The best way to get a discount? Ask for one!

The prices of many services seem like they're set in stone, and some very well may be. But if they aren't, a company isn't going to publicly announce that fact. You'll have to ask for a better price.

Case in point: May is car insurance month at my house. Instead of writing a check to our provider, we called around a few other places to ask what they'd charge for similar coverage. With that information, we went back to our provider and asked for a price match. The company didn't match the lowest price, but the agent did actively look for discounts that applied for us and lowered our bill $20. That's a win to me: $20 that stayed in my pocket and continued coverage from a company we've done business with for a long time.

The same principle applies when promotional rates expire. The special rate for my internet and cable service expired at the end of May. The company had sent a rather vague letter saying that when the promotional rate expired, they'd offer me another rate lower than the normal price but higher than what I was paying. But in the letter they never told me what the new rate would be.

When I got my statement, I saw the company increased my bill by $20. I called customer service and asked to speak to someone in the retention department. He outlined all my options. I took careful notes. Then I asked the key question: "Is that the best you can do?" In the end, I agreed to one of the plans he outlined, which will cost us only $3 more than our old deal and will last until May 2010.

The key to haggling is to not be intimidated. Companies want to keep your business. Your dollars help them stay in business, thus they're often willing to work with you as a customer to keep your business. And the worse thing anyone can tell you is "no." If they do... oh well. But they may very well say "yes" and drop the price or find some other way to work with you to improve your service.