How to haggle a cheaper broadband, mobile or TV deal

2 min read · 8 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Broadband, mobile and TV providers charge their loyal customers more than their new ones, and they expect you to argue. Most people never do. A ten-minute call once a year, with a little preparation, is one of the best-paid tasks in household finance.

This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Rules differ from country to country, so check with the consumer authority where you live.

Step by step

1. Find your contract end date

   Look at a recent bill or your online account. Providers in the UK must send an end-of-contract notice; elsewhere, note the date yourself. Haggling works best in the last month of the minimum term, when you are free to leave without a penalty.

   Done

2. Work out what you use

   How many devices are online at once, whether anyone streams in 4K, how much mobile data you really use. Paying for the fastest package you do not need is the first saving, before any discount.

   Done

3. Research the rival price

   Use two or three comparison sites, because they do not all show the same deals, and compare the total cost over a year, not the headline monthly price. Write down the best offer for the same speed or data, including any set-up fee.

   Done

4. Call and ask for retentions

   Phone, chat or visit a shop, whichever you prefer. Say you are considering leaving and ask to speak to the team that deals with customers who want to cancel, often called retentions or disconnections. They can approve discounts the first agent cannot.

   Done

5. Make your case

   Be assertive but polite. Name the rival deal and the price, say how long you have been a customer, and ask what they can do to keep you. Silence after the question works better than talking.

   Done

6. Ask for extras if the price will not move

   A faster speed or more data at the current price, a new router, free calls or a shorter contract are all real wins. Which? counts an upgrade at the same price as a successful haggle.

   Done

7. Be ready to leave

   If the offer is poor, say thank you and that you will switch. Often the better offer comes at that point, or by text a few days later. If it does not, switching really is the better deal: Which? found switchers saved more than hagglers, about 100 to 169 pounds a year.

   Done

8. Get it in writing

   Before you hang up, ask for the new price, the length of the contract and any extras to be confirmed by email or in your online account, and check the next bill.

   Done

Good to know

In the UK, the One Touch Switch process lets your new broadband provider handle the whole switch in about a day, and you have 14 days to change your mind.

If you receive certain benefits, ask about a social tariff: a cheaper plan that providers do not advertise.

Watch for mid-contract price rises in the small print; a fixed price for the whole term is worth a little more per month.

Related: forgotten subscriptions: how to find and cancel them, how to lower your energy bill and how to make a budget.

In short: Check the contract end date, know what you use, find the rival price, ask for retentions, name the deal politely, take extras if the price will not move, be ready to switch, get it confirmed in writing.