Tired of paying too much for internet and TV? We were, too. While we’ve saved thousands by cutting the cable cord, we still have to deal with the internet companies. Saving money on internet and TV is actually a lot easier than you might think. In this post we’ll share how we reduced our internet bill by $300+ per year in less than 15 minutes, along with some other ideas to help you pay less for internet and TV.
The problem with monopolies
We cut the cord for cable TV about five years ago and have never looked back. Even with the addition of streaming services, this decision alone has saved us thousands. However, we still NEED internet – it’s no longer a WANT in today’s society. With limited options, the cable/internet companies are plenty happy to stick it to you and charge an extraordinary amount for the little bit of bandwidth we use. When we moved to AZ, we were able to take advantage of new customer teaser rates and pay only $36/month.
It shouldn’t have surprised us when that price nearly doubled after the promotional rate to $67/month. Most cable/internet companies will raise your rate anywhere from 50% – 100% after the initial promotional period. Why? Because they can. It dramatically improves their profit margin, so it would be bad business not to try. Although I believe the industry to be a bit predatory in its methods and the rates of increase each year, most people have few (or no) other options.
The cable company is betting that most people to be too busy or lazy to complain or make a change. And it works. It worked on us for a few months as well. I was so mad when the increase came. If it had been just a few bucks, I probably would have ignored it. But our bill was almost double!
Is your time worth $1,200/hour?
By now, most people know that you can usually lower your cable and internet bills by calling the customer service centers and just asking (or threatening to leave). My dad does this regularly and even has a reminder on his calendar to call before his discounts expire.
I had tasked Mr. RFL with this job because, frankly, I wanted lower rates but didn’t want to deal with calling myself. He’s just as busy and introverted as me, so we didn’t actually get around to calling until almost six months after the rate changed. That’s six months where the cable company collected those fat profits from us for the same slow internet.
By then we had both done a significant amount of research on how to get these lower rates. In hindsight, we didn’t really need to. We were ready to threaten termination of our services if needed, though our one alternative would have only saved us $5/month and had just as many negative reviews as our current company. It was easy. All it took was a 15 min call and a friendly request to save $300 over the next year. Our bill went from $67/month to $42/month. That’s 36% saved at an hourly rate of $1,200 (which is way more than our jobs pay). Sometimes the savings aren’t work the effort, but in this case, it is absolutely worth a try.
You can get better discounts (though not cheaper prices) if you have TV or phone bundles. The company has more to lose if you switch providers. I was surprised how easy it was to save money even on the most basic tier of service. Maybe they see the potential to sell us future services. But either way, WORTH IT!
Consider these tips if you want to pay less for internet and TV
We recommend everyone take 15 minutes to call their current providers and ask to pay less for internet and TV. This is a no-lose scenario that only takes a few minutes of your time. Here are some other tips to help you pay less for internet and cable.
1. Know your options
When it comes to cable and internet companies, research the providers serving your area. Though there are often monopolies, you may have at least one viable alternative in your area. Research the various packages and pricing of the providers so that you can choose the best option for you or use that information in negotiating with your current provider for a lower price (see above).
2. Start with the lowest internet speed you might need
We are easily convinced that we need the highest internet speed that we can afford or that is offered, but these plans come at premium prices and most people don’t actually need them.
When we were setting up internet in our new home, Mr. RFL and I debated which internet speed to get. He was convinced we needed the faster speeds that were $60 – $100 per month. I disagreed and insisted on the 30MB plan that was only $36 per month. We agreed to try my plan with the promise that we could upgrade, if needed.
I had researched the speed requirements based on the number of devices in our home and need for a speed fast enough for streaming videos, but not gaming. There are several sites online where you can check these requirements for your own household. While we had occasional issues, the plan worked for us. I’m also not convinced that the mild issues experienced were related to the speed rather than a temporary drop of service. The plan was automatically updated at no cost to 50MB when the pandemic hit, and we haven’t noticed any issues since.
Takeaway – TRY the lowest speed plan you think you’ll need. It’s the best way to save money, and you’ll never know how little you need if you don’t try. The internet companies will GLADLY upgrade your plan to a faster speed later on if you find that it’s just a bit too slow for your needs, and with a healthy promotional rate.
3. Just cut the cord, already!
If you haven’t done this yet, what are you waiting for?! I know it’s scary, but there are so many free and cheap streaming options now which let you tailor your package to exactly what you need. Make a list of the shows you can’t live without and then check what streaming options carry them. And remember, your cable company will take you back with open arms should the experiment not work for you.
We cut the cord in 2015 and don’t regret the decision at all. While we’ve tried several streaming services over the past five years, Hulu and Netflix were the ones we retained for the longest time. However, last month we cancelled them all as an experimental attempt to watch less tv and be more productive.
These tips will help you cut the cord:
(a) Invest in a digital antenna
Did you know that you can get most major networks (i.e. NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox) for free with a digital antenna? Yep, completely free. Though you do have to watch it live, and with commercials (gasp).
We purchased our antenna from Amazon five years for $36, and it’s been great for allowing us to watch the couple shows we couldn’t get through our streaming subscriptions or certain sporting events. It’s just a flat plastic square that hides behind our TV. It looks nothing like the crazy large TV antennas you see on old houses.
The number of stations you get will depend on your distance to the network’s towers and the strength of the antenna you buy. Look up this information for free before you pick one out using a website like this one. There are several highly ranked options available from Amazon or other retailers for a one-time cost of $30 – $60.
(b) Utilize free trials for streaming wisely
Most streaming services offer a free trial period, though the length of time varies. As of the time of this post, Hulu and Amazon Prime have a generous 30-day free trial, though Netflix no longer offers one. You can also get 7-day trials for Hulu Live, HBO Max and Philio, as well as a 3-day trial for Sling TV. There are many more options, as well.
To get the most bang for your buck, or lack thereof, make sure to sign up for free trials during a time you expect to be home and able to watch TV. You can use the trials to test out a service or to strategically binge watch a show or movie. There are so many options out there, that you could probably make it almost a full year just rotating free trials.
(c) Strategically rotate subscriptions
If you find yourself holding on to cable or multiple streaming subscriptions, ask yourself “why?”.
What are the shows that are holding you back from making the change? Consider if you could strategically use or rotate subscriptions to reduce costs while still watching your favorite shows. The beauty of most streaming services is that they don’t require a contract or significant set up fee like the cable companies do. If NFL football is your jam, then consider adding Sling TV, ESPN or one of the other live TV options that carries sports just during football season. You can switch to a cheaper subscription like Hulu or Netflix for the rest of the year, or ditch paid TV altogether.
Although we’ve recently cancelled everything, I expect that will eventually add back Hulu or something else to catch up on our favorite current shows. Even then, most of these shows air from October through March so we would only need it for a few months and then could rotate in a different option for the rest of the year. There is certainly no need to have several different services.
(d) Watch free TV
In addition to watching live network stations over a digital antenna, there are several other places to watch free TV. I have to admit, we are still in the process of discovering these (now that it’s our only option). However, I’m surprised by the availability of free content found so far.
Some of the most popular places to catch free tv content that we intend to check out over the next few months are Crackle, Pluto TV and Roku Channel. There are thousands of free shows to watch over these platforms and the content rotates regularly.
Additionally, most networks now have certain content for free on their websites or apps you can download to your TV (we use Roku, but I assume this is available with other options as well).
We’re currently working our way through the free shows on HGTV, Nick Jr. and the new Peacock app. I was disappointed when Netflix and Hulu reduced the number of home renovation shows they offered, but I’m now able to watch a lot of them on the HGTV app for free. There are whole seasons and series of some shows. Every time I think I’m going to run out of shows, new ones become free to watch. I’m loving it and plan to try out more network apps in the future.
(e) Get yourself a library card
Seriously. If you don’t have one yet… get yourself a library card. Libraries have so much more than books these days! Most local libraries have subscriptions with Hoopla, Overstock, or Kanopy that cardholders can use to check out free digital content like audiobooks, movies, or TV shows.
Many libraries, including ours, still have a decent selection of DVDs for watching movies and full seasons of TV shows. This is especially great if you have kids and don’t want to buy a bunch of kid shows or movies that your child will grow out of in a year or two.
