So I made my call today. Basically stated that the bill was getting too large and I needed some help. The first guy was offering only 25% off ST Max, so I said I needed to cancel altogether. My wife doesn't believe me, but I really was going to cancel if they didn't help me out. I get transferred to the next Dept, most likely retention, and after fending off the rep's attempts to get me to move into a cheaper package, we got down to brass tacks.
I ended up getting $15 off for the next 12 months ($180 credit), free Showtime for 3 months, and a free upgrade to Max. Last year I didn't have Max so I'm looking forward to the Red Zone and the Shortcut channels. It wasn't quite the haul I had last year (free ST plus $225 in additional credits), but I'm satisfied getting ST at 75% off and a free upgrade to Max.