Get More by Asking
/Ask to Save Money
First Published Date: January 20, 2016
Whether you are buying something or renewing a service, credit card, or anything for that matter, it does not hurt to explore opportunities to save money simply by asking. Yes, it may not work all the time, but you will never know the outcome if you don’t ask.
I will discuss two examples that I went through in the last few weeks in which I was able to save more and get more just by asking. The first incident was related to renewal of my hosting package that occurs every three years. I received an automated bill from my hosting company stating my credit card will be charged $360 in two weeks to renew my hosting for the next few years. Instead of just letting it happen, I called my web hosting company to see if they can provide me any discounts. After being on the phone with them for an hour and getting transferred from one department to another three times, the final rep was able to gave me deal with a 45% discount. So I saved $162 and ended up paying $198 – not bad for being on the phone for an hour.
The other example is related to renewing one of my annual fee credit cards. Just before the anniversary date, I called my credit card company and asked them if they could provide me a deal, stating that if not I would cancel my credit card. Sure enough, the rep came up with an offer that rewards me 15,000 points just for keeping the card. Yes, I have to pay a $120 annual fee, but the rewards points are worth more than $500 if I transfer them to airline points on promotion and use them for a flight.
It can definitely pay off to ask for more or discounts whenever opportunities exist.
