Are There Senior Discounts on Internet Service?

Welcome to Ask Money Talks News, a series answering financial questions submitted by Money Talks Newsletter subscribers.

In this installment, we’re talking about cutting internet bills.

Laura B. asks Money Talks News:

“Do you have any information on internet providers and costs that would work for seniors?”

Thanks for your question, Laura. Seemingly all kinds of businesses offer senior discounts — from restaurants and retailers to hotels and trains. (Yes, trains.) So you might think there’d be a company out there with a senior discount on internet service.

We looked into it, and, unfortunately, we didn’t find a major provider with a senior discount.

Several major providers have need-based discounts, though:

• Cox’s ConnectAssist plan costs $30 a month. To qualify, you must be on at least one government assistance program like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Veterans Pension program or Medicaid.
• Xfinity’s Internet Essentials plan costs $9.95 per month. To qualify, you must be on certain assistance programs or have been previously enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program through Xfinity.
• The Verizon Forward program offers prices as low as $20 a month. To be eligible, you must have qualified for certain assistance programs within the 180 days prior to applying.
• AT&T’s Access program is available for people who are in certain government assistance programs or have a household income below 200% of federal poverty guidelines. Pricing depends on the maximum speed available at your home. Their website says about $30 a month for speeds up to 100Mbp. Those with maximum speeds of 10MB or less can get internet for as low as $10 a month, though.

Other potential options for lower-income households include the federal government’s Lifeline program and Astound Broadband’s Internet First plan.

See Also:

8 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $100,000

If you don’t qualify for one of the above options and don’t mind having bare-bones access — such as if you only use the internet to email friends and occasionally surf the web — look into free dial-up internet companies like Juno and NetZero.

Lastly, to learn about other ways you might be able to lower your internet bill — regardless of your age — check out “Don’t Overpay for Internet: 9 Steps to Lower Your Bill Today.”

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