Tips for saving money on your monthly bills

We are all guilty of signing up for a trial period of a new online service and forgetting to cancel before we start getting billed but as the cost-of-living crisis intensifies people are looking at reducing their subscriptions to reduce their monthly outgoings.

Most people will subscribe to at least one service with the most popular or likely subscription being a mobile phone. But beyond mobile phones what other subscriptions do people tend to subscribe to? In this article we will focus our attention on digital subscriptions which translate to services.

As broadband internet connections have improved, content and service providers have found ways to take advantage, offering access to enhanced functionality and premium content with digital subscriptions. Break throughs in technology have gone hand in hand with this drive towards online content and subscriptions. Most homes will feature a smart TV, games console, tablet, and smart phone all of which will utilise apps to access music and video streaming along with a raft of other pay monthly subscriptions.

Historically consumers would likely have subscribed to Sky or Virgin media which provided dedicated hardware to connect to their content and services but thanks to modern high speed broadband connections these traditional services have faced serious competition. Early competition came from DVD rental service Love Film which would allow customers to enjoy the latest movies from the comfort of their own homes without the trip to the local Blockbusters. But the real competition came from online streaming services such as Amazon Prime & Netflix offering on demand streaming of the latest movies and TV shows as well as historical content. Netflix proved to be very popular with its flexible 30-day rolling contract allowing subscribers to cancel with no penalty and inspired the phrase “binge watching”. Online streaming services do not stop at video either, several online streaming services for music and radio appeared offering unlimited access to music, both new and old.

Other subscription models exist alongside main services which are referred to as bolt-ons and have existed since Sky and Virgin media enjoyed control of subscription TV. Popular bolt-ons include movie channels and sports packages which encourage users to customise their subscription TV & broadband service to create a bundle. Service providers often reward customers that subscribe to multiple products with lower pricing than if the products were subscribed to separately. A very common bundle found in the UK is a combination of landline, broadband and TV and is offered by BT, Sky and Virgin Media among others.

A more recent subscription model can be found with games consoles which typically provide access to a back catalogue of games and enhanced online features. This type of subscription is rising in popularity as console manufacturer are working towards removing the disc drive in favour of cloud-based gaming with customers owning a digital version of their games instead of a physical copy. Much like a smart TV, games consoles are seen as central entertainment units or media centres offering access to multiple services beyond their base function via apps.

When considering the availability, range and the number of subscriptions that are typically subscribed to you can understand why people are reviewing them as a means to reduce their monthly outgoings. Below is a sample list of the most popular digital subscription services, how many are you currently subscribed to?

• Netflix

• Amazon Prime

• Disney+

• Sky

• Virgin

• BT Sports

• Now TV

• Office 365

• Xbox Live

• PlayStation Network

• Apple TV+

• Ring

A question we frequently encounter with customers migrating to our fibre broadband service is; what about my sports or movie packages? When we enquire how often the customer accesses these services it often becomes clear that most only use the service(s) from time to time. The most common example would be customers who subscribe to sports TV packages but confess that they only tend to use the service during football season but continue to pay for the service throughout the year. And so, what is the answer? To both save money and to unshackle from the traditional bundle subscription model customers should ask themselves how often they use a service and are they getting value for money? As discussed briefly earlier in this article; most of the modern on demand streaming services such as Disney+ and Netflix offer flexible 30-day rolling contracts and it has become common practice for customers to subscribed for 30 days to simple watch the latest season of their favourite TV show or for entertainment during holiday seasons.

In regard to the traditional landline, broadband and TV bundle, did you know that BT will be terminating analogue landlines in 2025? Most will assume that they require a landline to access the internet but whilst you do need a physical line coming into your property you do not require an active telephone landline to enjoy broadband internet. As most people now use mobile phones for telephone conversation or communication you should really ask yourself if you still need a landline telephone or is it simply out of habit? If you draw the conclusion that you do not need a landline telephone, then you should also ask yourself if you need a TV subscription bundled in with your broadband connection. By removing the landline telephone and TV bundle from your broadband internet you can save a lot of money each month.

Are you looking for hassle free broadband fibre with unlimited data and no gimmicks? Take a look at our fibre broadband offering, we can provide both fibre to the cabinet and fibre to the property.