In a trending TikTok video, Elise Warren (@myfriendelise) detailed her clever approach to significantly reducing her monthly expenses, like her Xfinity bill. She also emphasizes the importance of leveraging local and federal resources (including the Affordable Connectivity Program), particularly for low-income individuals.
“My promotion deal for Xfinity expired, and I went from paying $60 a month to paying $90 a month,” Warren began, outlining a scenario familiar to many. However, she decided to take action. “So I called and bluffed canceling; they brought it down to $40.” This savings in itself would be considered a win by many, but she didn’t stop there. “And then I applied for the ACP, the Affordable Connectivity Program, and that’s a $30 a month credit, so now I’m paying $10 a month for Xfinity. The speeds are the same.”
@myfriendelise Any other tips to #savethatmoney ♬ original sound – Elise Warren
Not content with reducing her internet bill, she applied the same tactics across various services. Warren said, “Then I did the same thing with my power company, and now I get 25% off all future bills. I did the same thing with Amazon, got my Prime Membership cut in half, and I did the same thing for a local public transit. And now the most I’ll ever pay is $28 a month.”
But Warren’s message wasn’t solely about cost-saving strategies; it was a call to action for others in similar situations. “All of this to say if you are being exploited for your labor, and you are low income, or if you’re on SNAP, I highly recommend that you look into the resources available for you in your community and you take full advantage of them,” she urged.
One commenter congratulated Warren, “Now this is girl math.” She replied that including the Xfinity hack: “I just saved this household $1,500+ per year, so basically I just made $1,500. That’s amazing. I’m amazing. Now I can treat myself.”
“Even if you aren’t low income, it’s amazing how you can save money if you just threaten to cancel,” said another commenter. “Yeah it works on common web services and subscriptions too!” Warren replied. “If you get to that final ‘cancel subscription’ page, suddenly there are deals galore!”
“I want to do this but I’m scared that they will actually cancel it and then I’ll have to figure out how to sign up again,” said one fearful person. But there are some off-the-beaten-path resources, too. “If y’all have Comcast, just go to the Xfinity subreddit, the employees who work on there will get you a better promo if you ask 😊 no phone call needed,” said a commenter.
Another asked about the savings on Amazon, and Warren told the commenter to “Google ‘Amazon half off,’ and it will bring you to the page where you can enter your student or EBT info for 50% [off of] your subscription.”
Warren makes note of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, which provides households with subsidized broadband service and connected devices. The FCC-managed program has initiatives like the high-cost area benefit, discounts up to $75/month in specific zones, and other programs to increase accessibility. Aimed at affordability, it ensures participating providers maintain transparency in their pricing, ensuring consumers benefit from cost savings. Xfinity has an application for its customers to utilize the program.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Warren via TikTok comment and Xfinity via email.
