Internet service providers promise you a paradise of ultimate connectivity. “Lag-free, lightning-fast, 100% reliable.” This is how their advertisements run. They do manage to attract a sizeable majority of consumers. However, there’s always a catch to their golden offers, which usually appears at the end of the month on the bill.
If you’re an avid user of the internet and are tired of paying hefty amounts of money for your service plan, then it’s time to do something about it. The following are some of the tried-and-tested tips that you can try this month for reducing your internet costs. Let’s hope they work out for you.
Choose a ‘Basic’ Speed Plan
Quick question: Amongst the apps that sit on your smartphone’s menu, how many do you actually happen to use on a frequent basis? Three to four? Then, why do you allow the rest of the nine apps to run in the background, overburden your phone and eat up your battery power? Just remove the excess load and save your phone’s energy.
Same goes for your internet usage.
You don’t really have to pay for the speed that you don’t need in the first place. ISPs offer internet service in the form of tiers. There’s the basic one, then there’s the mid-level one and finally, we have the premium one. I’d say go for the basics if you wish to use the internet only for streaming your favorite movies and stuff online. A goodly 25 to 40 Mbps will suffice, instead of the high-priced 100 Mbps speed mark. If you’re wondering about the providers that cater to such budget-friendly speeds, then head over to localcabledeals.com/Cox/Internet to get your answer.
Combine Services in a Bundle
You might observe that standalone services are generally priced higher in the market. However, providers often give generous discounts and limited-time promotions when these services are combined in the form of bundles.
This is what you can do here. Instead of getting internet from a new ISP, subscribe to a double/triple play deal with your current ISP and save on each individual service. For instance, an internet connection that’s $49.99 per month, let’s say, might cost you $44.99 when bundled. The goal is to save money, so if you don’t need the extra service, you can just skip this tip.
Negotiate For a Suitable Rate
ISPs are pretty stubborn when it comes to negotiating with them. Instead of downgrading your current deal, they’ll start upselling to you. That’s how trained their customer service agents are. But two can play this game, if you’re strong enough, which I’m sure you are.
Negotiate. And negotiate hard. Don’t leave any stone unturned. Don’t stop until you finally get them to reduce your internet deal’s price.
What’s the best way to do it? Research. Competitor’s prices, promotions, and offers, which can serve as leverage. A polite yet firm tone always works. If you’re not a talker, then you can hire these professional ‘bill negotiators’ like BillFixers to do the negotiating for you for a small fee.
Check Out a Low-Income Plan
Most of the top-ranking ISPs have internet plans for people belonging to under-privileged households. If your income falls below 135% of the federal poverty baseline, then you can easily qualify for a low-priced broadband offer. For instance, Spectrum provides up to 30 Mbps for $14.99 per month to low-income users.
Purchase Your Own Equipment
No, I’m not kidding. I used to rent the modem and the router from the ISP and thought the monthly $25 as a pretty insignificant amount. But when I saw the aggregate cost in retrospect over the year, my jaw literally dropped to the floor. The renting cost went up to a full $300 a year, which was way beyond my means to pay.
That’s when I decided to purchase the $180 something router for myself, as a one-time investment, and I have not regretted the decision AT ALL.
In conclusion, if you’ve been suffering high internet costs for a long time and have had enough, then try the aforementioned tips for relieving your pocket without compromising too much on the service quality.
Article by Nida Shahid, digital marketer at Local Cable Deals. Business graduate, writer, digital marketer, traveler, Interior design enthusiast, and a proud dog parent. She shares her expertise and writes for businesses to improve their rankings on Google. Probably one of the most amazing things about her is her ability to stay relevant. Her work has been posted on multiple blogs and e-zines across the web. Find her on twitter.
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