How To Save On Your Cable TV Bill Instead Of Cutting the Cord

If you’re considering cutting the cord, you’re not alone. Cable TV bills can get expensive and tend to increase every year when your subscription renews. Cutting the cord might seem like your best option to save money, but before you take that step, consider a few factors.

First, ask yourself whether cutting the cord is the only way to save money on your TV shows. It doesn’t have to be, and there are usually other options to lower your bill. You can search out new ways to save by doing your due diligence and researching the best ways to save.

One option is switching your provider. If you live in an area that has multiple choices for cable TV providers, check them all out and compare their plans and prices. Next, you can save money by making a few tweaks to your package and bill. Spectrum TV offers an excellent channel lineup at a very reasonable price. By changing a few things and negotiating with your provider, you can save serious money every month.

Get Started

• Read your contract: You need to know what you have before you can change anything. Read through your documents with a fine-toothed comb and look at what you’re paying and what you’re getting for that money. Know the exact amounts for your service charges, equipment fees, and everything else.
• Know how you watch TV: Consider how your household enjoys TV. Do they prefer sitting down and watching local channels or binge-watching shows on premium channels like HBO? You might find out that you’re paying for channels your household isn’t using, which should be the first things to go. You can save significant money by ditching channels you’re not using.
• Find all your equipment: Do you have TVs set up for cable television that aren’t being used? Maybe you have excess equipment hooked up that you don’t need anymore. Consider turning in the hardware and saving in rental fees and service charges. If you have cable connected to a TV in a spare bedroom that is rarely used, you can save money by removing it.
• Look at other providers: As mentioned above, you need to look at what other providers are available in your area. Some towns have regional monopolies where there is only one cable provider, but other areas have multiple options. Compare and contrast the packages and prices to determine if you need to switch providers.

Reducing Your Bill

• Negotiate: Always start by negotiating your bill with your provider. Service providers want you to stay with them, so they are willing to negotiate fees whenever possible. Call your current provider and ask them how they can help lower your bill. Bring with you all of the information you collected above as ammunition. You can drop channels, remove equipment, or, if you need to, switch providers.
• Decrease your package: If you found that you have excess channels, you can decrease your subscription package. This means you’ll lose some channels, but you’ll also stop wasting money on channels no one in your household is watching anymore. You can save a lot of money by dropping channels or choosing a lower-tier package that gives fewer channels but higher value.
• Remove unnecessary equipment: If you found excess equipment in the steps above, you can turn it in to save money on your bill. When you moved into your new home, you might have set up cable on TVs that you no longer watch. Figure out which TVs your household uses and remove the hardware from the TVs everyone has forgotten. Turn in your cable boxes and cords and have your provider turn off service to those TVs. This will cut the cost of service and get rid of any equipment rental fees you have attached to your account.
• Bundle your services: You might already have cable TV from one provider and cable internet from another. Instead of paying for two separate services, call the less expensive provider and bundle your services. Bundling means paying for more than one service on one bill for a lower cost per service. You can bundle TV, internet, and a landline phone for less per service than what you’re paying now. On the other hand, if you already have a bundle and find that you’re not using Wi-Fi or home phone as much as you want, you can break your bundle and pay for only cable TV.
• Look at your fees: You might be paying unnecessary fees that your provider piled on for reasons that no longer apply. When you read through your contract, make note of every fee you come across and the listed reason for the fee. Negotiate with your service provider for a way to reduce or eliminate those fees.
• Know your bill at all times: Pay attention to any sudden increases that aren’t explained. Typically increases come from a contract renewal or when a special promotion ends. If neither of those has happened, your bill might have increased from human error. If you get a charge you don’t understand, call your provider right away and ask for them to take another look.