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Does it feel like everything’s getting really expensive at the moment? If your electricity bills are on the up and your weekly food shop costs more than ever, you’re not the only one to feel the strain on your wallet.
Thankfully, there are lots of ways to consistently save money without having to put in tons of effort or drastically overhaul your lifestyle. Reducing your broadband bill, for example, could be one way to reduce your expenses.
Here’s our guide on how to save money on your broadband bill.
If you’re a heavy gamer or there are several people using the internet at once in your household, superfast broadband may be necessary to ensure everyone can get online when they need to. But if you’re a one-person household and you only use the internet to watch Netflix or do a bit of online shopping, you may get away with having a cheaper package.
How fast is your internet currently? To find out what your current internet speed is, search ‘broadband speed test’ online and run a quick check. This should hopefully only take a few seconds to do.
Once you’ve found out what your current speed is, check that it matches what you’re paying for.
If it’s much slower than the speed you’re meant to get, contact your provider to see if they can improve it or lower your monthly costs.
If using the internet has become a chore and getting from one page to the next takes longer than boiling the kettle, you may be entitled to compensation.
Many big broadband providers have signed up to Ofcom’s Automatic Compensation Scheme.
This scheme protects customers from certain broadband-related problems such as slow speeds or repeated downtime.
If you’ve had problems with any of the following, you may get money back from your broadband/landline provider:
Your landline or broadband stops working and isn’t repaired within two working days of you reporting it to your provider
Your new landline or broadband service isn’t up and running on the day that was promised
An engineer was scheduled to visit you but they either cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice or didn’t turn up
If you’re affected by any of the above issues, it’s worth requesting compensation. There are no guarantees, especially if the provider was unable to help due to issues arising from the pandemic.
If you’re successfully offered compensation, this will automatically be paid as bill credit within 30 working days. You don’t have to stick with the same provider just because you’re waiting for compensation. If you leave before the money is paid, it’ll either be refunded to the bank account you usually use for your payments or you’ll receive a cheque in the post.
Have you spotted cheaper deals elsewhere? Let your current broadband provider know.
Before giving them a call, make a note of the offers you’ve seen along with their predicted broadband speeds.
If you’ve been paying over the odds for your package, it’s normal to be annoyed, but remember to be polite and fair to the person taking your call. They’re more likely to help if you’re friendly and cooperative.
Haggling won’t always work and in some cases, the person you speak to may be unable to make any changes. If this is the case, politely explain that you’ll move to a different provider when your contract runs out.
If they say you’re no longer in contract and can leave at any time, don’t worry. They won’t call your bluff and disconnect you! You could say: “I won’t leave right away. I’ll compare deals one last time and will call you back once I’ve made a decision.”
In the world of broadband packages, loyalty doesn’t pay. Most broadband providers offer the best deals to new customers before hiking up their prices for those who’ve been with them for a year or two.
This means that if you’ve been with your provider for a year or more, you may be paying over the odds for your internet.
Switching for a cheaper deal can make a surprisingly big difference to your monthly expenses. You could save £5, £10, or even £30 or more each month. This money could then be used for other things such as your weekly food shop, savings or debt payments.
Moving to a new provider may sound scary, but there’s unlikely to be more than a couple of hours’ downtime at the most. Many people manage to make the switch without any interruption to their connection at all. It’s one of those things that you can end up kicking yourself for not doing sooner.
Some providers allow you to combine your broadband with other services such as your mobile phone contract. This approach could save you money, but make sure you compare a few different deals and read the small print before signing up.
Opening your bills can be a boring and stressful process, particularly if you’re strapped for cash. But facing your finances head-on is the best way to get to grips with your money. It’s like ripping off a plaster. It hurts at first, but in the long run it’s for the best.
Whenever a bill comes through your letterbox, open it, read it and place it somewhere you won’t forget about it. If you have direct debits set up, you won’t need to worry about making payments on time, but it’s still a good idea to look out for any price changes.
Broadband providers often increase their prices with little notice and if you don’t check your bills, you might not even see them happening.
If you receive Universal Credit or another type of financial support from the government, you may be eligible for a low income broadband contract. You’ll access the same internet speed as traditional broadband packages but the price will be much lower.
Low income broadband packages can be accessed by approaching providers directly. Not all providers offer them, but it’s worth asking.
We hope you’ve found these tips on how to save money on your broadband bill helpful. For more handy money saving tricks, take a look at our blog.
