I have always lived in towns with small populations and only one cable provider. Now, I live near Dallas, TX which has a population of over 1.38 million. This area has a lot of businesses that support all these people and what I learned was there are more than just one TV, phone, internet, insurance or gym providers. This makes more competition, and with more competition the customer always wins.
BUT ONLY IF THE CUSTOMER TRIES. There are many reasons why people don’t rate shop. They don’t have the time, they don’t think it’s worth it financially, they don’t know about cheaper rates, or they think that they are locked into a contract.
These reasons are bull.
Many times, you can save up to $120-$300 a year with one call to change your rate. If you don’t think 30 minutes of your time is worth $300, I want your job. Most likely, you have more than one provider, so you could save even more if you negotiated all your bills. You can’t leave your contract? Sure you can! Many competitors buy out your contract and STILL give you a lower discount price.
Ok, so now you are convinced that you want to save your hard earn money and buy a 65” tv or whatever instead…these are the services that you need to rate shop for.
LOWER YOUR MONTHLY BILLS
1. Car Insurance
Every Person is different and so is every car insurer. Not only is every person different but everyone changes. Car insurers look to different attributes, whether it is your driving record, marital status, age, gender, or type of car, to determine what your rate will be. Maybe Geico likes people who have a good driving record and doesn’t car it you are married or not. Maybe StateFarm cares only if you are driving a BMW vs. a 2002 Honda Civic. If anything like this in your life has changed you may be able to get cheaper insurance elsewhere. Get multiple rates from 3-6 insurers every few years because you could be saving thousands a year.
2. Internet.
I recently switched my internet, saved $10 a month and received a $100 gift card. Now I am paying $40 a month for 100GB/sec. There are tons of internet providers – most of them offer promotional periods and if you keep rotating them, you could end up saving up to $25 a month…$25×12=$300 a year.
3. Live TV
There is this cool thing called streaming TV, like Sling and DirectTV Now. These services offer all the channels that you get now, but only charge you $25-$40 a month. Bundle your internet, phone, and TV and save even more.
4. Phone bill
There are tons of phone companies, and they are always offering lower and lower rates to be competitive. So why are you paying twice as much for half as less. Phone companies will buy out your contracts, and you could be saving hundreds of dollars with unlimited everything.
5. Electricity
ZAP – there is a lot of competition between energy providers, maybe it’s time to take advantage. I recently switched electricity, saved about $10 a month and received a free echo dot in the mail…sweet.
6. Gym
Yes, some of us go…mine is free because it’s my apartment complexes’, but if you must pay, you should probably rate shop because gyms offer promotions and if you are not that picky, that can save you hundreds or (depending on the gym) thousands a year.
In Conclusion
Rate shop regularly and keep your eye open for a sweet deal because you have better things to do with your money than throw it away. Keep in mind that promos don’t last forever, so if you signed up for a service that was a good deal back then doesn’t mean it’s a good deal now. BOOM! Money in da bank.
