CenturyLink Internet Review: Plans, Prices, Deals, and More

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Is CenturyLink internet good?

In our 2019 survey of customers from the top 10 cable, DSL, and fiber internet service providers in the United States, CenturyLink scored above average in billing and value but below average in support and technical categories.

Overall, we think CenturyLink fiber internet (if you can get it) is a really good deal. Reasonably priced fiber internet for life? Yes, please.

Best CenturyLink internet packages and prices

Data effective 10/21/2019. Pricing and speeds are subject to change. Not all offers available in all areas.
*Rate requires paperless billing and excludes taxes. Additional fees apply.

We recommend CenturyLink’s Price for Life 1 Gbps plan. With download and upload speeds up to 940 Mbps, this plan will let you gobble (or reverse-gobble) a gigabyte of content in eight seconds. Also, there are no contracts and no rate hikes for as long as you’re with CenturyLink.

You also can bundle fiber internet and phone service with the double-play bundle Price for Life Double Play Fiber Gigabit. For $85 a month, you’ll get the fastest available internet speeds and unlimited nationwide calling (including to Canada and U.S. territories).

To the fiber internet-deprived: DSL is still pretty good. Sure, CenturyLink’s fastest DSL speed, 100 Mbps, is 10x slower than fiber and the download/upload speeds aren’t equal. But 100 Mbps still offers a lot of value:

• It can handle multiple 1080p streams like they’re text messages;
• It lets you download 1 GB of content in 80 seconds;
• It gives you upload speeds of up to 30 Mbps (CenturyLink’s other DSL plans offer 1–5).

See if you qualify for CenturyLink fiber or DSL.

CenturyLink internet packages and pricing

Data effective 10/21/2019. Pricing and speeds are subject to change. Not all offers available in all areas.
*Rate requires paperless billing and excludes taxes. Additional fees apply.

CenturyLink has six different internet speeds. All of them are Price for Life plans, meaning you can lock down the price for as long as you have your plan (paperless billing required). All plans have a 1 TB data cap, which is more than enough data for most users.

Now you just have to see if you qualify for DSL or Fiber. Fiber is awesome. It’s good for you. Your doctor recommends it and so do we.

The fiber we care about, fiber optic internet service, lets you send and receive tons of data in the tiniest of times. Massive downloads will seem to poof onto your hard drive magically. Buffering will feel like a fading bad dream.

But can you get it in your area?

If not, you won’t be disappointed with most of the DSL speeds CenturyLink offers (15–100 Mbps). Well, unless the area-availability goblin rears its ugly head. You might live in an area where CenturyLink can guarantee only “up to 1.5 Mbps.” (I do.) And that’s unfortunate.

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CenturyLink internet and phone bundles

Data effective 12/12/2019. Pricing and speeds are subject to change. Not all offers available in all areas.
‡ Requires a Price For Life Home Phone subscription. Additional fees apply. Rate excludes taxes and voice fees/surcharges.

Everybody loves a bundle, especially when it means a discount. For the best savings—not to mention internet speeds, you’ll want CenturyLink’s Price for Life Double Play Fiber Gigabit bundle. At $85 a month, you’ll save $40 (32%) a month.

That recommendation presumes that you can get fiber at your house. If you have to settle for DSL, you can still do a lot with the 15–100 Mbps plans CenturyLink offers. They’re all priced at $49 a month, and if you bundle with phone service, you’ll save $24 (22%) monthly.

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CenturyLink internet deals

At the time of this writing, the only active CenturyLink promotion is Price for Life. For what it’s worth, CenturyLink Price for Life is the gold standard in terms of billing and transparency.

Our final take on CenturyLink internet plans

We love CenturyLink’s Price for Life guarantee, lack of contracts on internet and phone service.

But those bells and whistles come with alarms, given CenturyLink’s poor ratings on customer support, install and setup, modem satisfaction, and reliability. Fortunately, no contracts means you can give CenturyLink a shot without getting trapped. So maybe try the service out, especially if it carries higher speeds in your area.

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CenturyLink internet FAQ

How do I change my CenturyLink Wi-Fi password? 

Here’s how to change your Wi-Fi password if you have a newer CenturyLink modem and it’s already connected to a device:

1. Open a browser window and go to http://192.168.0.1.
2. Log in with the Admin username and password. You can find the default information on the modem sticker. If you used a custom username and passphrase, log in with those.
3. Under “Wireless Setup,” choose “2.4 GHz” (see upper left-hand corner).
4. Under “Wireless Security,” choose the SSID you want to edit from the drop-down menu.
5. In the second drop-down menu (“Security Type”), select desired security type (it’ll more than likely involve WPA2).
6. In the third drop-down menu (“Encryption Type”), select “both.”
7. Under “Enter security key/passphrase,” choose the default passphrase or enter your own. Custom passphrases must have 8–63 characters. You may use any letter from A–Z, any number from 0–9, and blank spaces.
8. Hit “Apply.”

If these steps don’t work, check instructions for older CenturyLink modems.

How do I cancel CenturyLink? 

To cancel your CenturyLink internet or phone service, call 1-800-244-1111 between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday–Friday.

Expect a CenturyLink representative to try to keep your business by offering alternatives to cancellation. Sometimes those customer-retention deals are pretty decent, so there’s no harm in listening. But if you’re sure you want to cancel, stay strong. No means no.

What modems are compatible with CenturyLink?

At the moment, CenturyLink supports 31 different modems from manufacturers like Actiontec, Adtran, Calix, Cisco, D-Link, Technicolor, Westrell, and ZyXEL. We’ve narrowed down the list with our guide to “The Best CenturyLink-Compatible Modems.”

If you’d like modem help from a real human, call CenturyLink at 1-877-837-5738 or chat with tech support.

Can I use my own router with CenturyLink? 

Yes, you may use your own router with CenturyLink service, as long as it’s compatible. If you don’t already have one, and you also need a modem, we recommend some great modem-router combos in our guide to “The Best CenturyLink-Compatible Modems.”

Does CenturyLink have a data cap? 

CenturyLink plans have a 1 TB data cap on residential DSL plans with no overage fees. Business-class and residential 1G plans enjoy unlimited data.

How do I set up my CenturyLink voicemail? 

To set up your CenturyLink voicemail, use the following steps:

1. If you have your welcome letter, dial the retrieval number.
2. If you don’t have your welcome letter, you can find it by dialing 1-800-669-7676. Alternatively, press *98 from your home phone to continue setup.
3. Follow voice prompts.
4. Create a 4–15 digit password.
5. Record your name so that callers know they’ve reached the right person.
6. Choose from two pre-recorded voicemail greetings or record a personalized message.
7. You’re done. Now sit by your phone and wait to see if anyone loves you.

*With 2-yr. agmt. on new DISH service. Actual speeds may vary. Installation, equipment fees, taxes & other fees apply. Services subject to availability and all applicable Frontier terms & conditions. Data as of 09/09/19. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

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