Some people know this, others don’t. You can negotiate your monthly bills, especially your cable & internet bill. It just requires some time on your part. For people who are nervous about having this sort of conversation, you’ll need some courage too.

When you first sign on with any provider, frequently there’s a sign on “discount” rate for a set amount of months. Often, it’s a set price for 12 or 24 months. Most people after that time completes, let the bill rise without giving it any thought and continue paying it. That’s free money for them!!!!

When you have options of service providers, you have a lot of negotiating power. All these companies have sign-on discounts that will likely lower how much you’re paying monthly. You can ask your provider if they are willing to apply the new customer price to your account. If they say no, you cancel and go with another provider and get their sign-on discount. So simple!!!!

I, unfortunately, am limited to one internet service provider (ISP) in my building but even that didn’t stop my household from saving. Let’s take a look.

My husband called our ISP and told them he wanted to go with another service provider. At first, they were going to offer a milder discount where our bill was going to be $55/month. My husband declined. Their answer: they applied a $50 discount to the bill making it $38/month. (The reason it went down by $30 is that the service itself went up by $20).

Now the service has gone up again by $25.04. Consequently, my bill is $10 more as of February 2020. It is still the most cost-effective service my ISP has for the speed I have become accustomed to. Still, I might start shopping again. Who knows when another ISP will be available in my building?

To-Do List

• Make a list of ISPs available to you in your area. You’ll want the details of the features that matter to do, like speed and price. Keep the list in a cloud document so you don’t lose it and can always refer back to it.
• If you don’t want to negotiate, there are bots that can do it, like Facebook’s Trim. Automates the process and takes your mind out of it.
• Don’t rent a modem from your ISP if you can help it. Buy one compatible with most of the providers out there and you’ll never have to pay a rental fee again (ours is Netgear).
• Take the money you save and pay down debt or build your savings. Savings are great to have, especially in a market like what we’re experiencing today with COVID-19.

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