How to save money on internet?

[FIREoneDay]

Hi,
I have been having internet problems for years.  I had comcast, which I had got from $34.99 to $49.99 to $59.99.  Today, I got a bill for $82.00.  Just for internet!  I called and ask to cancel.  They came back with a promotion of TV and internet for $72 and that is the best they can do.  I asked them to cancel it.  They actually did.  In the past, when I wanted to cancel, they offered a better deal for the internet.  I signed with Fios but stuck in a 2 year contract for $60.  I am in Philadelphia where comcast has a monopoly.  I feel like I got ripped off.  Why is it so expensive for just internet?  Do you guys know of better deals in Philly?

[trashmanz]

You have to have other options and be willing to switch to other providers.  If you have no other options they know they have you over the barrel.  They all know what each other is offering, so the best you may do sometimes is a small discount and then hopefully you haven't locked into a year contract so you can call in another time and see what other current options are available.  Unfortunately that is just the way the game works.  If you really want to same money, learn to cut internet out cold turkey.  You can get internet at libraries for free.  Read books at home for entertainment :)

[mynewchoice]

I play the Comcast game of calling every time the current promotional rate expires and the price starts to go up again.  Last year I had added the TV package because the combination was cheaper than what I was paying for just the internet, and last month I called to cancel the TV portion however they offered a deal for $59.99 to keep the combo.  That was cheaper than canceling the TV portion and going with just internet again, so I took that option.

It is frustrating but there are limited options and they know it.  For me, I can't cut it out entirely because I work from home on a regular basis and have various side hustles that all require internet access as well.

[neo von retorch]

I'm not directly in Philly - near Doylestown, but here Comcast has internet only (25 mbps for $39.99) and even a "slow" one (maybe 3 or 10 mbps for $29.99). FIOS is $49.99 with two year or $59.99 without the two year. Comcast is a real PITA to talk to, but they usually have a better deal than what they tell you. It depends on who you're talking to, the phase of the moon, the humidity, and what department they work for. However, FIOS is usually solid, and when the FIOS customer service team is not on strike, they're not too horrible. (When they were on strike, the team that I talked to was worse than Comcast.)

[Phenix]

I used to play the game with Time Warner Cable every year here in Ohio, but they got bought out by Charter Communications and they're just letting customers go instead of giving them a better deal.  So I called up Earthlink (which has cable internet provided by Time Warner Cable) and have the same exact internet package (literally no interruption in service) for the same price I was paying, plus a $10 discount for the first 6 months.

Makes me wonder if these companies have done studies that show most people will pay a hugely inflated price versus the "hassle" of switching companies.

[ysette9]

All of this is why, in my opinion, we need to regulate internet like the utility that it is. Fresh Air (NPR) did a story on this a little while ago. We in the US pay way more for much crappier internet service than most other developed countries. My European friends have confirmed this for me in some countries. I find it especially embarrassing considering I live in Silicon Valley, down the (long) street from Facebook...

[snogirl]

It is not for everyone but I said goodbye to home internet.
I use my smartphone and plan the use of free wifi which is plentiful by me.
My smartphone plan is 6G a month for 60 bux.  No I don't stream or pokemon.
I read a lot of books though and download to my itouch podcasts.
Kicking all Comcast gives me an extra Grand a year.

I did notice that Amazon is now partners with Xfinity (Comcast) in my area.

[arebelspy]

What's your monthly usage like?

You may want to consider a phone plan w/ unlimited internet and tether, that could save you a few bucks.

[ender]

I saved $50 (one time) on Centurylink by signing up through chat. They offered $30 if I signed up then, so I asked if I could get $50.

[aaron3719]

I gave up on comcast. I bought a separate Cable modem one time and tried to hook it up. I literally was transferred 8 or 10 times before I got someone who was able to help me out. The call took about 2 hours. It's like they don't want you to do it and hope that you'd hang up.

[billy]

Another reason for the rising cost is a small amount of customers are cutting the cord like I did years ago and using home internet for everything.  And more and more youngsters don't bother with TV and landline service.

[HipGnosis]

I've been reading about 'white space' internet for years.
The 'white space' is the frequency range that use to be UHF TV broadcasts (they're digital now, on new frequencies).
It will first be used to get true broadband (fast) to rural users.  There are a few vendors now.
I'm hoping it will evolve into a price competitor for all.
But I keep reading it'll be 'anytime now..'

[ketchup]

Another reason for the rising cost is a small amount of customers are cutting the cord like I did years ago and using home internet for everything.  And more and more youngsters don't bother with TV and landline service.

This is very true.  I've (25) never paid for landline, and hadn't paid for cable until a few months back (details below).

Not only is cord-cutting/cord-nevering pushing internet cost up a bit, it's also pushing down the cost of cable TV.  When I did my yearly call-and-bitch routine to Comcast in May, our rate was about to go from $30 to $66 for internet-only, and they would either knock it down to $50 internet-only, or $40 for internet with basic-basic cable + HBO.  So now I have "basic cable and HBO" with my internet service even though I threw the cable box in a closet after it arrived.  At least I can watch Game of Thrones legally now on HBO Go with my PC.  It's all in the game.

They're finally recognizing competition from Netflix/Amazon and the like, and also desperately want to preserve their "cable TV subscriber numbers" to make shareholders happy (probably the only reason they basically gave me cable for negative cost vs internet).

[billy]

@ketchup, ya what I have been doing is canceling and signing back up for comcast internet only less than a week later on Comcast.

[ketchup]

@ketchup, ya what I have been doing is canceling and signing back up for comcast internet only less than a week later on Comcast.

That's essentially what I was trying to do, but like I said above it bizarrely ended up cheaper ($39.99 total) to add basic cable and HBO than to stick with just internet ($49.99 total vs $29.99 before).

[billy]

Hmmm, Comcast sure like to play games.  There service is more expensive if you call them then ordering online.  On my browser I clear my cookies and go into private browsing and enter my neighbor's address who does not have comcast service to check prices.

[ketchup]

Hmmm, Comcast sure like to play games.  There service is more expensive if you call them then ordering online.  On my browser I clear my cookies and go into private browsing and enter my neighbor's address who does not have comcast service to check prices.

Yeah, I did that sort of thing too.  39.99 was truly the cheapest I could find that was the same speed I had before (25 down / 5 up).  That matched with deals for new subscribers on their site for my area.  I could also have gotten internet-only 10/2 for 19.99 "as a new subscriber" (not sure if I would have been able to weasel it), but that's too slow for our needs.  The upload side is the only real bound; my GF is a professional photographer and sends giant sets of photos often, and it gets tedious enough with 5mbps up.

Luckily though, gigabit fiber is in the works for my area, so hopefully sometime next year I'll be able to jump on that and give Comcast the boot for good.  The only real solution.

[Dancin'Dog]

I hate the rates & 2 year contracts ATT & Time Warner offers here.  It's such BS that the companies get away with it.

[kpd905]

My roommates and I in college always changed the person on the account every year or so to keep getting the promo rates.

I just got our Time Warner bill and it is now at $63 just for internet.  Luckily we are moving in a month or two so I will be changing it to my name instead of my wife's.  I should get a promo rate for 2 years, then rinse and repeat.

[MusicLover]

I had 5 megabit DSL (all copper) service through Yahoo and AT&T for several years for $25/month.  After the 1st year they wanted to raise it to $45.  After a few months paying $45, AT&T said I had to transition to their Uverse service but they gave me 12 megabit service and reduced the price to $25 again for 1 more year.

After that they they wanted $52 and the best I could do was get them to discount it to $47.

A few days ago, I switched to a smaller reseller of AT&T service called "DSL Extreme".  Through them, I get 3 megabit service over AT&T Uverse infrastructure, for $30/month.  Had to buy their modem for one time fee of $100.  The same company also offers 5 megabit DSL service for $14.95/month for any areas where AT&T still has no fiber-to-the-node.  I read a lot of negative things on an online forum about DSL Extreme but my experience has been top notch:  they dispatched an AT&T technician to my home, he got modem working, tested everything, very polite, and I get 3.5 Megabit, which is plenty for high def streaming through netflix or youtube.

If you sign on through this link, I believe both you and I receive $20 off.  "http://www.dslextreme.com?rsid=18169"

[Dancin'Dog]

I checked dslextreme and it says they can install at my address.  :)

Now I just have to wait until I can commit to an installation date.

thanks,

I'll let you know if I get $20 off too.

[MusicLover]

Good luck, let me know how it works.  I think you have to start out by pasting the whole URL in quotes (including the rsid=18169) for the $20 discount to work.

If you should go for straight DSL over all copper, PM me if you want the make and model to see if my old DSL modem will work--you're welcome to it if you can use it.  I hate throwing out electronic equipment.

[ejayp]

I recommend owning your own cable modem and router.  Service providers like to charge $10-$15 per month to rent this equipment.  By purchasing your own modem/router you can recoup the purchase price within ~6 months by avoiding the rental cost. 

Regarding internet service cost, I live in Chicago and use RCN.  Their 25 Mbps service is $29.99 per month. 

[geekette]

We get EarthLink over TWC for $35. Seems like it would be available wherever TWC cable is.