Spectrum Internet Plans for Seniors in 2024

Spectrum Internet Pros and Cons

Spectrum Internet Plans and Pricing

Spectrum internet costs anywhere from $49.99 to $79.99 a month. Those prices include a $5 monthly discount for enrolling in automatic payments. With the basic Internet plan, your price may increase after the first year, while the other two plans will be price-locked for the first two years.

Spectrum Home Internet Plans Compared

*Pricing includes a $5 monthly discount for enrolling in automatic payments.

Plan Availability

Spectrum internet is available in the following states:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina

Even in the above states, all plans may not be plans available to you and prices may vary based on your home address.

The Fine Print

Beyond the sticker price, here is what you can expect to pay with Spectrum internet.

• Equipment fees: The good news is that Spectrum does not charge anything for Wi-Fi equipment. With other companies, such as Xfinity, the equipment will cost you $15 per month.
• Installation fees: Installation is free with Spectrum, because you’ll do it yourself.
• Price increases: Your price won’t increase with Spectrum for either 12 months with the $49.99-a-month option or 24 months with the $69.99 and $79.99 options. After that, however, you may see a hike.
• Autopay discounts: Spectrum offers a $5 monthly discount for enrolling in autopay.

Internet Bundles

Spectrum offers an internet and mobile bundle called Spectrum One. The bundle combines three services.

• Internet: 300 Mbps
• Advanced Wi-Fi: Cybersecurity that protects your personal information
• Phone: One unlimited line with 5G access

Those services on their own typically would cost $86.98 per month, but Spectrum One costs only $49.99 a month, saving you $36.99 a month — or $443.88 per year. If you want all three services anyway, it’s worth it to bundle them with Spectrum One.

To learn more about bundling Spectrum internet and mobile, read our guide to Spectrum Mobile for seniors.

Spectrum Internet Senior Plan

Spectrum does not offer a discount specifically for seniors, but it has a plan for people on certain government programs, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The plan, called Internet Assist, costs $24.99 a month, but it’s only for wired connections. Adding Wi-Fi will cost another $5 per month. Wi-Fi equipment is free with these plans, as well.

I’d recommend getting Internet Assist if you plan to use the internet only for simple tasks such as checking your email, since speeds go up to only 50 Mbps. For more advanced actions such as downloading files, video chatting, or streaming, you may want to go with the 300 Mbps plan, although it’s much more expensive at $49.99 a month.

The Affordable Connectivity Program may be over, but you may be eligible for the Lifeline program, which provides subsidies for home and internet service based on your income and location, if you previously qualified for it. The discount could be up to $9.25 a month or, for people living on Tribal lands, up to $24.25 a month. See if you qualify for Lifeline here.

My Experience With Spectrum

The process of buying internet from Spectrum was as simple as entering my address on the Spectrum website and clicking a button that said I was a new customer. From there, Spectrum gave me a number to call from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. ET. I wish I could complete the process online, but Spectrum seems to be phone-only.

Installation

The first step in installing my Wi-Fi router was connecting it through the ethernet port and connecting it to power. After a few minutes, a light came on indicating that it was online, and it updated for about 10 minutes. Once the light turned solid, the router was connected and I used the QR code on the side of the router to name my Wi-Fi network and create a password. Finally, I activated my router by visiting spectrum.net/selfinstall and following the prompts. The entire process took less than 20 minutes, and I loved that it was totally free.

Spectrum App

Spectrum offers the My Spectrum app for both iPhones and Androids. As far as the internet goes, here’s what I could do on the app:

• Pay my internet bill
• Enroll in automatic payments or paperless billing
• Decide how my payments are sent
• See my old billing statements and service history
• See my data usage and internet plan
• Upgrade my Wi-Fi
• Troubleshoot my internet connection and conduct a speed test
• Chat with customer service or browse the support section

I found the app easy to use, and other customers seem to think so too. It has a 4.8-out-of-5 rating on the App Store and a 4.6 rating on the Google Play store.

Using My Internet

Working from home with my life partner can be frustrating or fun, depending on the day. But with fast internet, we’re both in good spirits. Neither of us had any issues with speed when we were connected to Spectrum’s network. Even with both laptops going, checking our phones between Zoom meetings, and having a show on in the background — hey, we can multitask! — we never had any noticeable latency. Through speed tests on both the Spectrum app and Google, we confirmed that we were getting the speeds we paid for.

My Bill

I always choose the fastest speeds available, so I paid $79.99 a month for the 1 Gig plan. Fortunately, there were no hidden fees, as I paid nothing for the equipment, installation, or activation. That was refreshing, but keep in mind that the price includes the $5-per-month autopay discount. Without it, my bill would have come out to $84.99 a month.

Spectrum vs. AT&T Internet

AT&T Fiber offers the fastest speeds around: 5 Gbps, which is literally five times as fast as Spectrum’s fastest 1 Gbps plan. That said, AT&T Fiber costs more than Spectrum on a monthly basis, usually by $5 to $10. I would recommend AT&T Fiber if you want to do high-bandwidth activities that require speeds above 1 Gbps, such as streaming on multiple devices, online gaming, or video chatting. I’d choose Spectrum if you don’t need speeds over 1 Gbps.

Both ISPs offer monthly contracts and no overage charges, since data is unlimited with all plans. One area in which Spectrum outshines AT&T, however, is in its lack of equipment costs. AT&T charges a nonrefundable $150 for its gateway and another $65 for an optional Wi-Fi extender.

There’s also the question of availability. Spectrum is available in 41 states, but AT&T Fiber is available in only 24 states. In other states, only AT&T Internet Air is available. It offers speeds up to 225 Mbps and costs $60, which is overpriced compared to Spectrum.

If it’s available and you want the fastest speeds around, I would choose AT&T Fiber. If you’d rather save money, go with Spectrum. I’d also recommend Spectrum over AT&T Internet Air, if both are available. Spectrum charges $5 less for faster speeds.

To learn more about AT&T, read my guide to AT&T internet for seniors.

Bottom Line

Spectrum is a good choice if you’re a recipient of SSI, because you can get home internet for only $24.99 a month. If you’re not eligible for the discount, it’s not the cheapest provider around, with prices starting at $49.99 a month.

One package that would make sense, however, is Spectrum One. For $49.99 a month — the same starting cost as an internet-only plan — you’ll get internet, cybersecurity, and a mobile phone line, saving you hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.

Spectrum also is a good option if you’re willing to commit to a long-term contract to get a guaranteed price lock. If you’re not on SSI, though, it may be too expensive. If that’s the case, I’d point you to my list of the best cheap internet providers.