Martin Lewis shares insider tip to get extra discounts on household bill

Martin Lewis shares insider tip to get extra discounts on household billHe spoke about what to include in a message if you are contacting your providerCommentsMoneyNicholas Dawson09:53, 12 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesMartin Lewis shared some tips on his BBC podcast(Image: ITV)Martin Lewis has tackled a question about getting the biggest savings possible on household expenses. The financial journalist offered his insight after fielding a particularly detailed question on his BBC podcast.‌A listener rang in with a question about their mobile phone deal. They said they were a Vodafone customer and that their contract had come up for renewal last year. They were considering switching providers, but ultimately they stayed put after negotiating a 50 per cent reduction on their renewal price.‌Their monthly payment was initially due to rise from £26 to £27.80, representing a 6.9 per cent hike of £1.80. However, when their April bill arrived, they noticed the 50 per cent discount had been calculated only against their previous bill, slashing the monthly charge by £13, while the full £1.80 rise had been applied.‌The customer believed the 50 per cent reduction should equally apply to the £1.80 increase, trimming their bill by an additional 90p each month, or £10.80 annually. In reply, Mr Lewis enquired what steps the man had taken to resolve the matter.Little-known tipThe bill payer said he'd raised it with Vodafone via webchat, but the firm maintained that the discount applied solely to the base price, not the increment. Giving his view, Mr Lewis acknowledged there is "no hard answer" to this particular puzzle.State Pensioners to face major tax change‌However, the consumer expert shared a handy trick that a "senior at a telecoms firm" once told him, about how they deal with disputes like this. He said: "They have a special team for dealing with complaints if people are threatening to escalate to the Ombudsman, because if you go to the Ombudsman, they ha...