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Trimming Your Home Internet Bill Before You Replace It

ByHarold Jennings

Home internet has become one of those bills that quietly creeps up. Before you build a side income to cover it, it is worth seeing whether you can make the bill smaller. Every dollar you trim is a dollar you don’t have to earn.

Step 1: Find out what you are paying for

Look at your latest bill and write down the monthly price, any equipment rental and any fees. Then ask your provider for your “broadband label.” The Federal Communications Commission requires providers to show these labels, which list the price, any promotional rate, fees, data limits and speeds. If you are already a customer, your provider must give you your label when you ask.

Step 2: Check whether you need all that speed

If you mostly read email, video-call the grandchildren and watch a show or two, you may be paying for more speed than you use. AARP notes that the speed you actually get also depends on your router and how many devices share it. Ask your provider whether a lower plan is available and what it costs.

Step 3: See if you qualify for a low-cost plan

Several providers offer cheaper plans for households in certain programs. Prices and rules change, so confirm with the provider:

  • Xfinity Internet Essentials: Comcast lists $14.95 a month for 75 Mbps, for households in programs such as SNAP, Medicaid or housing assistance (as listed by Comcast in 2025). There are other conditions, such as not having had Xfinity Internet in the last 90 days.
  • Access from AT&T: for households with income below 200% of the federal poverty guideline, or in programs such as SNAP, SSI, Medicaid or LIHEAP. AT&T shows the price only after you enter your address. A December 2025 City of Boston list showed $30 a month for 100 Mbps.
  • Lifeline: a federal program that takes up to $9.25 a month off phone or internet service for eligible households.

Apply only through the provider’s own website or phone number, or through LifelineSupport.org for Lifeline. You should never have to pay a fee or buy a gift card to apply.

Step 4: Make one polite phone call

If you don’t qualify, call your provider, say you are reviewing your bills, and ask whether a cheaper plan or current promotion is available. Write down the name of the person you spoke with, the new price and how long it lasts.

Then decide what is left to cover

Once your bill is as low as it will go, that smaller number becomes your side-income target. If you do start earning, remember that side income can affect taxes and, for some people, benefits such as Social Security before full retirement age, SSI or Medicaid. See the Social Security Administration and check your own situation.

More on Replace a Bill

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