How to lower your cable bill
More and more people are cutting the cord and going without television service, but for many—especially those who watch a lot of live programming— cable is still a necessity.
Cable and satellite companies love to sign customers to a two-year contract, but will dramatically raise your bill when a promotional period ends after one year. Suddenly, you're paying $50 or more per month for the same services.
Here's how to get (and keep) the best deals on television service.
1. Know what's in store: Cable and satellite companies seemingly make it impossible to go online to downgrade your services, cancel service, or choose a new bundle. Even online chat support gives the cable company the upper hand. Picking up the phone and negotiating remains the best way to get the lowest price for your television service.
2. Knowledge is power: Before you call, do some research. Understand the terms of your current contract, see which bundles your cable provider is currently offering to new customers, and price out similar service offerings from other companies. You'll be in a better bargaining position if you have the freedom to cancel on your current provider.
3. Make the call: Make it clear to the support representative that you are calling because your rates have increased and you're considering cancelling if they cannot lower your bill. The support representative will initially try to offer higher-priced bundles or short-term freebies, but don't give up on the negotiation—remember, you already know you can switch to another provider. If the sales representative won't budge, you can even end the call, and try again with a different representative. In most cases, they would rather find a package that works than lose a customer.
4. Cut back on premium channels: It's hard to say goodbye to HBO, but doing so can shave as much as $20 off your monthly bill with some providers. Let go of Showtime and you could save another $5 to $15 per month. Farewell doesn't have to be forever, though. If you can't live without "Game of Thrones" or "Homeland," remove the channel when the season wraps.
5. Bundle cable and internet Pairing your cable and internet service with some providers will save you more than $1,000 over two years. Just don't get talked into bundling services you don't need, such as a premium cable package when you only want local networks or blazing-fast internet service that you only use to watch Netflix. These may indeed be great deals for some users, but that doesn't make them great for you.