Martin Lewis urges everyone to do broadband and mobile bill check – and you could save £200 a year

MILLIONS of people could stand to cut their broadband and mobile bill by HALF to save cash.

That’s according to Martin Lewis, who shared the top tip as households face a cost of living crunch.

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The money-saving expert shared nearly 100 ways to save money in his weekly newsletter – including how to cut the essential bill in just two minutes.

An astonishing 16million people are out of contract on broadband or mobile, Martin said, and that means they are likely paying more than they need to.

“Many are on legacy contracts where you simply pay bog-standard full price,” he said.

But if you use a comparison site to check the deal you’re getting, it could save you over £200 a year if you find better.

This could help “offsetting some of the impact of energy hikes” he added.

Energy bills have increased for around 22million customers on standard tariffs.

That’s because the price cap, which is reviewed twice a year and caps the unit costs of gas and electric, increased on April 1 by 54%, pushing up bills.

It means the average dual fuel bill is now on average £700 more a year – but the exact cost for you will depend on your usage so check your bill.

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Meanwhile when it comes to cutting the cost of your broadband and mobile bill, here’s what you need to do.

How to save money on your broadband and mobile bill

Using a comparison site helps you check all the deals available in one place.

MSE has a broadband comparison tool and one for cheap mobile deals too.

Use sites Uswitch, Broadbandchoices and ComparetheMarket to help scour the market.

When comparing what’s on offer check it’s the right speeds or data for your needs.

You don’t want to end up going over data allowances and paying more than expected, for example, but equally you don’t want to spend money on data you don’t use.

You might also want to check you get signal where you are and you can do that using Ofcom’s coverage checker.

Companies often do introductory offers for new customers too and that could lower the price even further.

You can also try haggling with your current provider to match the cheaper deal you have found elsewhere.

Martin Lewis has previously advised those haggling should be polite and charming to boost your chances of getting your bills lowered.

A Virgin Media customer recently got £264 a year knocked off their bill just by asking for a discount.

They don’t have to match it but it’s worth a try, and if they don’t you can always switch to the better deal.

But note that moving when you’re still in a contract can cost you money in exit fees, so check first.

Off course the exact amount you can save depends on how much you’re paying now and the new deal you get – but you won’t know until you check.

Meanwhile it’s worth checking if you’re eligible for a social tariff from broadband companies – it’s estimated that 4million are missing out on around £144 a year saving.

We spoke to a serial haggler who saves thousands of pounds a year – just by asking.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk