How To Lower Your Internet Bill

It's totally valid to want to lower your internet bill, as broadband plans in NZ can get very expensive. The average cost of a standard fibre internet plan is around $80-150 per month. That price depends on your location, inclusions, and perks.

To be fair, however, as prices have increased over the years, it’s also become much faster and more reliable.

But just because it's become more of a necessity, it doesn’t mean you can't find ways to not have to pay the full price.

Here are some foolproof tips to lower your internet bill.

Read: How Much Is The Average Internet Bill In New Zealand?

Switch to a plan with lower internet speeds

Faster internet speeds as advertised don’t always mean a better broadband plan. While it’s tempting to get the faster plan available at your address, it may be a more practical option to choose a plan with lower speeds at more reasonable prices. 

At the same time, it’s not always practical to switch to a slower broadband plan. To get an idea of which speeds to choose from, it’s crucial to know your most common activities, household size, and devices used.

For a household consisting of four members, here’s a rough breakdown of the most common tasks and how much data they need for them. 

Household member	Activity	Speed
Parent/s (Mother and father)	Streaming video on Smart TV HD	5.00Mbps
	Shopping online	0.03Mbps
	Social media on a phone	1.03Mbps
	Streaming live TV to a Smart TV	10.00Mbps
	Working from Home	2.00 Mbps
	Texting on Smartphone	1.00Mbps
Teen child	Streaming music on Smartphone	1.96 Mbps
	Playing online games	3.00Mbps
Middle school-age child	Social media on a smartphone	1.03Mbps
	Doing homework online	1.50Mbps
	Streaming music on Alexa	1.51Mbps

If the household owns two smart devices, two tablets, and two AI assistants, here’s another rough breakdown of the data allowance.

Device	No. of devices	Speed
Smart devices	2 devices	10.00Mbps
Idle tablets	2 devices	2.00Mbps
Idle AI Assistants	2 devices	2.00Mbps
TOTAL		42.06Mbps

Source: Otelco

On average, they only really need a broadband plan with at least 42.06Mbps. Of course, this may not be an accurate breakdown for every household. Even a four-member household may need more or fewer internet speeds.

Make sure to get the speeds that match your needs, so you don’t pay for an expensive broadband plan with an overkill speed.

Cancel unnecessary extras and bundles

A lot of broadband providers are now bundling their broadband plans with extras such as a landline plan, mobile service, TV, power, and gas, among others.

This is great if you’re actually maximising them, but of course, it would be impractical if you don’t really use one of them. You can easily compare deals and switch to a stand-alone Broadband plan that could be cheaper for you in the long run.

By cancelling these services, you can save at least $10-20 per month.

• Landline
• Static IP address
• Gamer support
• Streaming services

Check out bundle deals with other utilities

On the other hand, it may be more practical to look for bundle deals. You know, the ones that you will actually use. If your broadband provider offers an energy, mobile, or TV plan that works perfectly in your address, bundling is a smart choice as they often come with inclusions, such as a modem and smart TV.

Some providers add rewards and exclusive freebies for bundling your utilities.

Check out the latest bundle offerings from NZ providers:

• Slingshot offers a monthly 10% for bundling power and another $5 per month for bundling your mobile plan.
• 2degrees offers free Amazon Prime Video if you sign up on a 12-month contract.
• Nova Energy provides a free LG Smart TV for bundling your broadband plan with electricity and/or gas.
• Sky Broadband has a one-year free Disney+ subscription for getting a 12-month contract.

Choose a more localised internet provider

Choosing a more localised internet provider may be better than getting a plan from a big provider. While this may not exactly lower your internet costs, this should guarantee you inclusions, connections, and better customer service.

These providers vary depending on your region, city, or town. Some examples of these localised broadband providers are the following:

Location	Provider	Services offered in
North Island	Aonet Broadband	Hawke’s Bay, Eskridge Farm Park, Paritu and Matarua Farm Park, Ruapehu District
	Evolution Networks	Eastern Bay of Plenty, Pikowai, Whakatane, Kutarere, Waiotahi Valley, Te Kaha
	Uber Group	Northland, Whangarei
	WIZwireless	Masterton, Wairarapa, Tararua
	Origin Wireless	East Coast, Northern Hawkes Bay, Opotiki, Otara, Waiotahi, Ohiwa, Wainui, Ohope, Torere, Tirohanga
	Taylor Broadband	Hawke’s Bay, Te Puke, Western Bay of Plenty, Tauranga
	WheroNet Rural	Pukekohe, Port Waikato, Te Kauwhata, Waikato
	Wireless Dynamic	King Country, Te Kuiti
	Lightwire Internet	Waikato, Bay of Plenty
	Primo Rural	Taranaki
South Island	Altra Internet	Akaroa, Banks Peninsula
	Amuri.Net	Waimakariri, Hurunui, North Canterbury
	Countrynet	Southern Lakes, Central Otago
	Ultimate Broadband	Banks Peninsula, Selwyn, Ashburton, Timaru, Mackenzie, Waimate, Waitaki Districts
	WiFi Connect	Hokitika, Bruce Bay
	Yrless Internet	Southland, Otago
	ZelanBroadband	Hokitika, Greymouth, Reefton, Westport
Both islands	RexNetworks	Throughout rural NZ, which may include Chatham Islands, Cook Islands, and Niue
	Wireless Nation
	Vodafone Rural Broadband
	Spark Rural Broadband
	NetSpeed
	Farmside
	BlueDoor

Read: Who Are The Best Rural Broadband Providers in New Zealand?

Purchase your own modem and router

If you don’t have an existing modem and router, providers offer a free modem for signing up with their 12-month contract. MyRepublic, NOW, and Stuff Fibre are among the biggest providers offering a free modem that can support up to 1000Mbps.

Otherwise, some providers offer a modem for rental, bundled in your internet plan. Others are offering rent-to-own, where you can keep the modem after your plan expires. However, if you want to lower your monthly broadband cost, purchasing your own router is the way to go. This can prevent you from paying an extra $5-30 per month on your internet deal.

Here are some of the most recommended routers currently available in NZ:

• Google Nest Wifi AC220 Mesh Wifi System
• Netgear Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 WiFi Router
• D-Link AC750 Dual-Band DSL-2878 Modem Router
• D-Link AC2600 DSL-3900 Viper Modem Router
• Netgear Nighthawk AX4 4-Stream AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 Router
• TP-Link AX6000 Next-Gen Wi-Fi Router

Read: 10 Best Routers To Boost Your NZ Broadband Plan

Note that some routers may not work with your broadband provider. Before purchasing your own modem and router, make sure to do your research or consult your provider to see what will work with your internet connection.

Watch out for discounts and promos

While most broadband offer plans with almost the same specs, they’re not created equal. Some providers pack their plans with big discounts and promos, such as the six-month-half-price, up to 3 months of free broadband, promotional price, and joining discounts, among others. Of course, some of them offer big discounts when you purchase a bundle deal.

Currently, the best standard fibre deals listed on glimp are the following:

	Promos and discounts	Bundle
Slingshot Unlimited	3 months of free broadband for new customers Free family filter for up to a year	10% off for a power bundle and an extra $5 discount per month for a mobile bundle
MyRepublic Fibre 100	6 months half-price, then $85 after Free TP-Link AC1600 rental router	---
Stuff Fibre Base Plan	6 months half-price, then $84.95 after Free SafeZone for blocking content	---
NOW Unlimited	6 months half-price, then $85 after	---
Compass Fibre 100	Get $50 off in the first 3 months, then $79.95 after Free Gigabit Wifi router	---
2degrees Unlimited	$14 discount per month $10 off per month for 2degrees Pay Monthly mobile customers $100 joining credit for new customers Free Amazon Prime Video for up to a year	---
Sky Broadband WiFi 100	Free Disney+ for up to a year on a 12-month  contract Free Sky WiFi6 Router	---
Nova Energy TV Bundle	---	Get a 43-inch LG Smart TV for free when bundled with electricity and/or gas

If only ADSL or VDSL is available in your area, you can also see the latest discounts, promos, and bundle deals using glimp's free comparison tool.

The same thing applies for a faster gigabit fibre with speeds as fast as 1000Mbps.

glimp's comparison tool is easy to use. Simply select, sort, and filter the add-ons that you want. Find the best plan for you in under 3 minutes!