Reduce Your Internet Monthly Bill with These Tips
As soon as you search for “cheap internet near me” on Google, you will get bombarded with ads, promotional discounts, and very pleasing offers. These offers are good for a short while until the ISPs start charging you the actual monthly cost, add other multiple fees like equipment rental and data overage fee. But there are definitely some easy ways to escape from this. Rescue your monthly internet bill by following these tips!
Use Your ISP’s Public WI-FI Hotspots
You don’t need to have a separate cellular plan or use up all your data just so you can have internet when out in public. If you have chosen your ISP wisely, then you will be able to enjoy the free public Wi-Fi hotspots provided by them throughout the nation. All you need is to connect with the Wi-Fi name from your device, you don’t need any passwords or credentials to get in. Some of the best internet providers who have public Wi-Fi hotspots include:
- AT&T
Save your data and connect to AT&T public hotspots by following these steps.
- Mediacom
Learn all about Mediacom Xtream Wi-Fi hotspots here.
- Spectrum
Get high-speed Wi-Fi with Spectrum’s public hotspots by following these steps.
- Xfinity
Check out how to connect to an Xfinity public Wi-Fi hotspot here.
- Optimum
Find Optimum public Wi-Fi hotspots near you here.
Get Your Own Internet Equipment
Internet equipment refers to the modems and routers that are essential for creating a stable internet network in your home. These devices are mostly rented out by your ISP and cost you a fixed monthly fee that gets added to your basic internet bill.
The average equipment rental fee can be somewhere between $6 and $12. Perhaps the cheapest equipment rental charged by any ISP is $5 by Spectrum—that too for an additional router as the modem is free of cost entirely.
However, if you are not comfortable paying a fixed fee every month, then it’s best to buy your own equipment. Most ISPs stop charging you the fee when you use your own equipment. Unlike EarthLink that charges a mandatory fee regardless of you using or not using their equipment.
Buying your own equipment comes with many other benefits such as greater control over what type and quality of devices you are using, control over features like parental controls,and alsothe ability to use it with any other ISP if you decide to switch.
Reconsider Your Speed Needs
Yes, subscribing to a 1-gigabit plan is definitely appealing. It does sound like you will be getting a lot done with that kind of internet speed. However, speeds that high come at a higher cost too. And most of the time, people don’t have their speed needs sorted which is why they end up paying more for a speed that they are not fully utilizing.
Speeds above 500 Mbps are more suitable for houses with multiple users, where gaming, streaming, and heavy media sharing is common. However, in a small family where no one is binge-watching Netflix or playing 4K games, such high speeds are not needed. You need to reconsider your speed needs, by understanding what online activity requires the most speed.
For basic emailing, social networking, casually streaming online videos once a day, or playing low res games, youdon’t need to opt for a 1-gigabit plan. AT&T offers the cheapest gigabit plan and that is too, $60 a month. You can easily dodge that cost by subscribing to AT&T’s cheaper plans that are just as good.
Shop Around
Sometimes it is not the equipment fee, nor is it the exceeding data usage—it’s simply your ISP charging you an amount that is not worth it. Many ISPs increase their prices drastically after a certain period of time, leaving you surprised and with empty pockets. Even if you think your ISP is providing excellent services, you should still reconsider them and shop around a little. Do a little research and compare the packages offered by your current ISP with others. Keep in mind important aspects to consider such as:
- Internet speed
- Customer service
- Equipment fee
- Cancellation fee
- Installation charges
- Bundling options
- Contract requirements
Summing it up!
Don’t just give up and keep paying a huge sum of money every month to your ISP. There are so many easy ways to reduce internet costs significantly. Plus, there is always the option of finding a cheaper, more considerate internet bill provider!
