How to Greatly Reduce Your Internet Costs
The Internet is an essential part of modern life. No matter who you are, what social-economic background you have, or where you are in the world, the Internet has absolutely touched your life. If you’re reading this, you’re more than familiar with the prices and cost of the Internet in your area. What local providers charge in this day and age is incredible.
For avid users, and those who have internet-based jobs, the service can be pretty expensive. It is a major cost for online businesses, as well. Yes, there is the principle of supply and demand, and demand for the Internet is at an all-time high. But in an effort to find the best deals we can for modern necessities, here are some ways to cut your Internet cost by significant margins.
Change Your Internet Provider
Sometimes saving money on Internet service is a matter of changing your Internet provider. Yes, we may have been using their service for quite a while, and more often than not, it’s bundled with other features. But at a certain point, it’s just too much. Nowadays, you have the option to compare providers from all over the world. Remember EarthLink internet service and the innovative headway they created? They’re still a global player in providing Internet to the masses.
They might not have options like NBA basketball or NHL hockey rights attached to them, but what they do have is fast, reliable, and scalable Internet. Find a provider that gives annual plans so that you’re not under some ridiculously long term binding contract. With a lot of these new options, you can also pick the amount of bandwidth you’re getting and pay that way. Find a way to get as many options as possible so that you can adequately shop, as opposed to just picking the biggest service provider you can think of.
Bare-Bones Options
If you do go with a major telecom provider that you’re familiar with, know the options they provide. If it is cheaper for you to get bundled Internet along with cable, then do so. What you need to do is take a look at your bill and analyze the breakdown. You can always parse out the individually charged services and see which ones can be taken out and which ones can be kept.
At least from there, you have informed decisions. Often, big Internet providers have bare-bones options. This is especially true with mobile. If you are a customer of a giant telecom company, and you don’t necessarily need landline capabilities, opt for pure data.
Save On Hardware
Every time you try and buy something, there’s going to be an upsell. There’s going to be an extra amount that is tacked on just because that’s what salespeople do. It’s their job to get you to buy the extra thing. A prime example of this is the router. If you take a look at your bill, there’s a router charge. This is because you’re essentially renting hardware from your Internet provider.
Of course, this is unnecessary. You can get your own router and set it up by watching YouTube videos or just reading the instruction manual. Yes, your local sales rep is charming and very convincing. Ultimately that has nothing to do with your bottom line. The reality is, you can save a lot of money by doing things yourself.
Negotiate The Bill
If you’re not planning on switching to a different provider, and you’re not wanting to go “bare-bones”. At the very least, you have the option of negotiating your bill. There’s a lot of wheeling and dealing going on when you’re buying the Internet. They tack on a little extra here and subtract there, all the while keeping things within an acceptable range that is preset by their supervisor. This means that there is a potential for wiggle room. Go visit them, and tell them that there is an offer from another company but that you want to stay with them.
Tell them that if they cannot price match for the service, you’ll be forced to leave as a customer. Now, you should give the impression that you want to stay a loyal customer. Be firm. Because he is kind, but not a pushover. Sales representatives are used to being told no. You should be okay with that as well, but don’t leave without a good deal.
Getting Cheaper Internet service isn’t rocket science. It just takes a little bit of research and willingness to go above and beyond what a normal customer would go. Again, if the Internet is something you rely heavily on, then all of these strategies and tactics are absolutely worth it. Saving as much money as possible is on you, after all.
