How to lower my Xfinity bill: Q&A with a former Comcast sales agent

In the wake of a viral tweet that erupted last week, I have received countless requests from customers of this monopoloid on how they can save money, lower their bills, get the best value, etc. Providing the absolute shortest answer possible, I recommend signing up for internet service ONLY and purchasing your own modem/router versus renting one from the company. Bare minimum. No other services. For those looking for more specific situations or other kinds of questions, continue the Q&A below.

Xfinity has a data cap of 1.2 terabytes. How do I avoid being charged for going over this limit and why are they placing a data cap on customers during a pandemic in the first place?

As a sales rep I would have told you that it is very easy to stay under the data limit when you rent the Xfinity Gateway because you will be able to monitor and control all of the data from each user and device in the house through The Xfinity App. If you opt to purchase your own equipment, you can either wait for Xfinity to notify when you’re reaching the data cap and then, I guess, stop using all internet for the rest of the month? Or follow the advice from How To Geek and install a 3rd party firmware on your wireless router like DD-WRT and monitor your usage in real time. I’ve never set something like this up before but if you follow the link to that article, you’ll find the help you need.

The second part of this question is easy: Capitalism!

Why is my bill increasing by $20–$30 this month?!

Most customers signing up for the first time are offered prices for services at a discount along with committing to keeping Xfinity service for a minimum of 12 months. At the end of that 12 month period, the service (or bundle of services) reverts to what is referred to as the Every Day Price. It’s really common for customers who have multiple options for providers to start new service with a competitor for the following year and then switch back again after that. Bouncing back and forth to take advantage of the most discount possible is a great strategy if you have that option available. As of today, if a customer calls in to “reset” their previous promotion or lower their bill, the only options available to the agent they speak with will be to enter…