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We all need a reliable internet connection. The monthly cost that comes with a dependable internet connection can easily become a burden, and while some internet providers are cheaper than others, you can still expect to pay a pretty penny for high-speed internet.
For many Americans, the average cost of home internet is around $63 a month -- but that's not including extra fees like equipment rental, whole-home Wi-Fi or maintenance fees added by your provider. Your internet bill can quickly add up, especially if you're not wary of pricing or promotional traps.
Whether you use it for remote work, streaming your favorite shows, online gaming or regular FaceTiming with family, it's hard to live without a decent internet connection. We get it. To keep your budget in check, there are a few simple ways you can lower your broadband costs and monthly bills. Here are eight suggestions:
Before you can find ways to save, you'll first need to know what you're currently paying and if you're getting an efficient cost per Mbps for the speed your household is using. Read the fine print from your most recent bills and try to understand what your internet service provider is actually charging you. What download speed are you supposed to receive? You can take a simple internet speed test to figure out how much speed you're actually getting. Do you have a data cap? If so, are you staying within that data limit or do you typically incur overage fees? It's important to figure out how much you pay for internet speed and your household's average monthly data usage. While you can't remove some fees, you'd be surprised at how many can be eliminated if you ask. So having this info at hand will be key when it's time to negotiate with your provider.
Be sure to also check out your ISP's broadband labels, which might explain some of those hidden fees on your internet bill. The Federal Communications Commission requires that ISPs disclose these details to their customers, but sometimes those broadband labels are either buried on an ISP's website or not included at all.
You want the fastest speed available, right? Some folks have access to a 50Gbps plan, for goodness sake! But let's be honest: While most of us like the idea of having the fastest internet speed available, we probably don't need it. A fast internet package is probably near the top of your priority list if you work from home and have others in the house (whether several roommates or a family). But that could still mean you can lean on a 500Mbps plan before jumping right to a full gigabit tier or even a multi-gigabit plan.
But if it's just you and a roommate or spouse, or you're not working remotely and using your internet service for little more than email and checking a few sites, you may want to consider lowering your internet speed even more. Perhaps you can hop down from a 500Mbps plan to a 200Mbps tier. This could be an easy way to reduce your bill without impacting the quality of your internet experience.
To evaluate your household's speed usage, you can turn to our internet speed guide. Count the number of devices in your home that use significant bandwidth (including those smart home devices!), the number of heavy internet users in your house and the amount of data you're consuming monthly. That should give you a good picture of whether you're getting enough speed or not.
This is tough because our homes have become increasingly filled with connected devices, including smart TVs, phones, gaming consoles, voice assistants, smart thermostats, security cameras, smartwatches, etc. The more smart home gadgets you have, the more they'll hog your bandwidth. If you're the only one in your household, you can better wrangle these so they don't eat up your data cap (if you have one) or start to bring down your home's overall speed. Fewer devices mean you might avoid paying data overage fees and get more effective internet service.
On the other hand, this probably won't work if you have other people in your home -- like family or roommates -- and they all have multiple devices. It's one thing to ask your family or roommates to turn off (or minimize the usage of) their devices so you can stream a big game, but it's another to ask them to give them up altogether.
Another potential way to reduce your spending on your home internet is to dig into what discount programs might be available. You should start your search with government programs to help eligible customers cut costs. Lifeline is a program that offers assistance to low-income households that offers about $9 monthly off your broadband bill if you're eligible.
While you can use the monies and discounts from federal programs like Lifeline on your internet plan, you can also couple those subsidies with providers' low-cost plans, almost all of which are $30 or less. In the past, that might have meant paltry speeds of 10Mbps or less, but since 2022, many providers have committed to offering low-cost plans with a minimum of 100Mbps download speed in accordance with the new FCC guideline on broadband speeds. That's a significant difference. You can check out our low-income internet state-by-state guide to determine what programs are available in your area.
Now that you know your internet speed, what you use it for and what you're paying to receive your home broadband, it's time to shop around. Lots of internet competitors are vying for your business -- and they try to make it as enticing as possible for customers to switch over. For example, T-Mobile and Verizon have aggressively entered the home internet space with their 5G home internet products. Verizon 5G Home Internet offers a range of perks and streaming add-ons and a contract buyout if you're stuck with another ISP. T-Mobile Home Internet offers similar perks, like a pre-paid Mastercard for $150.
Other providers will happily give you an introductory rate less than what you currently pay. Sometimes, smaller, local ISPs can provide a better rate than the internet behemoths such as AT&T and Xfinity, but that's not always the case. Use our comparison shopping tool to research providers in your area.
Before signing up, get an idea of your monthly costs when you switch your internet service to a new provider. Compare what you're paying now to what you'll pay for the next month, six months and year. Along with that, what's the cost after the promo plan ends? Consider your long-term use as well. With the competitive landscape out there, try to find internet providers without long-term contract requirements -- unless you know that you're getting the best possible rate at your address.
Some internet providers charge an extra monthly fee for renting a modem and router. That fee can range from $5 monthly to as much as $20. In many cases, it may be cheaper to buy your own instead of paying an additional $15 monthly for several years. Plus, you may find you can get a higher-performing, faster router than the one being leased to you by your ISP. CNET's Joe Supan tested this by purchasing his equipment and saving hundreds of dollars as a result.
Obviously, your internet connection isn't the only household service you pay for. You could pay less by bundling your internet with other services, such as your cellphone and cable TV plans. For instance, T-Mobile and Verizon offer customers a $10 or $20 discount if they bundle their home internet with eligible mobile plans. See if your provider offers discounted bundle packages. If you like the offer, signing up through the company's website is usually easy.
This is a good idea if you use what you buy. If you've cut the cord and are now a streaming household, buying a cable TV package might not be the best move. But there are plenty of mobile and internet bundles to choose from to help cut costs.
You've reviewed your bill and checked your internet speed. You've counted how many devices you have and compared competing offers. Now you can take the final step and try negotiating with your current ISP.
It's a daunting prospect but, ultimately, one of the most important ways you could save money on your monthly internet bills. If you've had the same provider for a few years, it's more likely to work with you on lowering your bill. Many will ask the same questions: Can you lower your internet speed? Can you increase your internet speed (they'll often try to lure you to a higher speed by offering better promos and a better cost per Mbps)? Now that you've done all the research and evaluation, you're better equipped to wisely answer those questions.
Before you pick up the phone, do your research on the internet plans from competing ISPs available at your address. If you mention offers from competitors you've come across, your customer service rep may give you a deal to keep you a happy customer. Knowing about competing offers gives you an advantage: Your provider knows you can move on to another ISP if you don't like what you currently have or what's offered.
Ask your current provider if any promotions are available for new customers. If you haven't found a deal that works for your budget (or you've run into an inflexible sales agent), it's all right to end the call and try again later -- or plan on ending service with that provider in lieu of switching to a better one.
Don't be afraid to cancel your service. It may take some time to close one account and open another, but saving a significant amount is worth it. Remember, though: It's not just about the promotion period. Otherwise, you may need to negotiate your bill this time next year when the promo rate is over.