Are you new or fairly new to cord cutting? Maybe you are just thinking about it. We have a few things we want you to know to help you get the most from cord cutting.
#1 Don’t Rush into It
The number one mistake people make when they cut the cord is rushing into it. When you rush into cord cutting you add a lot of unneeded stress to the process.
Taking cord cutting slowly can help you avoid overpaying and make it less stressful. So long before you call to cancel your cable TV make sure to set up everything—from your antenna to streaming players. Test out different streaming services before canceling pay TV.
This way when you cancel your pay-TV provider you are not rushing out to buy any antenna you can find in hopes of watching your favorite show tonight. A little preparation will ensure that when you cancel cable TV you are set for your life as a cord cutter.
#2 Don’t Get Tricked into Overpaying for Internet
Often when you downgrade to internet only one of two things will happen. They will do their best to convince you to upgrade your internet speed to a crazy high level, or they will try to get you to bundle.
The truth is 25 Mbps down is a good starting point for streaming. (But faster is nice.) If you want to upgrade to a faster speed, you can always get upgraded. Getting them to downgrade to a cheaper plan is harder, so start low and work your way up until you find the speed that is right for you.
They will try to get you to bundle your service with a phone or TV option. Remember: Don’t get tricked into promotional pricing and don’t forget about the hidden fees. They will say anything over the phone but remember when you add services they add fees and often only tell you the promotional rate.
#3 Only Subscribe When You Need That Service
Don’t worry about contracts. Unlike cable TV there are no year-long contracts with cord cutting streaming services. You can add or drop subscriptions whenever you want. If you only want a live TV service for sports only pay for it when your sport is on. Only want HBO for Game of Thrones? Then pay for HBO Now only when Game of Thrones is on.
Often new cord cutters get stuck in the mindset that once they start to pay they need to keep paying. If you find that you don’t use a service drop it to save money.
Also resist the temptation to be a kid in a candy store. No, you don’t need everything at once. Maybe this month you get one service and next month subscribe to a different one. Often when new cord cutters get started they want to test out everything at once. Before you do that first try a few and decide if you want more later. By only subscribing to services when you use them you can easily save hundreds of dollars every year.
There you go. My top three tips for new cord cutters! Also make sure to checkout our Beginners Guide to Cord Cutting.
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