Bill Negotiation: 7 Bills You Can Negotiate To Save Money
Do you always pay the exact amount that is due on your bills? Well, did you know you could negotiate your bills?
Negotiating bills seems uncomfortable and awkward, but you can save a lot of money by negotiating your bills. It would be best if you did not shy away from awkward situations to save money. You must spend less and cut back on existing costs to increase your savings. Reducing your monthly bills is a great way to cut back on expenses.
Many people have saved around $300 monthly by negotiating their bills. Maybe you can be one of them. You may think you got a good deal on a monthly plan, but if you find a competitor selling the same service at a cheaper rate, you should switch providers. Try to negotiate your bills today and save big.
Go through your expenses and highlight the areas you spend the most. Then try to save at least a little monthly in those areas. It could be something minor, but it will eventually add up if you do that every month. Even if you save $300 a month, you end up with $3600 a year, which is a lot of money.
Here Are Seven Bills You Can Negotiate To Save Money
TV, Streaming Services, and Internet Cable
Most people use the internet, TV, and streaming services. You often get hooked on them by their meager introductory prices, which eventually increase. However, you do not need to accept the higher prices. You can check if they have any deals available by contacting your service provider.
You can threaten to switch providers if they do not offer any new deals. You may be transferred to their retention department, and they may provide some money-saving discounts. Do some research and have special introductory offers from competitors to include in the conversation. Sometimes, you can end up getting a lot of discounts on your current plan with negotiations.
You can also reduce the channels you receive on your cable plan and save some money. Also, you can decide only to have one cable plan for one room or the living room and save on multiple projects. Return any cable boxes that you do not use for additional money.
Small changes at your home and in your plan may lead to savings. Even if you save $100 a month two years later, that will feel like a big save. You can also let go of cable services and switch to only streaming services.
Internet Service
Every neighborhood has more than one internet service provider. You can research the rates and plans offered by different internet service providers in your locality and compare costs. You can contact your internet service provider to match a lower price with a competitor. They will most likely agree to it. You can sometimes get better internet speed and lower costs by negotiating your cable bill. Even if you save $20 a month, it is a good deal; eventually, you will save more.
You can check out the Amex offers section with an American Express credit card. They usually provide discount deals for Tv channels, Netflix, and ShowTime.
You can check with credit card companies and streaming services for any specials they may have. Some cable channels offer discounts if you purchase annual packages. You can obtain the same service for a lower price by paying in bulk.
Healthcare
Healthcare can be costly. Medical bills always add up, even with health insurance. The medicines, treatments, doctor visits, and hospital stays can dent your bank account. Many Americans go bankrupt because of their crushing medical debt.
Healthcare is a business, and patients are like their customers. If you have a bill on the higher side, you can contact their billing department for negotiations. They often agree to provide some discounts.
Always negotiate your bills when every opportunity comes. Hospitals and Clinics often agree to reduce the bill to an amount you may be able to pay instead of continuing to bill you for a more considerable amount and eventually writing it off as bad debt. If you genuinely cannot pay the higher amount, explain your financial condition, and discuss a lower amount that you can immediately pay.
Gym
Negotiating gym membership is one of the ways to save money. Gyms often offer promotional membership rates to increase their membership, especially around holidays. You should always check the latest promotions at your gym and the gyms around your place to get a discount. You can ask for a price match if you find a gym with a similar service for a lower price.
Gyms can be very flexible when it comes to their pricing. They want you to continue to be their member. Gyms often offer discounts if you purchase annual memberships instead of monthly payments. You can also gain discounts if you offer to pay upfront. You are usually never required to pay the total price of a gym membership. If your gym is going under renovation, ask for a discount. In addition, if you do not go to the gym, cancel your membership and save money.
You can get discounts at yoga studios if you pay in advance. Annual memberships are much cheaper than paying per class or monthly. You can sometimes end up saving 50% in fees.
Rent
Your rent does not have to be something that cannot change. You can negotiate a lower rent with a new or current landlord.
You can negotiate a discount on your rent if you find places near your location rented for a lower price. If your property owner sees that, they may lower your rent.
Sometimes, paying rent in advance for the next few months may lead to a discount, or your landlord may reduce your rent if you sign a long lease. You can give up the space allotted for your packing to save some money.
Sometimes insurance companies offer discounts if you pay premiums quarterly or half-yearly instead of monthly.
You can also raise deductibles on auto insurance and homeowner policies. You will often pay the difference in deductibles by lower insurance costs in a few years. Moreso, you can save almost $50 monthly if you do this.
Credit Card Interest and Fees
The cardholder agreement you signed with your credit card is quite flexible. You cannot argue about the amount you owe to the credit card company, but here are some things you can negotiate with them.
- Annual fees- Sometimes, you can get your annual fees waived if you ask. This is not a one-time thing; some credit card issuing companies often waive the yearly fees even if they have waived them for you before.
- Late fees- You can contact your card company if you missed your due date and were stuck with late fees. They often waive it. If you repeatedly miss your due date, they may not be so kind, but they are most likely to waive it if it is a one-time thing.
- Interest Rates- Most clients, for some reason, do not ask for a lower interest rate. Your credit card company will likely offer a lower rate if you request it.
Moreso, here is a transcript word for word that will show you how to negotiate credit card interest fees.
Cell Phone Plan
You, as a consumer, have a lot of power when it comes to your cell phone service. So many cheaper carriers are available, and porting your number to a new service is relatively easy. If you want a better deal and your provider disagrees, switch.
Begin by checking your data, text, and talk usage to understand your required services. Then compare the cost of these services as offered by various providers. Contact your provider with this information and negotiate.
If you're paying too much for cell phone bills, you may want to consider switching to Tello.
Tello is a mobile phone service provider offering inexpensive and flexible cell phone plans.
The Commission of a Real Estate Agent
If you want to sell a real estate property, this tip is for you. You do not have to blatantly accept whatever commission standard your real estate agent has asked. It would help to meet many real estate agents before choosing one to sell your property. You can negotiate with them about their commission; often, they will agree to take a smaller commission to be hired. If not, you should continue to look until you find a real estate agent willing to work on less commission.
You do not have to ask real estate agents to take a more significant pay cut; it could be as little as 1% of their commission. With the high price of real estate, even 1% will make a difference of thousands in savings for you. So always negotiate your bills with them.
Also, it would be best to remember never to overpay your bills again. Negotiating is not fun. Very rarely does anyone enjoy hassling for money, but we all like to save money. Negotiating your bills can save a lot of your money to use more necessary things.
You only have to be willing and patient to get a better and cheaper deal. What is the worst that could happen if you try to negotiate your bills? Your provider will say no. That is it. If you succeed at dealing, you will save money with just one phone call.
Here Are Some Negotiating Tips That Will Help To Lower Your Bills Today
If you decide to negotiate your bills yourself, here are a few essential tips to remember.
- Be friendly, and don't be disrespectful to the customer service representative. Inform the representative how you've been a long-term and loyal customer.
- Inform them how you pay your bills on time.
- Be specific on your request and stand firm.
- Please do some research on their competitor rates to get the best price.
- Always take a confirmation code or ensure they send you an email.
- Take all the details of the representative you spoke with, mainly if a discount was given.
- Lastly, do you want another person to help you negotiate your bill?
- Billshark helps to negotiate your cell phone, cable, internet, or insurance and lower your bill.
Here's how Billshark works:
- Use their saving calculator to see how much you can save.
- Send copies of your bills to and upload them to Billshark.
- Billshark negotiates all the tabs and cancels some subscriptions.
- Billsharks takes 40% of every successful negotiation and $9 on every canceled subscription.
It's worth the savings and was such an easy process.
Conclusion
Negotiating your bills is something you should consider. Not dealing with your accounts means that you are likely paying more.
If this type of bill negotiation isn't for you, using bill negotiation services to negotiate your bills may be worthwhile.
