How to Save Money on Cable, Phone and Internet Bills

1. Negotiate Your Costs

Bills are often more negotiable than you may think. From discounts to limited trial pricing, your providers may be able to offer you a better rate―if you only ask.

But knowing how and who to ask can feel intimidating and complicated. Using trained bill negotiators—like those who work with Experian BillFixer™—can be an ideal way to get your bills negotiated without doing the heavy lifting yourself. With a negotiator at your side, you may see a serious drop in your bill totals.

2. Bundle Plans

A common strategy for saving money on bills is to bundle several together. For example, if your internet service provider also offers cell service, see if you can sign up for both services for a combined lower cost.

Though each provider may offer different ranges of bundling discounts, typical yearly savings range from $120 to $300.

3. Downsize Your Plan

A simple way to pay less is to buy less. Cellphone plans are great candidates for downsizing, as you can often reduce your data plan to pay less.

Your current provider may have a gauge somewhere in your payment profile to show how much data you actually use. Try to base your plan around this instead of simply purchasing an expensive, unlimited amount.

Internet and cable packages can similarly be downsized, such as to slower speeds and fewer channels.

4. Use Free Trials

Don't be shy about utilizing free trials to get the services you want. Television can be a great option for this. Rotate through free trials for different channels or packages that you're interested in.

To optimize your use of these trials, save up several shows to watch during the trial period. Mark your calendar with the end date so you can remember to cancel ahead of time. Some service providers may even let you cancel immediately after signing up for a trial while still using it for the trial period. This can help ensure you don't forget about it and get charged.

5. Qualify for Discounts

You may be surprised to find that you qualify for discounts on bills such as cable, phone and internet. A common discount available with many plans is an autopay discount. You may be able to save a flat amount each month when you set your bill to autopay.

You may also be able to qualify for more traditional savings, like veteran, student or senior discounts.

6. Shop With Family

Family plans are ideal for bills like cellphones. When you shop with family, you can often link accounts under one bill for significant savings.

Some providers may even let you get these discounts with friends, as long as you sign up as a group. There are online groups that can help you coordinate with strangers to get the best friends and family plan discounts.

7. Swap to Totally Free Options

The best way to save money on common bills is to swap to a free option. For discretionary bills, like high-end cable packages, consider switching to some free services instead. Many online streaming and live TV options are available for free, or from your local library.

You may also be able to find some free phone services, though these are often ad-supported. Investigating different providers may help turn up free plans.

How Cable, Phone and Internet Bills Can Help You Build Credit

Don't just save money on your bills, get credit for them too. Experian Boost^®ø is a feature you can use to add common bills like cable, phone and internet to your credit report.

You can add your bills to Experian Boost by creating or logging in to your Experian account. Then navigate to Experian Boost and attach your financial accounts. Experian Boost will look through your payment history to identify potential bills to add. Then you can pick which ones you want to add to your Experian credit report.

Once you add these bills and their on-time payment history with Experian Boost, you may see an increase in your FICO^® Score^☉ from Experian.

The Bottom Line

When you need to cut costs from your budget, look first to reducing your everyday bills like cable, phone and internet. There may be savings available for each bill, especially if you combine strategies like negotiating rates and downsizing your plan.

Lean on helpful tools like Experian BillFixer to take on the burden of reducing your costs. While shopping around and negotiating may take some time, the savings it turns up may be well worth it.