Broadband haggling
Top tips for slashing your internet and line rental bills
Broadband providers increase prices pretty much annually these days, despite the rising cost of living. But if your deal's ending, switching isn't the only way to cut costs. We're flooded with stories from existing customers who have slashed £100s off their bills by using a method that dates back to the dawn of civilisation... haggling.
Not what you want? Other related guides...
Haggle with BT | Haggle with Sky | Haggle with Virgin Media | Compare broadband deals | How to find cheap broadband | Mobile haggling | Top 15 firms to haggle with
Why haggling works...
If you're fed up with price hikes or your bills are going through the roof because your promo deal's ending, don't sit back. There are a host of ways you can cut costs, while not sacrificing getting what you want.
Bring haggling to bear against your bills and there are huge savings to be made, particularly on broadband and line rental packages. The broadband world's a mature market and most people already have a provider, so competition to keep existing customers is fierce.
In a nutshell, call up and ask for a better deal. Say you're paying too much and you've seen cheaper deals elsewhere. If that doesn't work, tell them you're leaving. You'll usually get put through to companies' super-powerful hidden deals departments.
Here's the key thing to understand:
Companies only make their best deals available to newbies; they LOVE loyal customers, because they stay with the firm through thick 'n' thin, always paying full-price and never checking if their deal can be beaten.
This lets big firms rake in regular, guaranteed, easy profit. So ask yourself a question: do you want to be a customer whose business is fought for, or one who's taken for granted? If you don't want to be taken for granted, take the haggle challenge.
Haggling is just one cost-cutting weapon – check new deals too
While haggling can be powerful, it's just one part of your battle to get the best deal. Sometimes the 'new customer' offers you can get from alternative providers are simply unbeatable. So by all means haggle, but always check the best deals out there too – for our top picks, see How to find cheap broadband deals.
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'I'm saving £528 a year after haggling over my broadband and TV contract'
In our December 2023 poll, 78% of those who haggled with their broadband provider were successful. Virgin Media and TalkTalk customers reported an 89% success rate, Plusnet customers 80% and Sky customers 79%.
Here are examples of MoneySavers who have slashed their broadband bills by haggling:
After reading your articles on haggling to renew TV and broadband contracts, I contacted Sky to renew mine.
Sky wanted to put my contract up from £103 to £140 a month. I rang customer services but got no joy, so I asked to be put through to cancellations. I spoke to a very helpful person who managed to get my bill down from £140 to £96 [saving £44 a month, or £528 a year], which included Netflix which I didn't have before.
Thanks MSE for your advice. It pays to be cheerful and polite on the phone – after all, they're only doing their job.
– Stuart, via email
Just had a brilliant result from Plusnet as an existing customer. I've been with them for three years and have experienced four line rental increases. When I received the email about the latest I gave them a call, having read about other available broadband deals on MSE. Having some numbers to hand really helped – I was offered a 'new customer' deal and saved £120 a year.
– Rachel, via email
My contract with Virgin Media is ending. My introductory rate was £38 a month, the renewal rate was £63.50 a month. I phoned Virgin and chose the 'I'm thinking of leaving' option. I spoke to a lovely Scottish lady and she said she would see what she could do. As a result I am now paying £43 a month for the same service, a 32% discount on the renewal rate! Thank you Martin for your encouragement.
– Forumite Bounce56
Just managed to get a very good deal on my Virgin broadband. Was on M100 [108Mb fibre] for £34 a month... Rang up three days before end of contract, wanted better speed... so asked for M350 [362Mb fibre].
Was first offered £42 a month, then was put through to 'cancellations' who offered £40 a month. I continued with cancelling the contract and was phoned the next day and offered M350 for £30 a month and [they] threw a free Stream box in with the deal.
– Forumite Chrisbjornward
Let us know how you get on via the MSE Forum, by email using successes@moneysavingexpert.com or on X, formerly Twitter, using the handle @MoneySavingExp.
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