Save on phone, broadband and streaming services

The need for, and use of, phone and internet services varies greatly from household to household and so will the ability to reduce the cost of these services. Whether you’re using them for work, education, entertainment, or communications purposes, for many people they’re an essential expense but one to be weighed up carefully when looking for ways to save on costs.

Savings tips for your telecommunication and streaming services

Here are some suggestions on ways to reduce your phone, internet, and streaming services bills:

1. Shop around and compare plans. Look for the best deals on phone, internet, and streaming services by comparing plans from different providers. Use comparison websites to help you find the most cost-effective options.
   
2. Negotiate with your current provider. If you're happy with your current provider but would like to pay less, consider negotiating a better deal. Contact them and ask if they can offer you a better rate or find out if they have any special offers available.
3. Downgrade your plan. If you're paying for more than you need, consider downgrading your plan to a more affordable option. Look at your usage and choose a plan that offers enough data, call minutes, and texts to cover your needs.
4. Investigate bundled services. Some providers offer bundle deals for phone, internet, and streaming services at a lower price than you would pay for each of them individually.
5. Consider prepaid plans. Prepaid plans may help to avoid bill shock. Using a prepaid plan, you pay a set amount upfront for a certain amount of data/calls, making it simpler to manage your expenses.
6. Review subscriptions. If you’ve accumulated multiple streaming services, review your usage of each and consider if you need them all or whether you could cancel some. You might like to apply this thinking to all your subscriptions, like online libraries or digital memberships, to check your usage and possibly identify other opportunities to save.

Be cautious using public Wi-Fi

One way people choose to save on their data costs, is to use public Wi-Fi where it’s available. It’s important to take care when using public Wi-Fi as it may pose a possible security risk to you. To stay safe on public Wi-Fi, it's best to avoid using it for sensitive transactions or any activity that involves sharing personal information. You can find out more in Westpac’s Be Safe and Secure guide (PDF 2MB).