Everyone loves to save money, right? Well, we have 10 secrets on how to lower your cable bill. Take some notes along the way, we’ll bet you’ve never thought of some of our secrets.
Here we go!
1. Whatcha really watching?
It goes without saying that it’s always a good idea to take a close look at what cable channels you REALLY need. Oh, I know you think, “I need them all!” but truthfully if you look through the channels that you are actually watching, you’ll start to see that you actually don’t watch them all, and then come to the realization that you don’t really need them all.
Cutting Premium channels usually are the first channels to go, but the difficulty is that cable companies group cable channels (including premium channels) together in strange ways, so you may have to keep more cable channels that you won’t watch, instead of just keeping what you will be watching.
2. The Biggest Key on How to Lower Your Cable Bill – Make the Call!
One of the big secrets of how to lower your cable bill is to call them to lower your bill.
When you call the number, ask for the loyalty ( or the retention) department and explain that your cable bill is too high and ask what can they do to lower it.
Pro-Tip: Try initially asking an open-ended question first, “Is there anything you can do to lower my cable bill?” You are not aware of the ways they can lower you bill (unless you’re a psychic), so let them tell you what they can do to lower you bill, first.
3. To Bundle or not to Bundle
From Flo at Progressive and on down the line, bundling is a new way to get more for less (we hope), but you need to keep your wits and the bottom line in mind as you negotiate your lower cable bill.
More than likely, the person in the loyalty department will float out the idea to you, “Have you thought about bundling?” There are normally three parts that a cable company can offer (Because cable companies have a monopoly of offering internet packages.): Cell phone data, Cable TV service, and Internet.
If you have cell phone data with a different carrier, it may (Notice, I said ‘may’) make sense to bundle it together, but discuss the options – the pros and the cons and make a decision, or say not thank you and continue to research.
4. The Hardest or Easiest part of this – Local Channels.
Option 1:
Cable companies find ways of bunching cable channels with local channels, so you will end up keeping more than what you really will be watching.
What we finally did we continue to ask, and we found that there was a secret ‘local channels only’ option that you could request at a lower amount.
Option 2:
If paying for local channels with the cable company is still too expensive, the cheapest option is old school:
The Over-the-Air Antenna. Here is a link of options from Amazon (paid link)
5. Ditch the DVR?
Do you really need your DVR?
Sure, saving particular shows to watch later is important to some, but weighing it out to save money is important, too.
How often do you use your DVR? If your answer is, ‘Not that often,’ then it might be time to get rid of it and save some money.
6. Too Many Boxes?
Consider how many cable boxes you have in certain rooms of your house/apartment. Do they all get constant use? If some cable boxes are in certain rooms for convenience once in awhile, you might want to return the ones you really don’t need.
7. It’s Paradigm Shift Time!
Back in the old days, we associated TV programs with physical antennas, then we made the shift to magical cable boxes and cables to bring us programs into our television sets, but another change has come – streaming.
Switching to streaming isn’t an automatic savings win, but it is a good start.
The key to this mindset is changing the importance of getting cable to the importance of getting high speed internet.
8. Try Before You Buy
Sometimes you need to kick the tires on a streaming app to see if you like it, before you start paying a monthly fee for it.We have a list of streaming apps that you can try for free. Note: Keep a reminder handy, so you can cancel before the trial period is over and not get charged (unless you really like it).
On-demand streaming services with free trials
7 Day Free Trial:
30 Day Free Trial:
9. The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a great way to test out how to lower your cable bill and super charge your TV!
There are a number of streaming sticks or boxes that can add powerful functionality to your TV. The Fire TV Stick is a great addition to inform you of all new streaming programs offered to you through your subscription, and it also allows you add fantastic apps that will give you more choices and streaming offerings than you could ever imagine.
Here is the Fire TV Stick we own and use:
Fire TV Stick 4K Max streaming device, Wi-Fi 6, Alexa Voice Remote (includes TV controls)
Here are a few of the different fire TV sticks to browse: https://amzn.to/3Ff9HEC
10. Switch Providers
There are times in life, you need to make a clean break of things – even with a cable provider.
A great negotiation tactic is to compare your current cable provider with it’s competition to get a better deal elsewhere and then, mention you are thinking of leaving them for their competition.
You may want to stay with your current cable company because you may have history with them, however on the other hand, sometimes leaving a cable provider makes you something like a magnet to great deals – a new customer.
And finally! You Can Cut the Cord!
Change is difficult, and many times we settle into the norm and chug ahead, but I hope we have given you some solid tips on how to lower your cable bill.
We wish you all Happy Holidays! If you need more Christmas spirit, here is our list of 12 Best Christmas Movies and Specials You Can Stream in 2022!
Leave a comment and let us know of any other tips to get the best streaming options for the least amount of money! Thanks
How to Watch Local Channels without Cable
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