I save over £150 a year on household bill thanks to handy Martin Lewis tip – how you can too
A MARTIN Lewis fan has revealed how they managed to save £150 on a household bill thanks to a handy tip.
John revealed how he slashed his mobile bill to just £6 a month and even got a data boost after following MoneySavingExpert‘s (MSE) advice.
He had read MSE’s story a few weeks ago warning that people could be paying too much for their phones.
The Martin Lewis-founded consumer site explained that if customers are paying more than £9 a month they’re likely being “stiffed”.
Coupled with the recent phone hikes it means Brits are paying way more than they need to.
John decided to look into it after reading and found he could save a whopping £156 a year.
Writing in this week’s newsletter he said: “After taking your advice, my bill went from over £19 per month to just £6 a month.
“A saving of £156 a year, plus another 5GB a month of data staying with the same provider (EE).”
It’s always worth asking your provider if they’ll offer you something cheaper anyway so do give them a call even if you’re in contract.
You could be paying more for some legitimate reasons, like being within contract still, roaming abroad, using lots of data or wanting to stick to one network.
But if you’re out of contract, MSE suggested switching providers – 14million customers pay way more than they need to.
You can use cheap comparison tools to find the current best deal.
If your phone is locked to a network, then it must be unlocked for free by your current provider.
Most providers piggyback off the main four networks – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – so don’t worry about losing signal.
So if you’ve found a good deal, you can check which network it uses before signing up to it.
For example, right now customers could get a £3.35/ a month Sim-only deal with Lycamobile which includes 5GB of data and unlimited calls and texts, according to MSE’s mobile phone comparison tool.
If you’re within contract and want to switch then do be aware of hefty fees.
Some providers will charge you to leave so do check before making any decisions.
If not, make a note of the date your contract ends and check out other deals that you could switch over to.
How can I cut my mobile bill?
If you think your bills are too high and want to drive them down, the first thing to do is find out what the cheapest deal on the market is.
You can use this rate as a bargaining tool to get a better offer from your provider or as inspiration to switch providers.
Sites like MoneySuperMarket and Uswitch all help you customise your search based on price, speed and provider.
Haggle a cheaper deal
If you’ve found a cheaper rate with another provider get in contact with your provider to see if they can match the price.
If you’re unsuccessful at haggling, then you could threaten to leave.
Your provider might then feel more inclined to keep you by offering you a better deal.
Attempting to haggle will always make it easier to decide whether to renew your contract or move to another provider.
Check if you can get a social tariff
If your household is on a low income it’s also worth investigating social tariffs.
These broadband packages and discounts have been created for people who are receiving certain benefits.
They’re often available to those on income support, Universal Credit, or disability allowance.
Around 4.2million households are eligible for these cheaper tariffs but only 55,000 are making use of them.
Voxi and SMARTY both offer these cheaper mobile phone contracts and prices start at £10 a month.
Meanwhile, the best and worst mobile providers for value for money have been revealed by Which?.
Plus, two major mobile networks are giving millions of customers free mobile data this weekend – but the offer ends at midnight.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk