internet service or with your provider’s customer service?
- How long you have been a customer?
- How much you are paying now vs. how much when you signed up?
- Be Polite: Last but one of the most important things to remember while negotiating internet bills is to be polite. Keep in mind that you’re speaking with a customer care executive. Being respectful may even push customer care executives to help you a bit more.
6. Reduce Your Internet Speed
If you think you’re paying too much for the internet, then the best possible way to reduce your bill is to get a slower internet plan. Let’s say that you’re paying $65 per month for 1 gig speed, but your only need is streaming content, then you can make do with 100 MBPS easily.
Another easy way to figure out your minimum internet speed is to make a list of your internet activities. Once you have an idea of how much speed you need, all you need to do is reach out to your internet service provider and ask for other low-speed plans.
If your provider claims that your internet experience will go down, that’s just a way for them to sell high-end plans.
7. Shop Around and Compare Internet Costs
If your contract is about to be over soon, then this is the right time for you to do some shopping and find a better internet plan.
You’ll often find that most ISPs offer lower introductory rates to newer customers. And if you can get a price lock guarantee such as Viasat, or Suddenlink you can get even lower prices.
There’s a simple and easy way to find and choose cheaper internet plans, that is to call our internet experts: +1 (855) 352-5313.
8. Cancel Your Cell Phone Plan
This tip to lower your internet bill may not work for everyone. But once you take a look at the monthly cost of unlimited phone plans most people would want to follow it. Most of us don’t use the “unlimited” data offered by companies like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. And the important thing to remember is that these plans aren’t exactly unlimited. They slow down after you consume a specific amount of data.
The best part is to check how much cellular data you consumed in the previous month and then choose a plan accordingly. You’ll be able to save at least $10-$20 per month by switching from unlimited phone plans.
9. Always Ask About Discounts and Promotions
Another way to reduce your monthly internet bill is by asking for discounts. You can get discounts by ordering your service online. Most of the time, an ISP will waive the installation or activation fee.
If you don’t have internet access right now, then you can try to negotiate and get a discount on the phone. And if there’s a holiday coming up, then you can wait till then and then order the internet services.
10. Search for Subsidies
If your family is enrolled in any federal assistance program, then you may qualify for low-priced internet service. These programs can include:
- National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
- Community Eligibility Provision of the National School Lunch Program (CEP of the NSLP)
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- Public Housing (HUD)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Pell Grant
- Senior and/or Veteran Government Assistance
Final Take: Tips for Reducing Internet Bill
Saving money on internet bills can be tricky. Now that you know how to save money on internet bills, all you have to do is follow all the steps listed above. As long as you want to save money, you will find a way to make the above steps successful.