I bet you are sick of the favorite method of personal finance gurus to lower your cable bill – simply cancel it. Are you going to get that advice from me? HECK NO! I enjoy my cable and no personal finance blogger is going to come between me and my cable TV! I imagine there are a lot of other people that share my sentiment so now that we decided we’re not getting rid of cable let’s discuss saving money on the bill. These tactics can also work on your internet bill too.
Make Sure You Use What You Pay For
Do you have multiple cable boxes and have to pay for each one? A DVR? HBO? Other premium add-ons? Do you use all of these things? If you do use them then by all means keep your extra channels and add-ons but only if you can afford it. I don’t and that is why I don’t have them. If you have subscribed to premium channels or any other add-on and found out you don’t really watch the channels or use the add-ons get on the phone and get rid of them! Before you get on the phone keep reading so you can employ another tactic.
How I Saved $120 on My Cable Bill and You Can Too
Did you ever notice your cable bill always seems to creep up and be more expensive every month? Mine has tried a few times but it never ended up actually happening. What I do is I call the cable company whenever I see my bill go up and ask about why it went up. They give you the typical explanation that their costs have gone up or your current promotion has expired.
So what do you have to do to get it back down? I always call them and tell them the following. “I appreciate the fact that [what they said] but times have been tough and I have been a customer of yours for [insert time period here]. What can we do to lower my bill while keeping my services at the same level.” I’m not lying, times are tough (even though they may not be for me) and I want my bill lowered.
It really is as simple as that. You can ask for the most recent promotional offer you see on TV or if you have that ask for a credit on your bill. If the first representative says no you could ask to talk to the retention department who has the most power to give you discounts in order to keep you as a customer.
Most recently I called because my cable modem rental fee for my internet went up $1 a month and I asked if they could give me a credit to make up for it. After the representative spoke to her supervisor she came back on the phone and offered me $20 off a month for SIX MONTHS. I got $120 just because I noticed my cable modem rental fee went up $1. There is no way I expected that. I have since found out I can buy a refurbished modem that would pay for itself in six months so I plan to do this soon to save even more money.
One final way to try to get a discount if they won’t give you a deal and you know of another company offering a better deal you could always threaten to switch companies. Just make sure you’re willing to follow through if they call your bluff and allow you to cancel.
So… have you ever tried to get your cable or internet bill lowered? How did it go? Do you have any other tips?
An accountant by day and blogger by night, Lance is the owner of this site. 
I totally agree. You have to haggle your cable bill. However it makes me dislike the service. I should get my cable at a reasonable price without having to dail down the customer service rep.
JP @ My Family Finances recently posted..Good Debt: Four Types of Debt That Can Pay-Off
Great tips. I haven’t thought about trying to haggle the cable bill, although I accidently received a huge rebate just by calling them about a question on my bill (the rep on the phone said “your package is outdated. We have faster internet for about a third less money. Would you like to switch?”
Uhhh. “Okay.” That was my brilliant haggle move.
AverageJoe recently posted..7 Financial Hacks to Avoid
We don’t have cable, but we have been totally unsuccessful in reducing our internet bill, even with the retention department. Thankfully they’re not raising our bill either, though.
Emily @ evolvingPF recently posted..Laying a Path from Here to There
@JP – I totally agree with you but by us calling we let others pay for our discounts
@Average Joe – They should automatically switch you but good luck with that. Glad you called and found out.
@Emily – If you just have one service it can be harder to get a discount. Luckily it seems it is reasonably priced and they aren’t raising your prices!
Wow, that was quite a great savings for them to give you $20 a month for six months. We have DirecTV and the only one who watches regularly is my son with Down Syndrome. The rest of us have become too busy or have other interests, or use Netflix. I actually did call DirecTV to find out about getting my bill lowered but it was so frustrating that I stopped looking into it. Your post reminds me I should log into my account and see if I can lower the bill myself, maybe there are some extra channels I can drop.
Mrs. Accountability From Out of Debt Again recently posted..Do You Use Those Store Super Saver Cards?
@ Mrs. Accountability – Glad I could help. Hopefully you find something
It’s amazing what just asking can do for you.
A trick I’ve found useful is to set a reminder in Google Calendar for when promotions are expiring. This way I know when to call them back and re-nogotiate.
Glen Craig recently posted..2012 Federal Income Tax Brackets and Marginal Tax Rates
thank you so much for your tips !i just saved $120 on my cable bill.:)
Glad I could help!
My wife asked a few times and got promotional rates too for internet. I think $20 off a month for 6 months. She did this 2-3 times before we got free internet with her new job.
Brent Pittman recently posted..Pump Iron and Pump Up Your Wages