Haggling

Haggling is live and kicking in the UK, a new MoneySavingExpert.com poll reveals, with four out of five customers who give it a go successfully negotiating a better deal with some big-name firms in the TV, broadband, mobile, breakdown and insurance sectors.

Around half a million Post Office customers are facing steep home phone and broadband price hikes next month, with the cost of some packages set to increase by up to £36/year. But if you're affected it's possible to leave your contract penalty-free or haggle a better deal.

About 1.5 million Virgin Mobile customers will be hit with price rises from Friday 1 July, with almost 200,000 on unlimited-data Sim-only deals facing an increase of up to £39 a year. But if you act now it's possible for many to beat the hikes.

For some shopping is a hobby, others a chore, for me it's a challenge. If you're going to buy, how can you get exactly what you want and pay less for doing it?

Around 10 million BT customers are facing above-inflation price increases from 3 July, with the cost of line rental rising by £1/month, some broadband packages increasing by up to 15% and BT Sport up 20%. But if you act now, it's possible to beat the hikes.

Millions of Sky TV customers will be hit by a price hike in June, with the cost for some going up by up to £72 a year. If you want to beat the rise, see below for how.

The price of Sky TV packages will rise this summer for new and existing customers, MoneySavingExpert.com has learned - but there are ways to beat it.

Normally we're about easy, sensible or clever things to stop you wasting cash. Yet today, to channel the Godfather of Soul... let's take it to the bridge now, like a MoneySaving machine (get on up).

More than three quarters of those who've tried to haggle with 10 big-name providers have managed to agree a better deal, with the AA and Sky the companies most open to negotiation, according to a poll of almost 4,000 MoneySavingExpert users.