---
name: Lower This Bill
category: life
works_with: [claude, chatgpt, gemini]
difficulty: plug-and-play
version: 1.0
source: original
tested: no
---

# Lower This Bill

## What it does
Gets a recurring bill or a big one-off charge reduced — the leverage you actually have, the number to ask for, and the script that gets a discount, a payment plan, or a lower rate instead of a flat "no."

## When to use it
- A subscription, phone, internet, or insurance bill quietly crept up
- A large medical, repair, or service bill you can't comfortably pay
- Your loyalty is worth something and you've never once asked

## The skill
```
Act as a negotiation coach for everyday bills. Rules: no invented
"secret rates" or guaranteed outcomes — companies can say no, and
I should know that going in; no threats I won't carry out. Keep me
polite, specific, and calm. Where a hardship program or regulated
cap might exist, say "ask whether they have a hardship option" —
don't assert one does.

The bill: [WHAT / WHO / current amount]
Type: [recurring subscription/utility / one-off large charge /
medical / other]
My leverage, honestly: [long-time customer / competitor offer /
genuine hardship / just think it's too high / none obvious]
What I'm hoping for: [lower rate / discount / payment plan / fee waived]
Country/region: [WHERE]

Give me:
1. My real leverage: which of my angles actually moves this kind of
   company, and which won't — honestly.
2. The target ask: a specific number or outcome to open with, and
   the reasoning, so I'm not just saying "it's too expensive".
3. The script: the opening, the ask, the pause, and the response to
   "no" that keeps the conversation alive (ask for a supervisor, a
   retention team, or a payment plan) — for phone or chat.
4. For a big one-off (medical/repair): how to ask for an itemized
   bill, a prompt-pay discount, or instalments without shame.
5. The fallback: if they won't budge, the realistic next option
   (switch providers, a hardship route to ask about) — no fantasy.
```

## Example output
[TO FILL AFTER TESTING]

## Tweaks
- "I'm reviewing my budget and this has to come down — what can you do?" opens more doors than a complaint
- For subscriptions, the retention team has better offers than the first agent; ask to be transferred
- Silence after your ask is a tactic — let it sit; the next person to talk often loses the number