The new states impacted by the data caps include Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, District of Columbia, North Carolina, and Ohio

Xfinity customers will receive a notification warning as they approaching their data limit. If you exceed the 1.2 TB limit, Comcast will charge you $10 for every additional 50GB, for a maximum of $100 per month. Comcast offers one “courtesy” credit every 12 months where customers can go over the data cap limit without incurring additional costs.

Customers can avoid extra data charges by signing up for an unlimited plan, which costs $30 per month. Or they could get the “xFi Complete” plan for $25 – this includes unlimited data and rental cost for Xfinity modem and router.

It’s A Business Decision, Not a Congestion Issue

Data caps generate additional revenue for Comcast. Its network is not congested and is capable of handling network traffic during peak hours. Comcast used to have a throttling system to reduce the speeds of its super users but disabled the throttling system in 2018.

How To Manage Comcast’s Data Cap

Switch to another ISP that doesn’t have data caps

Easier said than done. Americans, even those in big cities, have limited options when it comes to choosing internet service providers (ISP). If you are lucky enough to have more than one ISP in your area, and one of them has no data caps, switch to that ISP. In most cases, Comcast’s competitors tend to smaller local companies that may not be as reliable but they are also not likely to have caps. So you have to make some tradeoffs if you switch to a smaller ISP.

Verizon Fios has no data caps. If Verizon is one of the ISPs in your area, you can switch to Verizon and avoid the data cap headaches.

Use a TV antenna to watch some of your content

If you stream all your TV content, see if some of that can be watched using an antenna. Antennas such as the highly-rated Mohu Leaf Metro cost only around $15 and allow you to watch local channels for free.

Adjusting video quality on your streaming apps

All streaming apps allow you to adjust the quality of your videos. In many cases, if you go down a notch on the video quality, you won’t notice the difference.

Amazon Prime

On Amazon Prime Videos, you can go to Accounts & Settings, and change your playback quality to Good, better, or best.

• Good – Uses ~0.38GB per hour
• Better – Uses ~1.40GB per hour
• Best – Uses ~6.84GB per hour

Netflix

Netflix allows you change playback settings under Account–>Profile name (if you have multiple profiles)–>Playback settings

• Low – Uses 0.3 GB per hour
• Medium – 0.7 GB per hour for SD
• High – Uses  up to 3 GB per hour for HD, and 7 GB per hour for Ultra HD

Zoom

A year ago, not many people used Zoom. But today Zoom is used everywhere. You may use it for work or your kids may use it for online learning. Just like other video apps, Zoom’s data usage varies based on the video resolution you choose.

High – Uses 540 MB/hr.
720p -Uses1.08 GB/hr.
1080p -Uses 1.62 GB/hr.

There are a number of ways to save on data while using Zoom.

• Click on the gear icon and uncheck the Enable HD option to go a lower resolution
• Turn off video and use screen share only when needed

Bottom Line

If your ISP has data caps, there are a number of things you can do to stay within the cap. Monitor your data usage and make changes to your streaming resolution. If you have an ISP in your area that has no data caps, consider switching to them. If that’s not an option available to you, you may have to bite the bullet and sign up for an unlimited plan.

Call Customer Service

Speak To Cancellation Department or a Manager

I call customer service at 1-800-934-6489 and request cancellation of service. I keep using the word “disconnect” and “cancellation” until the front-line customer service representative transfers the call to their cancellation group, which has more leeway to lower prices.  If you are unable to get the call transferred to the cancellation department, ask to speak to the customer service representative’s manager.

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Tell them patiently and in a friendly way (this is very important) that your bill has gone up substantially and that you are looking for ways to reduce your bill.  You are likely to be offered lower rates by upgrading to bundles. Ask them what else they can offer. Keep at it until you get the rates you are satisfied with. Tell them about what offers Xfinity’s customers have in the area.

If you are not interested in signing up for additional services in exchange for lower prices, tell them. There is no need to sign up for services you don’t need.

Research Promotions in your area

Also, look at the promotions Xfinity is offering in your area and ask for a similar deal even if you are an existing customer.  Research what Xfinity competitors are offering in the area.  That will help you in your conversation as well. This strategy works most of the time.  If you are unable to negotiate a lower price after talking to the cancellation department or a manager, move on to the following steps

Start a conversation on Reddit With Comcast

Comcast has an official subreddit called Comcast Xfinity (r/comcast_xfinity).  Here Comcast employees respond to customer complaints, requests for lower prices, and many other requests.

Here is the official intro to the sub reddit.

Welcome to the Xfinity community! Our community is your official source on Reddit for help with Xfinity services. If you have questions about your services, we’re here to answer them. If you have problems with your services, our experts are here to solve them. We can help with: technical issues, general service questions, upgrades & downgrades, new accounts & transfers, disconnect requests, credit requests and more.

You can start a public conversation with Comcast regarding your bill.  You start a public thread saying “My contract is ending, I need a better rate”.  A Comcast employee will reach out to you and you can continue the rest of the conversation through private messages.

I have found that Comcast employees on Reddit can adjust your prices down when call center employees can’t.

Reach out to Comcast customer service through Twitter

Reach out to Comcast through their Twitter account for customer service (@ComcastCares).  Start a public conversation with them.  When it is time to share your personal information such as your address, do so in private messages.

Again, I have found that Comcast Twitter employees are likely to budge on prices if the call center folks don’t.

Other Ways To Reduce Your Comcast Bill

Modem Fees

Xfinity adds $14 to your bill every month for model rental.  Consider buying your own modem and save $14 per month.  The modem will pay for itself in a few months.

Go to a lower-tier internet plan

Going to a lower-tier plan (which means lower speed) will reduce your cost. Take a look at your internet usage and see if a lower-tier plan will work for you.

Sign up for Xfinity Mobile

Xfinity Mobile is a wireless service that Xfinity offers. Xfinity is a Verizon MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) – it means that Xfinity doesn’t own any cell phone towers.  It uses the Verizon network for its mobile network.

I have been using Xfinity mobile for a while and it has cut down my cell phone bills. You can sign up for a plan and share the plan with your family. Plans start at $15/GB with unlimited text and calling. If you get two lines, you can get unlimited data for $30 per month.

Bottom Line

Xfinity raises prices on its services every year. If you don’t push back, you will be paying ever-increasing prices.  Reach out to their customer service through phone, Reddit, or Twitter and bargain for a better deal.  Keep asking and eventually, you will be able to lower your Xfinity bill.