Hidden Costs of Xfinity: Fees, Installation Costs, and Price Increases

Bottom line: Xfinity fees aren’t too bad, but they can add up

There are costs involved in bringing you Xfinity’s hundreds of channels and thousands of on-demand titles, but the only price most customers consider is the advertised package price—unless they happen to read the fine print. As a result, the hidden costs can be quite a shock when you get that first bill.

To help you avoid any surprises on your upcoming Xfinity bill, we’ll explain each hidden fee and why you might see these additional charges.

Hidden costs of Xfinity TV plans

Xfinity TV promotional cost: $49.99–$59.99/mo.*

Like most providers, Xfinity offers limited-time promotional pricing when you sign up for a new package. Prices change occasionally and vary by region, but you’ll probably be looking at something like this:

• Digital Starter: $49.99/mo.* for 140+ channels
• Digital Preferred: $59.99/mo.* for 220+ channels

*For the first 12 months.

But, like the asterisk says, Xfinity prices are only guaranteed for the first 12 months. Then Xfinity will switch you over to what it calls its “regular rate.”

Xfinity price increase after promo period: up to an additional $30/mo.

The increased amount varies depending on your package and where you live, but it will usually fall between $20 to $30 per month. The specific increase for each plan can be found in the offer terms when you sign up—Xfinity calls it the “regular rate.”

You may not be doomed to pay this increased rate, though. This writer had luck contacting Xfinity about a price increase and saved cash with a new yearlong contract. It’s worth reaching out to Xfinity to see if you can get a new deal after the promo period ends.

Taxes, regulatory fees, and more: vary by area and package

One hidden cost that’s usually mentioned only in the fine print is taxes. Exactly how much you’ll be on the hook for depends on the plan you choose and where you live. It’s not usually a hefty fee, but it’s annoying to see on your bill if you weren’t expecting it.

Regulatory fees are another couple-dollar fee you’re likely to see at the bottom of your bill. These stem from federally mandated fees on the provider, and to help recoup the costs, Xfinity passes a portion on to you.

Xfinity, sometimes sharing is not caring.

You may also have to pay various service fees associated with different programming packages. Depending on the channels and services you order, you may see small charges each month for broadcast TV fees, regional sports network fees, and more.

Xfinity installation fees: $89.99 for professional installation

Xfinity charges an installation fee for a professional install that varies slightly from area to area and depends on the specific equipment you order. A typical cost we’ve seen is $89.99 for a professional installation.

Xfinity does offer a self-installation kit, but you won’t altogether avoid the fees by going that route. The provider charges a $15 shipping-and-handling fee for the equipment. If you want priority shipping, that fee gets bumped to $29.95.

Lastly, if you turn your service off for any reason, Xfinity charges a $6 reactivation fee to turn it back on.

Xfinity equipment fees: $19.95/mo. for HD DVR

Xfinity doesn’t technically charge for its flagship X1 DVR system. Instead, it tacks on a $9.95 per month DVR service fee and a $10 per month HD technology fee.

Of course, you could just go with the included TV box, which comes at no extra charge. But you won’t be able to record your shows, or even watch in HD—which affects the visual quality of your favorite shows.

And if you want to add TV service to other rooms, that’s another $9.95 per month, per TV. Outfitting a home with TV service when you have lots of televisions can end up costing you a bunch.

Premium channel fees: HBO for $15/mo.

Xfinity allows you to add premium channels and specialty channels to your cable package of choice for an additional fee. Keep in mind that these fees are in addition to your regular cable package.

• HBO: $15/mo.
• CINEMAX: $12/mo.
• SHOWTIME: $12/mo.
• STARZ: $5/mo. for 6 mos., then $8.99/mo.
• EPIX: $5/mo.
• THE MOVIE CHANNEL (TMC): $12/mo.

Late payment fee: $10 per missed payment

If you don’t pay your Xfinity bill on time, the company charges a $10 fee. There is a grace period of up to two weeks before you’ll see any interruption of service, but the late fee goes into effect immediately. If you’re in a pinch, it’s worth calling in to see if you can get an extended grace period.

Cancellation and early termination fees: may vary by area and plan

Xfinity is very vague about these fees, and you’ll need to call Xfinity to find out what yours will be. Xfinity offers both contract and no-contract packages, so not every customer will be subject to early termination fees (ETF).

If you have a contract or service agreement and cancel it early, you’ll be required to pay an early termination fee. The exact amount of the ETF varies based on how much of your contract remains, with the cost decreasing a set amount each month.

You can avoid ETFs by going with a no-contract—or no-term agreement—package. But because those are about $20 more per month than contracted plans, there’s still a cost here. Talk with your Xfinity agent to decide what deal will work best for your situation.

Hidden costs of Xfinity internet plans

Xfinity internet promotional cost:  $19.99–$299.95/mo.* 

Xfinity internet-only packages range in price from $19.99 per month up to $70.00 per month—there’s even a package that’s $299.95 per month for 2,000 Mbps.

Most packages are available with a choice of a one-year contract or no contract. In either case, there is a promo price for the first year, after which prices increase.

• Performance Starter: $19.99/mo.* for 25 Mbps
• Performance: $34.99/mo.* for 100 Mbps
• Performance Pro: $49.99/mo.* for 200 Mbps
• Blast! Pro: $64.99/mo.* for 300 Mbps
• Extreme Pro: $60.00/mo.** for 600 Mbps
• Gigabit: $70.00/mo.** for 1,000 Mbps
• Gigabit Pro: $299.95/mo.*** for 2,000 Mbps

*For the first 12 months.

*For the first 24 mos. with 1-year agreement

***with no term agreement

Xfinity price increase after promo period: up to an additional $30/mo.

The price increase following the promo period depends on which Xfinity internet plan you choose. Generally, increases are similar to those for TV—about $15–$30 per month.

Taxes, regulatory fees, and more: vary by area and package

Unlike TV packages, Xfinity internet packages don’t usually come with taxes and other superfluous surcharges. In general, the Internet Tax Freedom Act doesn’t allow federal, state, or local governments to charge taxes on internet service.

If you bundle your internet service with TV, though, your bill will still include TV taxes and regulatory fees.

Xfinity installation fees: $89.99 for professional installation

Xfinity pushes its self-install kit for internet service, and as of the writing of this article, it will cost you zero dollars for your self-install kit as long as you use standard shipping.

If you need professional help, the fee is the same as it is for TV: $89.99. 

The good news is that if you bundle both TV and internet, you’ll pay only one installation fee—either $89.99 or $15, depending on if you go with professional installation or self-install. In some areas, specific bundles may even include professional installation at no extra cost, but that varies too much for us to nail down. Just ask your agent when you sign up to find out for sure.

Xfinity equipment fee: up to $14/mo. for xFi Gateway

With your internet plan, you can use your own modem and router. But if you want to go with Xfinity’s modem/router, the xFi Gateway, you’ll need to pay as much as $14 per month.

We recommend you poke around with a few packages before you decide—Xfinity has been known to include a modem/router or discount the xFi Gateway when paired with some more expensive packages.

Xfinity late payment fees: $10 per missed payment

As noted in the TV section above, Xfinity customers are subject to a $10 late fee for missed payments. Although there’s no grace period on the late fee, Xfinity does give you two weeks to pay before they start considering cutting off your service.

If you hit a rough spot and know in advance that your payment will be late (we’ve all been there), you can call ahead to possibly adjust the due date.

Xfinity cancellation and early termination fees: may vary by area and plan

If you choose a package with a contract, you’ll be subject to early termination fees when you cancel your service early.

As with Xfinity TV, the exact fees vary, but they reflect the remaining time in your contract. The cost of cancelling 10 months early will be much higher than cancelling only two months early, for example.

How to cancel Xfinity service

The easiest way to cancel Xfinity service is to fill out a cancellation form online. That way you don’t have to deal with pesky customer service representatives who might try to get you to stay.

That said, if you go the rounds with customer service, they may cut you a better deal. If this sounds appealing to you, contact Xfinity online to find out your options.

Xfinity data overage fees: $10 per 50 GB block

Most internet plans come with a 1 TB (1,024 GB) data cap. That means you can use up to 1 TB of data each month, after which you’ll be charged a fee.

Xfinity charges a standard $10 for every 50 GB block of data over the cap—even if you don’t use the whole 50 GB block. But it will charge you only up to $200 in these overage fees—oh wait, no, that’s nothing to be excited about because it’s still a ton of money.

Most people will probably never reach the data cap—1 TB is a good bit of data. Still, heavy downloaders or streamers who are afraid of running into these overage charges should consider buying the $50 add-on for unlimited data or springing for the unlimited Gigabit Pro package.

Our final take

Although Xfinity has a lot of fees, the crummy reality is that all TV and internet providers do. The only thing you can do is plan for what you’re getting into so you can enjoy your new TV package worry-free.

Want to see the other providers in your area to compare? We’ll happily find all your options. All you need to do is enter your zip code below—and don’t worry, we don’t keep that info or share it with anyone else.