Remember, for cable and cell phones, they lose money due to churn --- constantly offering incentives to attract new customers. If they can keep you on their books, they win.

And you don't have to lie about wanting to cancel to get your way.

Call up armed with an offer for a competing company, or better yet, a discount your current company has extended to new customers.

Or, re-examine how you use the service in question to see whether you're spending too much. Maybe you don't need as many minutes on your cell phone plan, but would prefer to get more free text messages. We've told you about Web sites such as Billshrink.com that can help you figure what plan is best for you.

I'll chime in with my own example: a friend and coworker got an offer for a "professional" discount for a magazine we both subscribed to. I was mad that I was paying more than twice as much as she was for the same service, so I called up and said I wanted the same offer.

They didn't match the deal exactly, but they came close --- 50 percent off, which still satisfied me.

The usual tips apply: be nice, but be firm when you state your case. Give them evidence to support why they should want to do what you want them to do --- you've been a loyal customer for XX years, but would be willing to walk away for the right price. Unless, your current company could do better.

Have you had success negotiating? Share your recommendations in the comments. 

UPDATE: So, it occurs to me that companies willing to extend a service for free might be hoping you'll just forget to cancel once the free period is up. If you really want to cut that expense, set a reminder to review your bill again once the offer is up.

(photo: Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)