How to save money on your streaming subscriptions

Have you taken a good, hard look at the costs of all of your streaming subscriptions lately? If so, you might still be recovering from the shock. Not only are streaming services a luxury to begin with, but they also regularly raise their prices: each one can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year. It adds up!

To make matters even more complicated (and costly), new streaming services seem to pop up all the time, and many shows, movies and podcasts are available exclusively on one platform, making you feel like you need them all. But do you? It’s likely you’re already paying more than you need to for your existing streaming subscriptions. But those costs are not set in stone.

The truth is you can — and should — negotiate your streaming service bills. Everything from the features in your plan to the cost of the plan itself is up for negotiation. Consumers who know this come out on top. Just ask New Yorker John Braswell, who’s haggled his way to paying one quarter of his original streaming satellite radio subscription for the past 10 years. “I keep doing it every year when it goes back up,” Braswell explains to Yahoo Life. “I say no to the first few offers and get it down pretty low.”

Barry Gross, founder and president of bill negotiation service BillCutterz, agrees with the check-in method. “I set my calendar to contact my service providers every six months or if my monthly bill goes up, whichever comes first,” he tells Yahoo Life. We asked Gross to help answer some frequently asked questions about negotiating your own streaming service bill whether it’s Netflix, Hulu or Max. Get ready to cut some costs without sacrificing the entertainment you love.

What’s the best method for contacting a streaming service provider?

Your best bet is to call the provider’s customer service department and speak with a live person, according to both consumers and professional negotiators, as emailing is typically known to yield less savings, if any. If you’re interested in the best possible discounts, ask for the “Loyalty or Retention Department” directly, adds Gross. “If you are speaking with someone in customer service, expect miniscule results.”

What’s your best approach once you do get a representative on the phone?

The ‘more flies with honey’ concept applies here: be mindful of your tone. Communicate with courtesy and use the rep’s name to build rapport. It’ll set you apart from all the angry customers they’re probably dealing with the rest of the day. And make sure you’ve looked over your current bill in advance and reviewed your charges line by line before you start negotiating.

What’s the most effortless way to negotiate a streaming service bill?

Use the ‘say less’ method to do as little work as possible to get the customer service representative to lower your bill, recommends Gross. When you get a live person on the phone and they ask the reason for your call, simply say, ‘I’m calling to see what you can do to lower my monthly bill without changing my plan.’” Then, stay silent. He emphasizes not to interrupt and to answer any followup questions about your service by staying on point and reiterating that you simply want to lower your bill. When the rep presents a potential discount, ask, ‘What else can you do to lower my bill?,’ then stay silent again. Repeat this until they can no longer increase your savings. “Remember, silence is money,” says Gross.

What’s the best proactive method for lowering your bill?

Probably the most popular and effective way to have the cost of your streaming service lowered is to use other service providers as leverage. “Tell them you want to cancel because it’s too expensive and you’re going with another company who gave you a better price,” recommends Danielle Santoro of New Jersey, who’s used this method successfully over the years. No need to bluff either, says Gross. He suggests doing your homework and comparing the costs of different streaming services to see who indeed does offer a better price before you call. “Just the mention of a competitor’s name will perk up the ears of whomever you’re speaking with.”

Should you downgrade your streaming plan to lower costs?

Choosing to remove some features from your subscription plan is a path of least resistance if you want to lower your bill, and something to consider once you’ve seen how low the service will bring down your cost without compromising at all. Go over membership tiers beforehand and be prepared to tell the representative which features you’re willing to forgo in order to lower the cost of the service.

How often should you reassess your streaming subscription and negotiate for a lower rate?

Regularly checking in with your streaming service is important for maintaining the lowest bill possible. Gross says once every six months is a good rule of thumb. “Service providers offer new discounts about every 60 to 90 days, but the public rarely will hear about these…as it would cost [the service] too much money if everyone took advantage of them,” he tells Yahoo Life. So check in regularly and ask for the latest discounts you can take advantage of.

Should you cancel your streaming subscription?

If you’re considering canceling your streaming subscription, experts recommend doing so on the phone with a live rep instead of via email. That way, they’ll hopefully offer you their lowest possible price to retain you. But if you’ve made up your mind for sure, review the service’s cancellation policies so you can go about the process as efficiently as possible. Then you can usually cancel your subscription by navigating to your account settings online or in the service’s mobile app.