You don’t need to accept the price quoted. If there are other providers on the market you can switch to, you’re in a good position to negotiate a better deal. This includes, for example, car and home insurance, mobile phone and broadband, TV packages and breakdown cover. You can haggle over email or via the provider’s live chat if you’re not comfortable haggling on the phone. Say that you’re thinking of leaving because you’ve found a cheaper deal.
Compare policies and slash your excess
Use comparison sites such as GoCompare.com, Confused.com and MoneySupermarket.com to see if you can find a cheaper quote. Once you’ve found the best and most suitable deal for you, see if your current provider can match the price. You may even find that cancellation fees are worth paying to save money by switching before your renewal date. Cut out any extras you don’t need and increase the excess to bring down the cost. If you can afford to pay your premiums annually instead of monthly, this will usually be cheaper too.
Switch if you’re out of contract
If your current contract has come to an end, check your deal. According to consumer association Which?, customers who are out-of-contract may be paying far more than new customers are charged, and can make savings of up to £200 a year on mobile, broadband or TV packages. If you’re on a standard broadband package, known as ADSL, for example, you could usually move to fibre broadband for a faster service for the same or even a lower price.
The average UK consumer uses just under 6GB of mobile data a month, according to Which? But you may be able to get a deal that includes unlimited data, for no extra cost. If you have a mobile handset you’re happy with, sim-only deals, which do not factor in a fee for the cost of the phone, start from about £5 a month.
If the price of your TV or broadband package has been creeping up over the years, check how much you used to pay, and the extras currently offered to new customers.
Harriet Meyer is a personal finance journalist
