Cutting the Cord Free

About 6 weeks ago I opened a bill from Comcast, $139!  This must be some sort of mistake I shrieked, it couldn't be that much.  After all I didn't have cable just internet. Apparently my year of $39.99 a month, "the special", which really came to about $58 if you include the cost of modem rental and taxes was up.  This was the final straw, I decided to not only cut the cable cord but burn it.

While paying my prepaid wireless bill I saw a special for Direct TV Now.  Now I already had Direct TV Now I thought and nearly dismissed it until I saw the fine print.   ATT wireless customers get dara free streaming.  Sure I said, likely story, in the meantime as an ATT customer it was time to upgrade my cellphone so I decided to bite the bullet and get a postpaid account.  My association had a 15% discount on the monthly rate.  Since I was all about saving money I decided to give it a go. Consequently it did not matter if it was prepaid or postpaid Direct TV Now streaming was not only free but you got a monthly discount.

Still not convinced I decided to give it a whirl.  To my surprise they really meant it when they say free.  I streamed Direct TV Now from the time I woke up until I went to bed for the month without an issue with my data.  I used the phone as a mobile Hotspot, surfed the internet, watched Amazon video, Netflix, Acorn TV and still am able to stream. So I'm sold. Free from cable at last! Now if I can only get Verizon to stop sending their solicitation minions to my door.📺

Cutting the Cord 2

Okay I admit it.  My name is Loretta and I am a TV fanatic a proud member of the television generation.   In a span of a few decades I have seen it go from Boob Tube, Idiot Box to Smart TV.  Imagine that.  Who would have ever thought that TV would be so interactive actually placing the viewer in control?  A genius move or is it?  There are an assortment of programs to choose right at your fingertips, Educational, Informative, Religious, to just plain Entertaining.  You can watch what you want when you want 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and if you don't like commercials for a small fee they go bye bye.

In my Cutting the Cord post last August I wrote about Blue Ray Players.  It's time to move on to TV services, after my last $300 cable bill I decided to use my money more wisely and actually cut my bill by more than 65%!

Here are a few popular services that I've tried:

Amazon Fire TV📺📺📺
Awesome streaming video and bundled with a Prime Membership.  Amazon Channels have a wide variety of programming apps.  Some Smart TVs come with the app pre-loaded otherwise you fork up $30 or more for a streaming stick. Better if there were live programming and a larger selection of original shows.

Acorn TV📺📺
If Award Winning and Entertaining British programming is your thing this may in fact be for you.  I love to watch it on rainy Sundays.  Low membership fee around $5 per month or yearly for under $50.

Sling TV📺📺
Definitely Al a Carte TV with dependable streaming.  You can design your own programs to watch.  Easy interface.  Search and find, there is something for everyone.  They won't cut you off if you are late on your payment.  Gift Card subscriptions are tricky, I suggest that if you start with a gift card continue to use one throughout.  Pricey but not nearly the cost of Cable TV.

Neflix📺📺📺
Excellent, need I say more.  Low cost, great original programming, and dazzling video.  You can add user profiles and filter for children.  No live programming.

Direct TV Now📺📺
Low cost, great live and on-demand programming, sharp video. 3 tiers of packages with multiple channel selections.   If you have ATT cell phone service you can get bundled specials.  Doesn't play well with older fire TV sticks.  Better on laptops or computing devices.  💻📱

Hulu📺📺
If you don't have a DVR and/or live network television reception then stop right here.
Missed a network show or soap?  You can watch it a few hours to a day after they air.
Better if live TV Beta was more consistent with streaming.  Interface is somewhat clunky but you'll get used to it.  Pricey with Live TV, far less than cable.

CBS All Access📺
Current Programs live and pre-recorded.  Excellent video.  Low cost for live network TV.
Restricted to CBS programming.  Good if you can't get the local channel with your antenna.

There's still no getting out of paying for a reliable internet service.  I'm sure if you shop around the right provider is not too far away.  I also found that most TV services wanted a credit bank/card for recurring charges.  This can become a bit cumbersome when managing multiple services not to mention paying interest and losing savings.  Some providers will inquire on your credit card or debit card a few days to a week in advance to see how much funds you have.  One provider will suspend your services until they get a "good" card.  This may also apply if you change your payment method.  A workaround is gift card subscriptions.  Yes you can buy a gift card on Amazon, and redeem it on the provider's website.  That way you can manage your spending and won't have to worry about cutting off or suspending service while on vacation if you plan it carefully.