How to Get a Lower Internet Bill

In the early days of broadband, it was common to see Internet plans offering unlimited amounts of data. However, many Internet providers today are adopting alternative billing models to keep pace with the surge of demand for high-speed Internet. Regardless of whether your provider bills you per gigabyte or you are subject to throttling which occurs after a threshold is met, you can get a lower Internet bill by following a few simple tips:

Use Free WiFi When Possible

A little-known fact for cable customers is that many cable companies are now offering high-speed WiFi access in many locations across the US at no charge to their customers. In many cases, this service is designed to help customers bypass the astronomical costs of cellular data when on the go. If you often travel outside your cable company’s territory, thanks to mutual arrangements from multiple cable companies, you can continue using the complementary WiFi even while traveling.

Even if you aren’t a cable customer, many restaurants and businesses offer WiFi at no charge to customers. Although many road warriors use these networks for their laptops, almost every modern smartphone supports WiFi, meaning if you expect to be at a location for a while, you can save a bit of data by connecting your smartphone to the wireless network.

How to Save Data at Home and get a lower internet bill

Although cellular data is typically the biggest area of focus for consumers who want to lower their Internet bill, there are a few simple tips you can take to keep your home Internet costs in check. One of the biggest areas for excessive Internet usage is BitTorrent and other forms of peer-to-peer file sharing. While these services can be used for legitimate purposes, many Internet providers look down on such programs due to piracy concerns.

While avoiding BitTorrent at all costs isn’t practical for all users, if you disable BitTorrent uploads in your client, you can greatly improve your standing with your Internet company since you won’t be running a server for other people to download content. Streaming content is another activity that can use of significant amounts of data. However, most Internet providers target heavy BitTorrent users due to privacy concerns. Streaming content, on the other hand, is unlikely to cause issues, since it often is legitimate.

Despite many Internet providers’ rising rates to compensate for high Internet demand, you don’t have to pay a premium for such services. By following the simple tips mentioned above, you can get a lower Internet bill.