The best cord cutting tips according to Roku customers!

I get it—cord cutting can feel a little daunting for some. After a long time relying on traditional cable services to catch your favorite shows, some streamers-to-be may need some friendly advice on how to watch TV without cable. If you fall into that category, this blog post is for you!

To help you cut cable and start streaming, we polled Roku customers across Facebook, Twitter and Reddit for their cord cutting tips. After sifting through over 1,000 tips (no easy feat), we curated the ultimate list of cord cutting advice and dropped it here.

And if you need a little extra incentive to get started, get $12 off on the Roku Express until 7/16!

What is cord cutting? 

Cord cutting refers to canceling traditional subscription cable or satellite services for internet-based streaming alternatives that often prove to be more cost-effective. With a good internet connection and a Roku TV, anyone can cut the cord and free themselves from expensive cable contracts!

What are the best alternatives to cable?

Lucky for you, there are scores of flexible entertainment options that let you enjoy live TV, sports, news, and more without the hassle of a cable or satellite subscription. These options offer bundles of channels at affordable prices, without the hidden fees or cumbersome contracts.

Don’t believe us? Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and fuboTV are just a few options that can release you from the bonds of cable. Make sure to check out our list of cable alternatives here!

Ready to cut the cord? Here are the top cord cutting tips from our awesome Roku customers.

Best tips according to our customers:

General tips

• “Make sure you have high speed internet!”
• “If you’re used to closed captioning with cable programming, Roku has way more options for customizing your experience like text size, color, and background.”
• “See if your credit card perks reimburse specific streaming channels or if extra airline miles can be redeemed for premium channel subscriptions.”
• “You get more with streaming than you do with cable for just a fraction of the cost.”

Saving money

• “Never look back at those horrible cable bills. I’ve saved so much money. Wish I did it sooner!”
• “Take your cable listing. Figure out how many channels you actually watch. Divide that by how much you pay for cable and work out the price per channel. Realize how much more you are paying for channels you never actually watch.”
• “Rotating services will save you money. Subscribing to every service every month just isn’t necessary.”
• “Paying for cable is like buying $200 worth of groceries, but $150 of the items you don’t eat.
• “Our bill went from over $200 to just $99. Absolutely worth it!”

Free channels

• “Check out free channels first to see how much you could save without sacrificing content.”
• “Check out live TV channels on The Roku Channel.”
• “Before you sign up for premium subscriptions, download all the free streaming channels to decide what gaps in traditional TV programming you want to fill.”
• “Ask your local library if they offer Hoopla or Kanopy logins. There are so many movies to watch for free if you have a library card!”

Antenna

• “Buy a cheap antenna for local channels.”
• “Get yourself an antenna. If you’re near a major city, you can probably receive dozens of over-the-air signals, including major networks.”
• “We had basic cable, so after trying out a few over-the-air antenna options, we basically have the same channels for free.”

Streaming channels

• “Many streaming services have free or low-cost tiers with ads. This helps you get all the content you want while saving big.”
• “If you like sports, research which services will carry your preferred games and teams.”
• “Try out various streaming services’ free trials.”
• “Switch services when you get bored, as most of them don’t require contracts. Binge what you want, then move on!”
• “For local news, search the Channel Store for your favorite news station. Many now have Roku apps.”

Ready to cut the cord and take the plunge? Here’s how to stream local channels, news, and weather on your Roku device!

Happy Streaming!