5 Tips to Save Money on Your Internet Bill

In today’s economic environment, it is only normal to feel anxious over the inflating costs of basic necessities and the shrinking amount of money to spare. Questions about possible cost cuttings and savings hover over all our heads. And it is only fair to say that our home internet connections are now a basic necessity, yet come with a lot of room for cost savings!

Even the most basic internet plan prices start from $30 a month, with slightly more feature-rich plans hitting at least $60 a month. While internet services are essential for activities like streaming, working from home, gaming, and social networking, you don’t have to pay a hefty amount that puts a dent in your pocket.

There are many smart and effective ways you can save money on internet bills, and pay exactly what meets your internet requirements and falls well within your budget. Consider switching to cheap internet services that are available on BuyTVInternetPhone. Use your area zip code to discover internet plans and packages in your area, or call 855-349-9328 to find the most suitable deals for your household.

Let’s jump right into the 5 tips on how to save money on your internet bill every month!

Choose an Internet Speed That You Need

A high-speed internet plan of 1 Gbps sounds pleasing. The thought of having a blazing-fast internet connection can lure you into paying huge sums of money – more than $80 per month, on average. But you must now realize that these premium internet speed tiers are nothing but a luxury that you may not even need!

Do not pay for internet speeds that you are never going to fully utilize. Save your hard-earned money by settling for an internet speed that precisely accommodates your household’s online activities.

Less may not be more, but it surely is cheaper. You could save more than $20 per month if you downgrade your internet plan. So, while Spectrum Gigabit Internet costs $89.99/mo., you can downgrade to Spectrum Internet Standard to enjoy 300 Mbps of download speed and pay only $49.99/mo. instead. This is the lower Spectrum bill tip you don’t want to miss out on!

So, how do you know what internet speed suits you the most? For that, you need to consider the types of online activities that you and your house members indulge in. If it's simple email checking, web browsing, and social networking, then a slower internet speed will get the job done. For heavy streamers, gamers, and cloud users, higher speed tiers may be more practical. You can use this comprehensive guide to understand internet speeds.

Research and Compare

Once you have carefully analyzed and understood your internet usage, you may go on and shortlist a few ISPs in your area. Multiple providers may be available in your area, rigorously competing with one another to provide your household with the best internet service possible. But not every provider is going to suit your household.

You must closely note and compare the prices offered by each service provider available in your area. Make sure you note the promotional prices, if any, and also consider the regular pricing for when the promo period ends. This will help you plan and forecast possible price hikes that you may face with each different ISP.

Secondly, look into the multiple types of hidden fees that each provider may charge, including data overage fees, activation fees, installation fees, and equipment rental. There is a huge possibility that you will find cheap home internet alternatives and ISPs that waive off these one-time yet hefty charges. For example, AT&T charges up to $149 for professional installation, but it also offers a free-of-cost self-installation option whenever applicable to help you save those extra bucks.

Providers like AT&T and Spectrum also offer free-of-cost modems, while the majority of the others charge an additional amount averaging between $10 and $12 per month. To save money on your internet bill, you should delve into such details, explore all your options, and thoroughly compare the overall financial hit each provider is going to take on you.

Bring Your Own Equipment

With most ISPs, you will have two choices to pick from: either rent internet equipment or buy your own. To save on your monthly internet bills, making a one-time investment in a compatible modem or router is a much smarter way to go. You can save yourselves from paying an additional monthly fee for rented equipment that often averages between $10 and $15.

To put things in perspective, a good quality dual-band router costs about $150 on average. This is just about the sum of what you would pay your ISP for a rented device over a period of 10 to 15 months, without ever having any ownership or control over the equipment. With your own equipment, you get to pick the quality of the devices and control them as you want, without worrying about price changes and outdated hardware.

On the other hand, you might want to shed some light upon the downsides of using your own equipment. When a customer chooses this option, the ISP will not be responsible for helping you or troubleshooting any technical challenges with the devices. In case your equipment is incompatible, faulty, or gets damaged while in use, you will be in charge of its replacement or repair.

This is a rule most ISPs follow, often leaving customers high and dry in times of technical difficulties. So, while you might be saving yourself the trouble of paying an additional amount every month for something you don’t own, you may also want to pick up some basic understanding of how internet modems and router work.

Understand What Your Internet Bill Means

Many internet users often find themselves paying a much higher monthly bill for their internet service than what they actually subscribed for. If you think the recent inflation and economic uncertainty are causing your monthly internet bill to skyrocket, then you may not be entirely correct.

There’s another reason: hidden costs, which greatly impact your monthly internet bill and make it inconsistent and steep. If you don’t already know, you could be reading your internet bill wrong and failing to understand what you’re being charged for.

Many ISPs tend to remain silent or ambiguous about important hidden costs, making it the subscriber’s responsibility to thoroughly check the terms and conditions of their package before subscribing. Once you know about all these hidden costs, you will be able to fully understand your monthly internet bill and even dodge some extra fees to save money.

Data Overage Fee
Some of the most common hidden fees include data overage fee that is most likely to reflect on your monthly bills if you tend to exceed your monthly data allowance frequently. To dodge this additional fee, either opt for an ISP that offers unlimited data plans or upgrade your plan to one that has higher data caps. Xfinity is a great example in this matter. Even though it does impose data caps on its internet plans, a generous allowance of up to 1.2 TB is more than enough for almost any household. Power users can upgrade to xFi Complete to enjoy unlimited data along with its advanced Gateway for an additional fee, which is a lot more reasonable than the $10 overage fee for each 50GB block of data consumed.
Equipment Rental
You can dodge equipment rental fees by either using your own modem and router or subscribing to a provider like Spectrum or AT&T that offers free-of-cost internet equipment.
One-Time Fees for New Subscribers
There are multiple types of one-time additional fees that you must be wary of as a new subscriber. There is usually an activation fee averaging between $10 and $80, but this is almost always non-avoidable. Meanwhile, if you are not yet subscribed to an internet service and only doing your research, look for providers that offer free installation options. Installation fees can range anywhere between $99 to $150, but some providers do offer cheaper alternatives like DIY installation and special discounts or waivers with bundled services.
Paper Bills
Paper bills are an extra cost that you can very easily opt out of. Paperless billing discounts are real heroes. Not only paperless billing saves you up to $10 per month, but it is also great for the environment. Many major providers Like Xfinity, AT&T, Spectrum, and Mediacom offer paperless discounts.
Be Aware of Late Payment Penalties
Don’t shy away from considering your monthly internet bill as a basic utility bill like electricity. So, just like other utility bills, internet services also come with a monthly due date that you must abide by in order to avoid any additional fees. Save your money by paying the bills on time, or opt for auto payments offered by many ISPs. With Auto Pay, your credit card will be charged for your service every month automatically. Plus, many providers offer a combined discount for Auto Pay and paperless billing.

Consider Government Assistance Programs

Today, it is almost impossible to survive without a stable internet connection. People of all ages, professions, communities, and educational backgrounds benefit from the advanced tools that are offered by high-speed internet.

Even so, you may find yourself disappointed at the unaffordability of some internet services. The U.S. has over 2900 ISPs currently working in different states and cities, and not all of them are made for low-income households. You don’t need to be feeling alone in this, as affordable broadband accessibility is a nationwide issue. In fact, around 18% of U.S. households are not connected to the internet due to unaffordability.

Thankfully, to bridge this digital divide and make the internet more accessible for everybody, there are multiple affordable internet access programs backed by the government. The Affordable Connectivity Program or ACP is one such program run by the FCC. It aims to offer special discounts on internet service plans for eligible individuals and households. Another such program is the Lifeline benefit which provides discounts on internet and home phone services.

Many popular ISPs like AT&T, Spectrum, CenturyLink, Optimum, and Xfinity partner with these government assistance programs, and offer discounted internet plans to eligible customers. You may learn more about your eligibility for these programs by calling your ISP's customer service.

Best Cheap Internet Deals in Your Area!

Cheap internet is not an unattainable goal – you can, and you must be able to enjoy affordable connectivity. By following the aforementioned tips, you can land yourself some amazing internet deals from the nation’s most popular and renowned ISPs.

To help you get a head start, here is a list of amazing cheap internet deals in your area!

Provider	Price	Speeds	Contract?	Data Allowance
AT&T Fiber 300	$55/mo. plus taxes. AutoPay & Paperless billing req’d	300 Mbps	None	Unlimited
Spectrum	$49.99/mo. for 12 mos. with AutoPay	300 Mbps	None	Unlimited
Optimum	$40/mo. for 12 mos. plus taxes	300 Mbps	None	Unlimited
Xtream powered by Mediacom	$39.99/mo. for 1 yr. plus installation, activation, equipment fee, and taxes apply	300 Mbps	Yes	1500 GB
Cox	$59.99/mo. for 12 months w/ 1-yr. agrmt.	250 Mbps	Yes	1.25 TB
WOW!	$29.99/mo. in select markets for 12 months. Equipment, taxes, and other fees apply	200 Mbps	None	1.5 TB or Unlimited (depends on location)

Last Note

It might sound like a daunting task – to save money on your internet bill – but it is not all that difficult. With just a little more attention to your internet bill, extra charges, exploring alternative ISPs, and lower internet speeds, you can actually save up to $80 on your monthly internet costs.

Remember, all that glitters is not gold, so don’t fall into the trap of extremely high internet speeds that you don’t need or loads of internet data that you may never even finish up within a month. Always look for an internet plan that precisely meets your internet usage and only offers what you and your family really need. You need an expert at BuyTVInternetPhone to assist you in finding just the right internet deals for you.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

How to save money on your internet bill?

Try to shed off extra costs, such as equipment rental, data overage fees, and late payment charges. You can also consider government assistance programs, switch to a lower internet speed plan, find installation discount/waiver deals, use your own equipment, and research and look for cheaper internet service providers in your area.

Who offers cheap internet?

AT&T Fiber plans are quite affordable, like the AT&T Fiber 500 plan that costs $65/mo., and delivers equal download and upload speeds of 500 Mbps, along with unlimited data allowance, no contracts, and free internet equipment. You can call 855-925-2541 to discover cheaper internet plans in your area.

How can I get my spectrum bill lowered?

Switching to a slower internet speed plan offered by Spectrum may help you lower the bill while also accommodating your internet needs. Use your own internet router so you can avoid paying a $5 monthly added fee. You can also look for promotional offers by calling Spectrum sales representatives at 844-481-5997.

How much does internet cost?

Internet speeds lesser than 25 Mbps may cost somewhere around $36 on average, while higher internet speed plans can cost an average of $60-$80 per month. It is best to do thorough research and comparison of available providers in your area by calling BuyTVInternetPhone at 855-349-9328 for cheap internet deals.