I slashed essential bill by £300 per year thanks to Martin Lewis tip – and all it took was a 10-minute phone call
MONEY saving expert Martin Lewis has shared how to slash your mobile bill by £300 a year.
The financial guru has revealed an unconventional way to bag a better deal on your phone contract.
Brits can bag a better deal with their current provider without a hassle[/caption]With the cost of living looming over Brits, many are looking for ways to squeeze their pockets.
Major mobile and broadband firms have already hiked their prices by up to £50 for millions in April.
Lewis’ Money Saving Experts site has found a tricky hack to protect your hard-earned cash from soaring bills.
They recommend people to haggle with their service provider for a better price.
Haggling doesn’t need to be limited to backstreets of bazaars as some companies are willing to make concessions.
MSE posted on X, former Twitter, saying: “How are your haggling skills? If you hone them like MoneySaver Chris, you could also save a packet on your bills!”
They boasted a review from one happy customer who tried and tested the clever method.
Chris praised the trick after he managed to negotiate a £25 reduction in his monthly bill with BT.
He wrote: “I followed your tips on haggling with BT. Managed to reduce my monthly bill from £57 to £32 plus call charges (which are very small). Thanks for your very useful guidance.”
Bargaining for your contract can be similar to haggling with a salesman at a market.
The key is to make a business fight for your cash by saying that other providers have better deals or threatening to leave.
Make sure you do your research beforehand by using the Cheap Sim Finder and Broadband Comparison tools to find the best offers.
Take this information to your provider and ask them to match the price while remaining calm and polite.
Ask things such as : “Is this the best you can do?” or “This is the maximum I can pay according to my budget.”
Top-14 UK service companies to haggle with
- Virgin Media – 89% success rate
- TalkTalk – 89% success rate
- RAC – 85% success rate
- AA – 84% success rate
- Plusnet – 80% success rate
- Sky – 79% success rate
- BT – 76% success rate
- Admiral – 75% success rate
- Churchill – 73% success rate
- AA Insurance -73% success rate
- O2 – 73% success rate
- EE – 70% success rate
- Direct Line – 67% success rate
- LV – 63% success rate
If they don’t offer you a deal, ask to be put through to retentions – a department with huge hidden discounts.
MSE said that the provider will not automatically disconnect you if you ask to be put through to disconnections.
In fact, it is likely that they will give in to keep their longtime customer.
MSE reported that over 80 per cent of hagglers ended up snatching better deals with big firms like Virgin Media, the RAC and TalkTalk.
All it takes is a quick phone call and you might end up with £100s in savings in a year.
This advice comes in especially handy as Marin Lewis has previously warned that millions are being “ripped off” on their mobile phone bills and how to bring it down to £3.79.
He has urged 14million Brits entitled to better deals to check their bills as they could be overpaying £100s a year.
The financial guru has also revealed the one simple text Brits should send to save money on phone bills.
How can I find the best mobile phone deal?
The first thing to do is find out what the cheapest deal on the market is.
Sites like MoneySuperMarket and Uswitch all help you customise your search based on price, speed and provider.
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 just £10 a month.
Martin Lewis' top SIM picks
THE Money Saving Expert guru has revealed his top five SIM picks for less than £8 a month from cheap phone provider.
Lebara SIM cards:
- 3GB/month of data, 300 minutes and unlimited texts for an equivalent £3.20/month over 12 months.
- 5GB/month of data. Its £2/month for the first six months, then £4.90/month thereafter.
- 15GB/month Lebara Sim (uses Vodafone’s signal). It’s 99p/month, then £7.90/month thereafter.
iD Mobile SIM cards:
- 30GB/month of data, unlimited minutes and texts for £4 the first three months.
- 50GB/month of data, you claim a voucher that is equivalent to £4.92/month over the 12-month contract.
- 100GB/month of data and it’s £5/month for the first six months, then £10/month for the remainder of the contract.