Lowering Your Internet Bill

A shout out to everyone who agrees that the internet is no longer a luxury. It started being a necessity the moment we decided we were going to study, work, shop, and even watch TV through it. Can I get a hallelujah or something? And this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made things even better for the scope of the internet. Now, we are not opting to use it for everything, we are forced to. It may sound a little dramatic but the internet has helped save our lives in these past months. If this was the pre-internet era, trust me many of us would have contracted COVID-19 just by going out to get groceries. Luckily though, we have pretty much spent the year working, studying, shopping for groceries, and paying all our bills online. A privilege our ancestors did not have. Well, to be fair we have our own problems too, and one of them is the rising internet bills.

It may be the best time for online businesses as the virtual world’s appeal skyrockets. However, the current global situation has also left many without jobs, at least temporarily, and has left several households around the country struggling to make ends meet. Until recently, if we could not afford it we would not get it, but now internet service has become mandatory due to the increased dependency. A few internet service providers have made efforts to ensure every household stays connected, but still many are having a hard time. If you are on the same bandwagon please read on to at least try to save a few bucks each month. It could go a long way. 

Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started. I’m sure you will find it even more by yourself too.

Bundled Packages are the Way to Go

Some may say that bundled packages including cable TV, internet, and home phone services in one offer are a little overrated. But let me tell you those people know nothing about research. Indeed, some of those promotions out there can actually be a rip off instead of saving your hard-earned money, but not all fingers are the same and neither are internet service providers. If you have done your research you will know that there are some amazing internet providers out there with some outstanding packages that will allow you to save up to $40 per month on all your services. This amount will obviously differ according to your internet provider, plan chosen and the number of services included.

What if the provider has an outage, you may be thinking. If you have different providers at least the other services would still work if one has an outage. Does that sound practical? Well, not so much, if you look at the financial aspect. If you subscribe to three different providers for the internet, television, and home phone, that would mean you pay standalone prices for all three. Standalone prices are usually higher than what these services would cost when bundled together. With the current global situation, it is about time we change our way of analyzing things.

Yes, an outage might be a temporary inconvenience but to be honest, it is quite rare to face an outage anyway. The subscription fees, however, are to be paid every month. Now, you do the math. If you want to check out bundled packages from different providers to make the change, do not forget to check out Spectrum packages if Spectrum serves your area. They offer lightning-fast internet speeds, channel lineups for the entertainment freaks, and home phone with unlimited calling for the chatterboxes out there. And all this at very reasonable rates too. However, as I said earlier, you may need to check Spectrum’s coverage before spending time browsing through their packages.

Downgrade Your Service

Raise your hand if you have been talked into buying a higher tier of internet or TV service than you actually needed. Do not be embarrassed, because it happens to a lot more people than are willing to accept. We all are just puppets in the hands of good sales agents. You have to understand that they make their living by taking us into spending more thinking we need what we are paying for. You just can’t win an argument with a seasoned sales agent so cut yourself some slack if you have been tricked into a higher tier than you originally planned for.

However, now that you have realized that the monthly bill is shredding your budget into tiny pieces, it is about time to make that call to the customer service department and move down to something that is lighter on the wallet and is actually a better fit for your needs. Discuss your situation and usage with the representative and get their opinion on a suitable tier but do not get carried away again. Remember what you called for and stick to the plan.

Customer Owned Equipment

We all know that for us to access the internet, TV and phone services there is some equipment required. For the internet it would be a modem and router, for cable TV it would be a cable box, and for phone service, you will need a telephone set. Most of us would not think twice before agreeing to rent the equipment from our service provider. However, have you ever calculated as to how much you pay out in rental fees every year?  If you rent a modem/router for $10/month and a cable box for $10/month that would mean you will pay $240 every year for a device that you still need to return at the end of your service agreement.

These days many internet service providers are allowing their customers to buy their own equipment as long as it is compatible with the service. They will provide you with a list of compatible devices that you can choose from as per your budget. However, keep in mind that your provider may not offer technical support for this equipment. Although, thinking about it, new equipment does not require much technical support anyway.

Conclusion

There are several other such things that you can do to lower your internet bill. These are just to get you started. You can always follow other ideas that ring up in your mind.