A little more than five years, we bought a brand new car (GASP! I know — how not frugal!).
We wanted a Toyota Venza and it was the first model year so no used cars were available. (see???)
If you've ever bought a new car within the last few years, you probably have a trial subscription to Sirius XM radio. I think our trial subscription was for six months.
SiriusXM is pretty great. You get high quality audio, a bazillion different channels so you'll always be entertained, and it's available practically everywhere except if you're surrounded by mountains or in a tunnel. It's a solid service.
I just didn't want yet another subscription and even at $10.99 for their lowest “Mostly Music” package it was too much. Their $15.99 and $19.99 All Access are all reasonable prices (when our trial ended, it cost closer to $30 a month) given what you get but let me explain how easy it is to save 75%.
But… you should never pay full price for Sirius XM. Never. Ever.
SiriusXM is a prime case where negotiating your subscription rate will always save you money.
All you have to do is call in, threaten to cancel, and wait until they offer you their comeback offer.
You can always get 5 months of Sirius XM Radio for just $25. Sometimes people have gotten 6 months for $25.
All you need to say is “I love Sirius XM, I just can't afford that price. Is there any way you can help me?” — and they will help you. If they don't, hang up and call again.
It's very important that you take note of when your promotional period ends because they will start charging you full price immediately. There will be no warning, it's automatic renewal at the full price, so mark it on a calendar somewhere and set up notifications.
When the time nears, call them up again. Sometimes they'll cut right to the chase and offer to extend the deal. If you don't, cancel it and you'll get a winback offer in a month or two.
Don't take anything worse than that deal.