For many people on tight budgets saving money is of vital importance especially if you need to meet monthly house, car or boat repayments. A few dollars here and there can really make a difference and Broadband Internet (including home phone, mobile phone, VoIP & Pay TV) is an area where significant savings can be made. Let's explore some of the following key factors that may assist you with saving some $$$ while checking out cheap Broadband Internet Products, bargains, special offers, discounts and deals.
Know your Product
It definitely helps to know your product. What I mean by this is 'What type of Broadband do you require and how much do you intend to use it'. There's no point in purchasing a Broadband product that you will not make full use of. Firstly, why pay more for a very fast connection if you're not going to take advantage of it, if a slower speed is cheaper and will suit your requirements? Or, why pay more for a plan with a huge usage limit that you'll barely touch? But hang on you say, 'but how do I know how much speed and usage I'll need?' Here's two pointers that may assist you.
Start off Small:
Typical terms and conditions with most Broadband Providers allow customers to change their contract options. Some fees usually apply when requesting a Usage Limit downgrade (ex. dropping from 20GB plan per month to 10GB), or when requesting a Speed drop (ex. ADSL 8000kbps to ADSL 1500kbps). Obviously, larger usage limits and fast connection speeds are more expensive. A 512kbps or 1500kbps speed with 2GB usage limit is a great starting point. It's generally more than enough for those that only occasionally check emails, surf a couple of websites and perform banking online. If this type of set up is not suiting your needs, you can always upgrade to another speed/usage limit at the start of you're next billing period (usually for fee). Important to note: ADSL2+ and Cable Broadband use different technologies and upgrading from ADSL to ADSL2+ or Cable may not be directly available. You will first need to check with your Provider.
Research:
You're obviously on the Internet reading this article now, so why don't you head across to our Broadband Help section where you can view some useful conversion tables. The link below will relocate you to a list of three tables that include a 'Download Usage Guide' with approximated download usage figures. Furthermore, you could also use a search engine like 'Google' to find other useful comparison tables and facts. http://broadbandguide.com.au/broadbandhelp/broadbandhelp/21-Broadband-Conversion-Tables
Broadband Bundles
Bundling Broadband with products such as Home Phone, Mobile Phone, Pay TV and VoIP services can greatly reduce you're monthly costs. Providers who offer 1, 2 or more of these services will usually give a set discount or multiple discounts according to how many products are bundled with your Broadband service. On the surface, monthly fees will appear as being reduced, however you will need to crunch all the call rates, line rental fees and start up fees among other hidden charges to really iron out the overall monthly saving, if any?
Cheap Broadband Plans
Cheap Broadband is not necessarily the best value for money Broadband, and although many cheap Broadband Plans can be exceptional value all round, its recommended that you do your research into the product. Attributes that you should consider scrutinizing prior to signing your life away are:
Network & Routing Quality:
ISP's need to peer with one another to exchange your data over their networks. The Internet backbone is made up from a number of interconnected routes which carry data across the world. Smaller ISP's (such as a regional ISP) will either resell products through a larger ISP network or connect to larger Providers who in turn may connect to a larger network backbone. Much routing occurs on the Internet which can greatly affect Broadband quality. Routing Protocols, Switches, Configurations, Network loads and the expertise of Network administrators can mean the difference between a good Internet Network and average Internet Network. Much like most services, cheap Broadband can have it's pros and cons. Research your Provider's network where possible.
Terms and Conditions:
The T & C's (fine print) of a Broadband Product is an area where the overall expense and savings can really be calculated. A typical Provider will give you a 'minimum monthly spend' over the contract period of time in these notes. Other fees and charges can also be located in the T & C's or usually elsewhere on the site. Key factors to consider here are:
Is there a cap for exceeding your limit?
Some Providers may shape (slow) your connection speed if your monthly usage limit is reached early and excess data is used. Generally shaping means that you don't have to pay extra,otherwise you may be charged. Ex. 10 cents for every MB used thereafter. This may, or may not be capped at a certain excess limit. Therefore 1GB over your limit could amount to an extra $100 on your monthly bill. Some Providers may cap you at a certain excess limit, charge you for this, then shape you. Ex. Once 500MB cap is reached and is charged at $XX, your speed will be reduced thereafter with no additional fees being charged. A cheap plan could be just that, but what about the hidden fees and conditions? 'Shaping' is generally the safer option to take if available.
Early contract termination or relocation fees
As this suggest, if you need to cancel your contract early for any reason, what will an early cancellation fee cost you? This could in fact amount to the total remaining monthly charges or a % of such. Same with relocating, how much will an ISP charge you to do this? Make enquiries.
Fees and charges all vary from Provider to Provider and the costs involved may even change you're opinion on a 'cheap plans' in some cases. Speak to your intended Provider's sales team and find out all there is to know about additional 'hidden' charges before making any assumption on cheap Broadband plans.
Broadband Special Offers, Discounts and Internet Deals
Finally, the special offers and discounts that ISP's use to lure customers to their products.
Common deals and discounts are 'free hardware' (modems/routers), free installation, free monthly fees (eg. 1, 2, 3 or 4 months free), Bundling Discounts (as discussed), lower call rates, half price offers etc.. etc.. Most of these deals and discounts are obviously used to promote and encourage the customer to sign up to a Broadband Product. Most are pretty much self explanatory too. Free monthly charges are a little bit tricky as most innocent consumers think their first 2 or 3 months will be free. Ah haa! Well think again cause some Providers may give you the 1st month free, then the 6th month free followed by the 12th month free when advertising '3 free months'. Again, look out for the contract terms and what you're getting locked into. Sure a few free months can substantially lower your overall costs, but what is the compromise? Most Providers will try and entice the customer into locking into a 24mth contract by dangling juicy deals, discounts, and offers over their heads. Locking you in means you may have to pay a significant amount of money if you should decide to leave early for whatever the reason. Weigh up the costs involved in a 6, 12 and 24month contract. Will it pay to sign up over a longer period?
Do you're research, surf around, google search terms. Make a list and call your prospective Providers to enquire. After all, it's what their sales and support help desks are there for.
Cheap Broadband at Broadband Guide
Broadband Bundles at Broadband Guide