Welcome to Ask Clark, a column designed to answer your financial questions, by money expert Clark Howard.
I Want More Bandwidth, But My Internet Service Provider Says I Have to Sign Up for Auto-Pay. Can I Avoid This?
Michael asks: “Big Cable is my internet service provider. I want more bandwidth, but they want auto bill pay in return. I don’t do auto bill pay. What’s your recommendation to get around this?”
Clark’s Take on Getting More Internet Bandwidth While Trying to Avoid AutoPay
Clark says: “I gather you’re stuck with your monopoly cable company as your only choice for internet. They are in a position to make the rules however they wish. And if you need more bandwidth, you’re going to have to suffer through allowing auto-pay.”
Whatever you do, Clark says never sign up for auto-pay with a debit card. In fact, he recommends that you use a credit card for all your purchases.
If you’re fed up with your internet service provider, Clark recommends you take a look at the following two options:
“Both are far cheaper than monthly internet from the cable monsters, and in addition, they offer unlimited data typically,” he says.
Of course, you’ll need to do some research on Verizon and T-Mobile’s internet offerings (here’s our T-Mobile internet write-up) and see whether they’re available in your area.
Interested in saving money? Here’s how to find the best deal on home internet service.
To hear Clark’s full take on this question, listen to the segment here:
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