How to Lower Your Internet Bill

1. Shop Around

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.

2. Examine Your Bill

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.

3. Negotiate Your Bill

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:

• Considering the status of your account: For instance, do you always pay your bills on time? If so, you likely stand a better chance of scoring a lower rate. You also should arm yourself with information such as how long you've been a customer and what you pay each month.
• Checking out your options: Before heading into a negotiation, find out which competitors of your ISP operate in your area and how much they charge their customers. Don't forget to investigate the quality of the competitors' service. This information can give you leverage during the negotiation.
• Creating a script: Before you call your ISP, come up with a script to pump up your confidence as a negotiator. Your script, which you may need to repeat several times, could go something like this, "I would like to cancel my account. ABC Provider has a better offer. If you can't match them, I'd like to switch." Or you might say, "I've been a loyal customer for 15 years, and I'd love to maintain that loyalty."

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.

4. Lower Your Download Speed

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.

5. Bundle Services

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:

• Bundle only what you use: Paying for a bundle package that includes satellite TV, for example, when you never watch satellite TV, is a waste of money. Look for bundling options that include services you already use, like internet and phone service.
• Add up all costs: Take the time to add up the different individual service prices and compare them with bundled prices. You may find that bundling just two services and purchasing a third individual service from another provider is cheaper than bundling all three services with one provider.
• Compare quality: Don't switch service providers just to get a bundled discount without ensuring you're getting a similar or better quality of service.

6. Look Into Discounts

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.

7. Buy Your Own Equipment

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.

8. Explore Government Assistance

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

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.