

You can save money on your internet service by:
If you're looking to reduce your internet bill, you can take advantage of a number of ways to save money on internet service, such as negotiating your bill, bundling services and exploring discounts.
Here are eight tips for cutting internet service costs.
If you'd like to pay less for internet service, see what your internet service provider's (ISP) competitors are charging for the same kind of service. Aside from price, look into customer satisfaction, speed and reliability. If you come across an ISP that checks all the right boxes, consider switching service providers.
If you don't want to jump to a new ISP, you might be able to leverage your research to ask for a price reduction or a freebie from your current ISP.
It's wise to regularly study your internet bill to catch items that might be bumping up your monthly cost. These include expired promotional rates, equipment rental fees and fees for late payments or data overages. You also should look at your current service level, giving you an idea of whether you could save money by dropping down to a lower-cost level.
It's possible to negotiate a lower price for your internet service. All you have to do is ask your provider. However, you need to be prepared for the negotiation by:
Be sure to keep your interaction polite, and don't be afraid to (again, politely) ask to speak to a manager to see if they have more sway.
Tip: Don't want to undertake negotiating on your own? Experian BillFixer™ can do all the hard work for you. Just send the bills you'd like to negotiate and BillFixer will take care of the rest.
Lightning-fast download speeds of 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps or more generally come at a higher cost than lower-speed internet. If you settle for speeds of 100 to 300 Mbps, you might pay $40 to $50 a month for internet service, compared with $100 or more a month for gigabit-speed service. A download speed of 100 Mbps should be fast enough for nearly all online uses.
When you bundle internet service with TV service, phone service or both, you may be able to shave money off your bill. If you bundle services, you could score a lower price or a promotional rate, for instance.
A few things to keep in mind when deciding what services to bundle and which providers to choose:
To trim your internet costs, find out whether your ISP offers discounts that you may be unaware of along with freebies such as free equipment, complimentary subscriptions to streaming services or a free upgrade of your download speed.
In addition, you might ask your ISP whether it'll lock in your current price for, say, five years.
Many internet service providers rent out equipment. Say you're paying $120 a year to rent the provider's modem and router. You can purchase a modem and router for about the same amount of money, enabling you to cut costs over the long haul.
A federal program called Lifeline can help reduce the monthly cost of internet service or bundled services by up to $9.25. If you live on tribal lands, the savings could be as much as $34.25 per month. Eligibility for the program depends on income and household size, as well as whether you receive benefits from federal assistance programs.
You can apply for the Lifeline program online, by mail, or through an internet or phone company.
In addition, some internet service providers, such as AT&T, Spectrum and Xfinity, offer discounts to eligible low-income households. Also, some state and nonprofit programs help with affordable access to broadband service.
Using the internet is no longer a luxury; it's a requirement of modern daily life. But that doesn't mean you have to pay high prices for your internet service.
From negotiating your bill to bundling services, you hold the power to potentially lower your monthly tab for internet service. In many cases, all it takes to get a price break on internet service is a little patience, persistence, research and time.
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Get startedJohn Egan is a freelance writer, editor and content marketing strategist in Austin, Texas. His work has been published by outlets such as CreditCards.com, Bankrate, Credit Karma, LendingTree, PolicyGenius, HuffPost, National Real Estate Investor and Urban Land.
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