Hidden Cox Fees for Cable and Internet

Before you sign up for a Cox Communications high-speed internet and cable TV plan, keep an eye out for Cox fees. On top of your regular monthly payments, you may run into overage fees, late fees, and early termination fees. Plus, your Cox internet service cost will increase after twelve months—up to $40 per month.

Our experts have the low-down on how much these fees cost and how you can avoid them.

Jump to:

• • Cox plans and promotional prices
  • Cox TV hidden fees
  • Cox internet hidden fees

Cox plans and promotional prices

Most TV and internet providers raise prices after a year-long promotional period, and Cox TV and internet isn’t an exception to that rule. However, you’re not chained to these increased rates—Cox plans come with an annual contract, but after the first 12 months, you’re free to leave whenever.

Cox TV plans and prices

Data effective as of post date. Offers, pricing, and availability may vary by area and are subject to change.
*for 12 mos.

When you sign up for your Cox TV plan, you’ll pay at the current rate for 12 months. There’s not a set jump, so if Cox doesn’t raise its prices after your first year, you’ll keep paying the same price.

But these prices are subject to change at any time, so we can’t guarantee your Cox TV plan will have the same price once your promotional period is over. It’s still nice to know how things are looking right now, though.

Cox internet price increase after 12 months: up to $40/mo.

Data effective as of post date. Offers, pricing, and availability may vary by area and are subject to change.
*No annual contract or cancellation fees.
†For 12 mos. No annual contract.
‡For 12 mos. w/ 1-yr. term agreement. Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
** Not available in all areas. No term agreement. Same price for 2 yrs. Pricing, packages, and policies are subject to change, including when adjusting or removing services or equipment.

Unless you have the Cox StraightUp Internet plan, your monthly bills will rise somewhere between $20 and $40 in your second year, depending on your Cox internet plan.

The Go Even Faster plan has the biggest price hike. Consider upgrading to a faster plan after your first year to get more bang for your buck.

Cox TV and internet price increase after 12 months: up to $40/mo.

Data effective as of post date. Offers, pricing, and availability may vary by area and are subject to change.
*for 12 mos. No annual contract.
**No annual contract or cancellation fees.
†for 12 mos. w/ 1-yr. term agreement. Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

The monthly payments on your Cox TV and internet bundle will increase in your second year. To see what the increase looks like, add up the ongoing prices from your internet and TV package in the previous tables, or look for examples in the table above.

If you’d like to add home phone service to any of these plans, that will cost you an additional $20 per month (with no extra price hike on the phone after twelve months).

Hidden costs of Cox TV plans

Data effective as of post date. Offers, pricing, and availability may vary by area and are subject to change.

Your Cox cable internet and TV will cost a bit more than the advertised price, thanks to some taxes and fees. These fees vary across the country, but Cox will note the ones for your service area on your bill.

Cox TV installation and activation: Varies by package and region

Cox Communications communicates about as clear as mud when it comes to installation fees. You may pay a different amount based on where you live and which package you sign up for, so pay attention to that during your checkout process.

However, when our Cox tester got her Cox subscription, her self-installation and TV Easy Connect Activation came free with the service.

But make sure you’re cautious about when you schedule a professional installation. Canceling that appointment could cost you $100. That’s a simply ridiculous amount of money to reschedule a technician who could arrive any time between 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cox TV broadcast surcharge and regional sports surcharge: $22.00/mo. and up to $13.50/mo.

Although many of the fees in the chart above are based on extenuating circumstances (like if you forgot to pay your bill or your check didn’t go through), you’ll have to pay broadcasting fees and regional sports fees every month.

Since TV providers have to pay your local networks and regional sports networks to use their channels, they pass those costs on to you with these underhanded surcharges.

Thanks, Cox. Those fees are the worst present we’ve ever received.

Cox TV late payment fee: $8.35

If you miss your Cox TV monthly payment, Cox will charge you an additional $8.35. The price might vary depending on the laws about late payments where you live.

Other payment charges to look out for include the returned check fee, which can run up to $50 per bounced check. And you’ll want to make sure you keep your credit card info updated if you use AutoPay because a denied credit card could cost you $25.

If Cox has to send a collection agency after you (yikes), that’s another fee up to $25. And if your service gets disconnected due to falling behind on payments, you’ll pay $20 per service to reconnect TV or internet (so that’s $40 for TV and internet) and $25 to connect your home phone service.

Cox TV add-on packs: $10–$12/mo. each

Cox TV offers six different add-on packs to spiff up your channel line-up. Each costs either $10 or $12 per month, but if you get the Sports and Info Pack, Sports Pack 2, Movie Pack, or Variety Pack, you’ll get the Bonus Pack included at no extra cost.

If you want every channel pack, consider upgrading to Contour TV Ultimate, which includes all premium channels and every pack but the Latino Pack (an extra $10 monthly).

Cox TV premium channels: $12–$16/mo. each

Getting the best TV out there will cost you a bit extra. Cox rounds up its Max (formerly HBO Max) price to $16.00 per month, as opposed to its online price of $15.99 per month.

However, Cox TV will give you your choice of Max, CINEMAX, SHOWTIME, or STARZ for your first 12 months with a new TV plan. Or you can snag all four of those for $20.00 per month with Contour TV Preferred.

And all the premium channels come included with Contour TV Ultimate, which seems to us a pretty good reason to upgrade.

Cox TV equipment: $6.00–$8.50/mo. each

With Cox TV equipment, your first Contour HD Box comes included, but you’ll pay $8.50 per month on every box after that.

And if you’ve got your own DVR, like a TiVo, you can get connected with a CableCARD for $6.00 per month. We think that’s a nasty high price for a tiny piece of hardware. But since CableCARDs have never really taken off, this isn’t a fee most folks will have to worry about.

Cox TV DVR service: $10–$30/mo. each

DVR service costs extra, on top of your TV equipment charges. You can choose from one of Cox’s four DVR service plans:

• Starter DVR service (free for 12 mos., $5.00/mo. after): Record 1 show at a time with 50 hours storage
• Essential DVR service ($10.00/mo. for 12 mos., $13.50/mo. after): Record 2 shows simultaneously with 250 hours storage
• Preferred DVR service ($20.00/mo.): Record 6 shows simultaneously with 250 hours storage
• Ultimate DVR service ($30.00/mo.): Record 24 shows simultaneously with 1,000 hours storage

Hidden costs of Cox internet plans

Data effective as of post date. Offers, pricing, and availability may vary by area and are subject to change.

Many of the Cox Internet fees are similar to what you’ll find with the Cox TV fees, so review those above if you need more information on stuff like late payment fees.

Cox internet equipment: $14/mo.

You can save money each month by buying a Cox-compatible modem, but renting Cox’s Panoramic Wifi Gateway instead will cost you $14 per month.

With or without a Cox gateway, you can pay another $10 per month and get Cox Complete Care (24/7 advanced tech support) for two years.

Cox internet with no annual contract fee: $10/mo.

For more month-to-month flexibility, you can opt out of your one-year term agreement with Cox internet. This freedom comes with the price of another $10 per month, which is about how much early termination of your year-long contract would cost you. So we say go with it only if you want Cox internet for less than half a year.

Cox Wireless 4K Contour Stream Player: $5/mo.

There are many top-notch streaming devices out there, but Cox brings its own version to the table for $5 per month. But here’s the funny thing—you can buy a Roku Express for $29.99 or less. Please do us all a favor and skip Cox’s stream player add-on.

Cox Elite Gamer Base Connection: $6.99/mo.

Online gamers should consider opting Cox’s Elite Gamer Base Connection—this star treatment costs an extra $6.99 per month. You’ll get precisely what an online gamer needs: less lag, less jitter, and fewer ping spikes.

If you spend a bunch of time gaming online and your Cox internet doesn’t currently feel up to snuff, this extra charge feels worth it for us. Or maybe this writer is just too giddy thinking about how much easier it’d be to line up a headshot.

Our final take: Don’t let fees scare you away.

While we’re still sick to our stomachs about how much Cox charges for its TV broadcast and regional sports fees, at least the Cox internet fees aren’t too spooky. Keep yourself informed about the charges that will show up on your Cox monthly bill so that you can rest easy at the end of the day with your chosen TV and internet package.

And hey, if you’re wondering if the grass is greener with another TV and internet provider, we can help you out there, too. Just enter your zip code below so we can find you all the providers in your area.

Cox fees FAQ

Methodology

Our experts poured over Cox term agreements, plus cable TV and internet rate cards, to provide you with information on fees that aren’t immediately noticeable when you are searching for a TV or internet plan. For more information on our methodology, check out our How We Rank page.