We can all agree that the internet had stopped being a luxury and started being a necessity for all of us quite a few years ago. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it truly essential for us. As a result of the pandemic, demand for high-speed and economical internet connections has skyrocketed as it is being used by professionals to work from home and by students to study from home. We are also paying all our bills online and almost everything is being ordered online even if it is groceries.
Indeed, it is the age of the internet and is an amazing time for online businesses. However, the situation has left many households wondering how they will continue to afford the most crucial service of today’s world considering the ever-increasing bills. Previously, only the people who could afford an internet connection would sign up for one and the others just made things work by using public Wi-Fi or sometimes their mobile data.
Things have changed now, and many of us no longer have the luxury to choose if they would like to have an internet connection at their place or not. Therefore, ways to save money on the internet bills has become a widely discussed topic since everyone is going through rough times and would not mind at all if they could save even a few bucks every month.
Therefore, we have put together this article in order to help everyone interested in cutting down on their internet bill. Even a few bucks every month can make a huge difference by the end of the year. So here we go!
4 Tips on How to Save Money on your Internet Bills
Bundle Deals
You may have heard the hype about bundle offers to help you save lots of money. Well, let us assure you that the hype is very real. You can indeed save anything between $15 to $40 (approximately) every month when you bundle your internet, TV and home phone services, depending on the service provider and the specific plan you subscribe to. If you are one of the many who still have all three services from different providers then it is time to make to change.
It may seem practical from the point of view that if one provider faces an outage, at least the other two services go on unaffected, but we live in a different world now and the times call for making some attitude as well as spending habit changes. So go on and bundle your cable, phone, and internet together. If you are unsure, which provider offers the best-bundled plans or are not satisfied by the deals your current provider offers then we would recommend you look into Spectrum bundle deals as they offer a great channel lineup, high internet speed, and unlimited calling at very reasonable rates. You may need to ensure Spectrum’s coverage in your area first to avoid wasting time looking into something that’s not even available at your location.
Lower the Tier
If you are among the league of single service users and feel that bundled offers are not your thing even if they offer a lower bill then you may want to consider downgrading your internet plan. Most of us subscribe to much higher download speeds than we need. Internet providers these days are offering speeds up to 1 Gig, but that does not mean every household in the United States needs it. Unless you are an avid gamer you may never need Gig-speed.
Most users subscribe to a much higher speed than they need just to avoid any inconvenience in the future. However, that is quite impractical because you are essentially paying for something every month that you are not using. It would be a good idea for you to gauge your internet usage and then decide upon a speed that you can downgrade to. For most households in America with average internet usage, a 100 Mbps download speed should be more than enough.
Buy Equipment
For you to access an internet connection at your home, you need a modem and router. These devices were always separate in the past but now even 2-in-1 devices that combine the modem and router in one are available in the market. All internet service providers offer company-owned devices for you to rent for a small monthly rental fee. However small the fee may be, it will add a few bucks to your bill that you can avoid by buying your equipment.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when making the decision though. The first thing would be to check with your provider if they allow users to buy their equipment. If they do, then you need to ask them for a list of compatible devices because if you end up buying equipment that is not compatible with the internet connection you will be in big trouble.
Therefore, if you plan to stay with the provider for a while it will be a good idea to purchase your equipment. It may seem like a big expense at the time of purchase but trust us you will save much more in the end. And when you realize that we will be here to say “You are welcome!”
Negotiate
It may seem obvious but you may be surprised to know how many people think they do not have the option to negotiate their bill with their internet service provider as they had agreed to the contract terms at the time of signing up for the service. Yes, we agree that you probably signed a contract and provided consent for any future increases in bills but that does not mean you can also afford it.
Therefore, if you feel like your current bill amount has exceeded your budget and you are no longer able to afford it, just go ahead and call your provider’s customer service and try to negotiate a discount. Explain your situation to the representative and ask if there is any way they can help you. No provider wants a user to leave so they will surely try to facilitate the people genuine problems. Just be patient and stay calm.
Conclusion
The above tips are among the many that can help you cut down on your internet bill. These are just to get you started. You can always think of other ways to decrease that hefty bill.
