Internet shopping has long been a seller’s market thanks to problems like limited local competition. (Good luck trying to shop around when your current internet provider’s the only option in town!)
But thanks to new 5G and fiber competitors alongside consumer economic concerns, the pendulum’s swung back towards shoppers in a big way. In recent months, internet service providers (ISPs) like Xfinity and T-Mobile have rolled out big price-lock guarantees that offer flat-rate pricing for years at a time.
But what does this mean when you’re shopping for internet service? Are these deals legit, or will you have to watch out for loopholes? I investigated the fine print of all these price-lock and Price for Life deals, and this is what I found out.
What is a price-lock guarantee deal?
Internet providers have long relied on promotional pricing deals to get customers in the door. With promotional pricing, you’ll typically get a heavy discount for your first year of internet service. But once you reach year two, you’ll lose this discount and have to pay your ISP’s regular price, which can sometimes be twice as much as your initial rate.
Unsurprisingly, consumers hate promotional pricing with a passion: In CableTV.com’s 2025 Internet Customer Satisfaction Survey, respondents resoundingly placed ISPs that used promotional pricing in the bottom tier of our evaluated ISPs.
Price-lock deals do away with this fine-print loophole. With a price-lock guarantee, you’ll pay the same internet price for years at a time. If you’re lucky enough to have an ISP offering a Price For Life deal in your area, you’ll pay the same internet price for as long as you’re a subscriber.
What providers have price-lock and price-for-life internet deals?
Internet deals are always coming and going—check out our main internet deals guide for the latest updates—but price-for-life and price-guarantee deals have become increasingly popular among ISPs.
Here are some of the major providers who’ve recently wheeled out jumbo price-guarantee internet deals*:
- Xfinity: 5-year price guarantee for all internet plans
- T-Mobile: 5-year price guarantee for 5G Home Internet plans
- Spectrum: Up to a 3-year price guarantee with an internet, phone, or TV bundle
- Quantum Fiber: Price For Life internet guarantee
- Verizon: Up to a 5-year guarantee for 5G Home Internet and Fios plans
*Data effective as of publish date.
Are price-lock deals legit?
When it comes to ISPs, I won’t blame you if past bad experiences have left you skeptical about deals that sound too good to be true. (In fact, CenturyLink landed in hot water a few years ago over surprise price hikes to its Price For Life deal.)
Alas, CableTV.com doesn’t have a crystal ball to perfectly predict the future. But if you’re on the fence about a price-lock deal, here are three reasons why I generally think they’re worth the hype.
1. Price guarantees have been here for a while
As we mentioned above, ISPs have already been doing price-lock guarantees for years. In practice, these recent price-lock guarantees are nothing new—they’re just super-sized guarantees that go for two to five years instead of one year. ISPs have never messed around with these guarantees before, so why would they start now?
2. You’re free to leave at any time
In the past, you’d be on the hook for costly early termination fees if you switched providers before your contract ran out. But in recent years, many major ISPs have done away with service contracts. (Did your ISP spring a surprise price hike on you? Are you moving? Collect your ISP’s bags and send them packing!)
Jumbo price guarantees and contract-free service are just a few of the deals ISPs have rolled out to keep penny-pinching customers from hopping providers. If your ISP ever decides to back out of your price-lock guarantee, you can leave the next month without breaking a sweat.
3. Major ISPs have (mostly) stopped using loopholes
Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed one potential red flag in these price guarantees: ISPs say they won’t raise your internet plan’s rate, but what about sneaking hidden charges into your bill?
As shocking as it might sound, many major ISPs with price guarantee deals have done away with these nickel-and-dime fees. For instance, Xfinity and Spectrum have no additional mandatory monthly internet fees.
If you’re concerned about paying more than your price guarantee, I’d suggest minimizing the number of add-ons to your monthly bill. The price for services like equipment rentals and home TV service can fluctuate and become inflated over time.
Additionally, keep an eye out for smaller charges or new fees on your bill. Providers like Optimum and Metronet bundle network maintenance or tech support fees that can subtly inflate your bill’s bottom line.
Are price-lock deals worth it?
There’s typically no such thing as a free lunch, but when it comes to price-lock deals, ISPs are throwing the entire buffet at shoppers to make them sign up.
With few exceptions, these deals have no strings attached: You can get a discount for years at a time, and can leave whenever you want. If you’re currently shopping for internet service and have a local ISP that’s offering a price-lock guarantee, we’d recommend taking it without hesitation.
Why you should trust us
Our internet experts have spent hundreds of hours testing and researching internet deals as part of our regular streaming service, internet, and TV coverage. For this service guide, I drew from our existing internet price-lock guarantee and deals coverage to highlight how price guarantees and price lock deals work.
I also pulled from our existing customer service guide coverage for tips on how to help you navigate the ISP shopping and deal-hunting process. Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.
