Decoding Bundled Services

I have always been a big fan of puzzles. Not the lame kind where you put together a picture of a fruit basket at your Aunt Betty's house because she doesn't have a color TV, but the kind of brain teasers that get you thinking or guessing. Except for Rubik's Cubes. I have always been bad at those, probably because I am not a super smart Rubik's Cube solving robot. But can't a man dream?

Even though many of us enjoy giving our minds a work out, I'm sure that like me, you don't appreciate it when ordering home services feels like a brain teaser. Knowing what you want and what you can afford isn't exactly easy to figure out, given the myriad of options available. What makes this even harder is that providers are often promoting bundles of high-speed Internet, TV or phone for one monthly price, but it's not always apparent if this is a good deal or not. Many providers advertise bundles as a way of saving money on your bills, but is that how it often works?

Fortunately, the answer is "yes".

More often than not, bundles actually do represent cheaper prices than ordering the services individually.There are a few reasons for this. Mainly, providers want you as a customer just as much as you want to watch HD channels until you're blue in the face. This leads to more competitive pricing, and for a lot of people, getting multiple services for a low price is an excellent draw.

Allow me to use a couple of examples from WhiteFence's own deals to demonstrate some of the opportunities available when bundling.

AT&T Packages:

• ALL DISTANCE® ONLINE with nationwide calling (Price: $40.00)
• High-Speed Internet Pro w/ 3.0 Mbps (Price $30.00)
• AT&T U-verse U200 (Price $64.00)

Total Cost: $134.00/month


Compare that with the U100 Triple Pack Bundle, which includes:

• Digital phone w/ nationwide calling
• 3.0 Mbps Internet
• Up to 120 channels

Bundle Price: $109.00/month

That's $25.00 a month that the U100 Triple Pack saves when ordering that instead of each service individually. Over the course of the year, that comes out to $300 that stays in your pocket.

There are many more examples to cite where this is the case (Verizon and Windstream, just to name a couple), but you should still take the time to research which providers offer the best in savings when it comes to the services you want for your home. Hopefully, this little revelation here makes the idea of bundles a little less intimidating in the future.