7 ways to lower your cable bill
Cable bill increases can really hurt, especially considering that the average cable bill already tops $100 per month. But you can take control of your budget and your cable bill.
The Comcast Xfinity X1 system, a reimagined cable box that combines live TV and Internet content, is demoed at Comcast Labs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 19, 2015.
Jeff Fusco/AP
Cable bills never seem to get less expensive. Instead, they might jump $5, $10 or $20 without warning or a clear reason.
Those small increases can really hurt, especially considering the聽, according to an annual survey by Leichtman Research Group.
But you can take control of聽聽and your cable bill. Here are seven ways to lower it right now.
1. Get rid of extras
It鈥檚 hard to say goodbye to HBO, but doing so can shave as much as聽$20 off your monthly bill聽with some providers. Let go of Showtime and you could save聽another $5 to $15 per month.
Farewell doesn鈥檛 have to be forever, though. If you can鈥檛 live without 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥� or 鈥淗omeland,鈥� remove the channel when the season wraps.
Premium channels aren鈥檛 the only extras聽you can trim. Additional聽receivers often聽cost $3 to $12 per month. Maybe the receiver in your bedroom isn鈥檛 necessary after all.
2. Nix the DVR
Miss your favorite show? There鈥檚 a good chance you can watch it on-demand the next day. Even local news segments live on via the stations鈥� websites. Trading in your DVR for a standard digital receiver could trim $10 or more off your monthly bill.
3. Question your fees
Call your provider鈥檚 customer service line and question each fee on your bill. Some will be unavoidable, but you can sidestep others, such as those for聽HD technology, by tweaking your plan.
4. Downsize your plan
Trimming your聽聽to include just your must-haves can save you as much as $40 per month with some providers 鈥� and you probably won鈥檛 even miss the extra channels.
础听聽revealed that, on average, American adults watch only about 20 channels, though they get聽around 205.
5. Bundle up
Pairing your cable and聽聽with some providers will聽save you more than $1,000 over two years.
Just don鈥檛 get聽talked into bundling services you don鈥檛 need, such as聽a premium cable package when you only聽want local networks or blazing-fast internet service that you only use to watch Netflix. These聽may indeed be great deals for some users, but that doesn鈥檛 make them great for you.
6. Negotiate a lower rate
Don鈥檛 be afraid to haggle with your cable provider.
鈥淜nocking down the price is as simple as taking the time to call and ask 鈥� politely,鈥� says personal finance聽writer Andrea Woroch.
Woroch practices what she preaches. She recently called her cable company to ask about new promotions. The result? 鈥淎 $50-per-month savings by bundling my services and switching to autopay.鈥�
Negotiating requires persistence. If at first you don鈥檛 succeed, call back and talk to someone else. Woroch suggests asking for a supervisor or manager if necessary.
7. Cut the cord
Still not satisfied with your cable bill? Eliminate it altogether. You can still watch broadcast TV with the help of a digital antenna and binge on your favorite series with Netflix or Hulu. Subscriptions for both聽聽start at $7.99.
Those looking for a less drastic option can try聽聽or DirecTV Now. Packages start at $20 with SlingTV and $35 with DirecTV Now.聽Both offer access to live and on-demand TV without all the extra fees of cable.
Whether you go bold or make small cuts, the savings on your cable bill will add up over time 鈥� giving your budget more breathing room聽so you can treat yourself in other areas.
Kelsey Sheehy is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email:ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter:聽.
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