Xfinity Cable Packages for Seniors
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November 8, 2024
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Owned by Comcast, Xfinity offers cable TV and streaming options for various budgets and entertainment preferences. We loved the product itself, which allowed for both live TV and our favorite streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. But, prices were high — especially for cable.
Despite these higher prices, Xfinity’s services are exceptional. How do we know? We tried them ourselves. From its voice-controlled remotes to DVR capabilities, Xfinity is one of the most advanced TV options for seniors. It even offers a convenient streaming and cable bundle.
Did You Know: To learn more about our favorite TV service, read our guide to the best cable companies for seniors.
Xfinity TV Pros and Cons
Pros
- More than 185 channels: The Ultimate TV cable plan gave us more than 185 channels, including live sports.
- Affordable add-on streaming: Xfinity’s streaming plans, which you can add on to either cable TV or internet, range from $15 to $30 a month. Plus, none of them require a long-term commitment.
- Streaming subscriptions included: With any Xfinity streaming plan, we got free subscriptions to Apple TV+, Netflix, and Peacock. These just happen to be some of our favorite streaming services for seniors.
- Voice remotes: We loved controlling our TV by using the voice remote. We could instruct our remote to turn on Hallmark movies — or whatever entertainment you prefer.
- Free DVR: When we had to miss our favorite shows, we loved recording them. We could record up to five programs at the same time for a total of 20 hours per month.
- Monthly packages: Xfinity didn’t require us to sign a long-term contract. Rather, its plans are month-to-month.
Cons
- Xfinity internet required for streaming: All of the streaming plans require Xfinity internet. So, if you don’t have it and want to stick with your current internet provider, these streaming options won’t be available to you.
- Cable fees: Cable contracts come with some pretty steep fees, including a $25.15 broadcast fee and a $14 regional sports fee. (These fees will vary by location.)
- Higher prices for flexible cable contracts: Getting the most affordable cable prices requires a one-year contract.
Xfinity TV Plans and Pricing
| Plan | Price | Channels | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choice TV | $40.15* | 10+ | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, etc. |
| Popular TV | $89.15* | 125+ | ESPN, Bravo, Golf Channel, Nickelodeon, TBS, etc. |
| Ultimate TV | $109.15* | 185+ | NBA TV, Nat Geo Wild, Teen Nick, Disney Channel, etc. |
*Includes broadcast and/or regional sports fees, which vary based on location between about $14 and $30 per month.
Xfinity Choice TV
Choice TV is Xfinity’s most affordable cable offering. It gives you about 10 channels with the basics: ABC, CBS, FOX, etc. The cost, including the broadcast TV fee, is $40.15 per month.
Xfinity Popular TV
Xfinity Popular TV offers everything that Choice TV offers, plus over 115 more cable channels. These extra channels include ESPN, Bravo, the Golf Channel, Nickelodeon, TBS, and others. The cost is $89.15 per month, which includes fees for both broadcast TV ($25.15) and regional sports ($14).
Xfinity Ultimate TV
Ultimate TV, Xfinity’s most expensive cable television offering, gave us more than 185 channels. It has everything that Popular TV has plus live sports, NBA TV, National Geographic, Teen Nick, and more. The cost is nearly $110, including both of the broadcast and regional sports fees.
Xfinity StreamSaver
If you want to add streaming to your cable package, you can buy StreamSaver for an additional $15 a month. This package combines different streaming subscriptions, including Apple TV+, Netflix Standard with ads, and Peacock Premium with ads. However, it requires either Xfinity postpaid internet or Xfinity TV. So, it’s not something you could purchase on its own. That being said, contracts are monthly; you can cancel even if you’re in the middle of a contract.
Xfinity NOW TV
Combining streaming with a “skinnier” bundle of over 40 live TV channels is NOW TV. Not only does it include a subscription to Peacock Premium with ads, but it also includes channels such as HGTV, Hallmark, and A&E. Plus, it includes 20 hours of DVR for recording shows. When we tested out Spectrum TV, DVR was an extra fee. So, we were happy to see that this was included.
NOW TV requires Xfinity internet, but it doesn’t need to be postpaid.
Xfinity NOW StreamSaver
Xfinity NOW StreamSaver, as the name suggests, is a combination of NOW TV and StreamSaver. We got over 40 live channels plus those subscriptions to Apple, Netflix, and Peacock. Like StreamSaver, this package requires Xfinity postpaid internet.
Xfinity NOW TV Latino
Last but certainly not least is NOW TV Latino, over 25 live channels for Spanish-speakers, plus Peacock Premium. The cost is $10 a month, and it requires Xfinity postpaid internet.
Xfinity TV Senior Plans and Discounts
Xfinity doesn’t offer any senior-specific TV plans at the moment. However, we’d recommend looking into Xfinity Choice TV, which offers over 10 channels at an affordable monthly price of $15 a month with a long-term contract. If you want a TV provider with a senior discount, consider the DISH Network, which offers adults ages 55 and older a free on-demand movie rental each month for a total value of up to $165. However, we did save $20 a month by buying more than one product: internet and TV.
Our Experience With Xfinity TV
We received our package a few days after purchasing it. It included:
- TV box
- Remote
- Coax cable
- HDMI cable
- Power cords
First, we plugged the coax cable into the wall outlet and into the TV box. Then, we connected the TV box to the TV port with an HDMI cable. After we connected the power cord in the TV box and electrical outlet, it was time to activate service.
We turned on the TV and chose the proper input from our HDMI cable. Then, we removed the plastic tab from the back of our remote — boom, activated. The TV told us step-by-step how to enter our account information. From there, we just sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed our TV.
Xfinity Extra Features
Xfinity offers other features such as On Demand as well as add-on channels and channel packs in multiple languages.
- On Demand: The TV box comes with tons of on-demand content, in addition to DVR and streaming apps. Fortunately, Xfinity didn’t charge us for the equipment, so this was included.
- Premium channel and channel packs:
- ABP News: Hindi: $7.99 per month
- Acorn TV: $7.99 per month
- Anime Network: $6.99 per month
- Antenna: Greek: $14.99 per month
- ART: Arabic: $9.99 per month
- Brazilian 2 Pack: $24.99 per month
- Brazilian 3 Pack: $29.99 per month
- Cinemax: $12 per month
- Classics: $6.99 per month
- CuriosityStream: $4.99 per month
- Deportes: $5 per month
- Disney Story Central: $4.99 per month
- Filipino 2 Pack: $14.99 per month
- Filipino 3 Pack: $22.99 per month
- FitFusion: $6.99 per month
- FOX Nation: $5.99 per month
- Gaia: $13.99 per month
- Globo HD: Brazilian: $19.99 per month
- Grokker Yoga Fitness: $6.99 per month
- Here TV: $7.99
- Hindi 2 Pack: $24.99 per month
- Hindi Pack: $14.99 per month
- History Value: $5.99 per month
- Hitz: $12 per month
- Italian 2 Pack: $14.99 per month
- Kidstream: $4.99 per month
- Lifetime Movie Club: $4.99 per month
- Mandarin 2 Pack: $6.99 per month
- Mandarin 4 Pack: $19.99 per month
- Max: $16.99 per month
- Max and MGM+ with 150 DVR hours: $20 a month for 24 months
- MLB Extra Innings: $29.99 (more information not available)
- NFL RedZone: $9.95 per month
- Paramount+ with SHOWTIME: $12 per month
- Playboy: $15 per month
- Portuguese 2 Pack: $14.99 per month
- Rai Italia: $9.99 per month
- Record TV: Brazilian: $14.99 per month
- Russian 2 Pack: $19.99 per month
- Russian 3 Pack: $24.99 per month
- Sbtn: Vietnamese: $14.99 per month
- SET Hinid: $14.99 per month
- SIC: Portuguese: $9.99 per month
- STARZ: $10.99 per month
- Stingray Karaoke On Demand: $6.99 per month
- TCF: Filipino: $11.99 per month
- The Israeli Network: $19.99 per month
- The Jewish Channel: $6.99 per month
- TumbleBooks TV: $4.99 per month
- TV5Monde: French: $9.99 per month
- TVB Jade: Cantonese: $10.99 per month
- Willow: Cricket: $14.99 per month
- ZEE TV: Hindi: $14.99 per month
- Xfinity home security: Another option was to add a home security system to our TV package for an extra $45 a month — no long-term commitment required.
Xfinity Bundled Plans
We got a $20 per month discount by bundling Xfinity internet with our TV package. This brought our total monthly cost to $80 for the TV (including the discount).
Xfinity Contracts and Fees
While adding an Xfinity cable TV or streaming service may seem relatively straightforward, there are some fees you should be aware of: regional sports, broadcast TV, and the equipment itself.
Extra Fees
Xfinity charges a couple extra fees for cable TV, unfortunately, and we don’t see a way around them. Here’s the breakdown on extra fees (pricing might depend on your location and plan):
- Broadcast TV fee: $25.15 per month
- Regional sports fee: $14 per month
Equipment Fee
We had to pay $10 a month to rent the X1 TV Box. This price, like the broadcast TV and regional sports fee, is not included in the prices listed above. Fortunately, there were no installation charges; we installed the box ourselves in a few minutes.
DVR Fee
While we got 20 hours of DVR storage for free, 150 hours would cost $10 a month. Furthermore, 300 hours would cost $20 a month.
What Others Are Saying
To find out what others have to say about Xfinity, we looked at two places: the Consumer Affairs page and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) page for the Comcast Corporation, Xfinity’s parent company.
Unfortunately, customers gave the company low ratings: a 1.8 out of 5 stars on Consumer Affairs and 1.07 on the BBB. However, the BBB itself gave Comcast an A+, despite the fact that the company is not BBB-accredited. Plus, not all of the reviews were negative. Mary from Front Royal, Virginia, wrote in a five-star review, “Xfinity by Comcast is great because it’s so easy to navigate and if you don’t want to do it yourself you can find anything using voice commands. The controller is simple and user friendly. To top it off, the price is right!” We agree that the voice command feature is great, and we’re thrilled to hear that Mary is happy.
Of course, most people who wrote reviews were dissatisfied. A user from Orange Park, Florida, wrote in a one-star review in September 2024, “Worst Customer Service Experience in the Nation by far. Almost impossible to get a live human on the phone. Constant issues with TV Flex/[Xumo] Boxes. Can never get a live person on the phone. They lie about not doing contracts too.”
David wrote of the company’s deceptive sales and billing practices, “I inquired about getting basic cable. All I need is ESPN and a few extra basic channels. I was greeted by a manager who explained they had a special so I could get cable for 40 dollars a month for 12 months. I thought, ‘Wow. What a deal,’ and was pleased. Then she tells me it would be 115. I thought, ‘OK, first-month fees, whatever.’ Then she explains that it will be 115 per month because it's 40 for the special, 15 for sports broadcasting, 12 for this, 11 for that, taxes, blah blah. It's absolutely DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES. I could never get it for 40 + taxes and why would I pay taxes for something I didn't purchase.”
Another thing to take note of is the government actions at the top of the BBB page. As of September 2024, the Attorney General of Minnesota has sued Comcast/Xfinity for overcharging customers and failing to deliver promotional gift cards, among other charges. This matter is pending. But, you can get into more detail about Minnesota vs. Comcast/Xfinity on the Attorney General’s website.
Final Thoughts
Xfinity is a good option if you don’t want to commit to a long-term contract. You can get over 185 channels, access to streaming apps, plus the actual subscriptions you’ll need to watch streaming services. However, it’s quite expensive, given you’ll have to pay additional fees.
To learn more about other TV options, check out our guides:
Xfinity Cable Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the cheapest Xfinity TV plan?
Their cheapest cable TV plan is Xfinity Choice TV. It costs $40.15 a month, including the broadcast fee.
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Does Xfinity require long-term contracts?
Xfinity does not require — or even offer — long-term contracts for any of its TV plans.
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What is Xfinity Flex?
Xfinity Flex is the former name for what is now Xumo: a 4K streaming TV box. It’s no longer available to new customers, but is available to existing Xfinity internet customers for an additional $5 per month.
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Where is Xfinity available?
Xfinity has local stores in 35 states and Washington, D.C. To see if the service is available in your area, visit xfinity.com/local.
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If I move, how can I keep my Xfinity TV service?
You can keep your Xfinity TV service if you move to another address that is within their service area. You will need to contact Xfinity first, confirm your moving dates, and provide the company with your new address. Visit xfinity.com/moving to get the process started.
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Does Xfinity have a TV plan for seniors?
Xfinity doesn’t offer a specific TV plan for seniors.