Comcast is a well known household name across America due to its cable, Internet, and home phone service offerings. The company is now beginning to offer a mobile service to its subscribers.
Coined Xfinity Mobile, the service is a new offering by Comcast available to current Xfinity customers TV or Internet customers. After some testing, the service is now available to the public nationwide.
Contrary to popular belief, Comcast isn't building its own cellular network towers for Xfinity Mobile. Instead, it works as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). In other words, Xfinity Mobile utilizes other existing networks to provide service to customers. Comcast has chosen to partner up with Verizon coupled with the power of its own Wi-Fi hotspots. Many customers believe that getting cellular service through a MVNO such as Xfinity Mobile is a valuable deal compared to traditional cellular plans. Xfinity claims to offer the same quality of coverage as the top carriers in the industry.
Comcast is big around bundles, so it's no surprise that Xfinity Mobile is most valuable and pushed more with other Comcast services. Unfortunately for those who aren't current subscribers, Xfinity Mobile is not available to them. You'll need to sign up for some sort of Xfinity bundle or service to have access to the Mobile service. Once you're an established customer, Xfinity Mobile can be bought for as little as $45 a month for unlimited talk, text and data.
Some people question whether they should switch to Comcast for their cellular service. Let's take a closer look at all of the details to get a better idea if Xfinity Mobile is the ideal plan for you.
As mentioned before, Xfinity mobile is a new wireless service offered exclusively to Comcast subscribers. The network is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, which utilizes Verizon's network to provide coverage to devices. Comcast also uses its own Wi-Fi hotspots spread nationwide to add extra power to Xfinity Mobile.
Choose to subscribe and you'll be given the choice between an unlimited data plan or paying for data as you go. The unlimited nationwide talk and text comes with either plan regardless of your data choice. Xfinity Mobile offers up to five lines without any access fees per subscribers, while Verizon charges subscribes $20 per line in access fees. That's not including the additional monthly data plan payment.
For TV lovers always on the go, the Xfinity Stream App is available on their smartphone to stream their favorite live TV or on-demand content. Shows stored on cloud-DVR makes content even easier to manage and access, no matter when and where you are. Of course, streaming live TV counts against your data allowance, but you won't have to worry about this with the unlimited plan.
Most people won't notice a difference between Xfinity Mobile and another wireless carrier on the same device. The two major differences is that 1) you must be a Comcast subscriber, and 2) quality may vary depending on if you're traveling or not; Xfinity Mobile will bounce between Xfinity hotspots to maintain calls. The second reason may be a bit worrying, but coupled with Verizon's network you can be rest assured that coverage is of high quality. In fact, it actually represents a boost in quality and speed sometimes. Several other prepaid phone services user networks similar to Xfinity Mobile's.
Subscribers can expect to pay from $12 a month to $65 a month, all depending on the features of the plan chosen. These prices don't include applicable taxes and/or fees, which varies between locations.
The basic 1GB $12 plan is paired with nationwide unlimited talk and text, but if you go beyond that 1GB then you'll be charged $12 per additional GB. Take note that Comcast rounds up, so you'll be charged $12 even if you use only 10MB over your assigned 1GB.
Data is shared between all lines under the subscriber's account, so the amount of lines and data used will change the monthly cost accordingly. It might be better to opt for multiple lines and selecting a specified amount of data rather than the plans already offered. "By the Gig" plans are optimal for those on a budget who know they won't need to use too much.
Xfinity Mobile's unlimited plan was just $45 over the summer, but returned to $65 per line since then. Future promotions may reintroduce this promotional price, which remains at $45 per month for a two year long period. Regardless, the $65 a month fee will always be returned to unless you're a qualifying Comcast X1 customer eligible for the $45 a month payment plan.
Unlimited data on Xfinity Mobile is similar to how other major cellular networks treat their unlimited data plans: a certain amount of GB is granted (20GB for Xfinity Mobile customers) at full speed, but any data used after that amount during that cycle will be throttled down to 3G data speeds.
If you're not satisfied with the Xfinity Mobile plan, fret not. You'll be able to cancel your service within 30 days of the next billing cycle date, leaving you responsible for just the current month and any potential remaining mobile device payments. This is a nice sigh of relief, as most cellular networks require a contract and can charge hundreds for canceling early.
You'll be able to cancel your plan and return any devices for a full refund, but a $35 restocking fee will apply after a certain amount of time. Still, this is much better than a contract cancellation fee. Any other outstanding charges on the device or plan must be paid as well.
Related: Xfinity Internet & TV Review
Xfinity Mobile now offers a wide variety of devices, and is compatible with the best smartphones on the market. Xfinity Mobile offers some of the most high-end smartphones like the Apple iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, Samsung Galaxy Note9, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, and many more. Budget options, such as the LG Stylo 4, are available for frugal shoppers.
Those low on money, but looking for a high quality device will have the option to turn to payment options for a fair monthly rate. Xfinity hasn't announced service for tablets or other devices yet.
There's no one-size-fits-all situation when it comes to cellular plans, but Comcast's Xfinity Mobile might be perfect for some. Users already subscribes to Xfinity's Internet service are eligible for the $45/month unlimited plan, making it a no-brainer for Comcast loyalists. This plan compared to one of similar features on Verizon would cost customers around $80. The rate eventually goes up to $65/month, but that's still a better deal than most carriers nowadays. Take note that certain features may result in extra fees on your plan.
People who don't use much data per month (let's say less than one or two GB a month) will also get by just fine with Xfinity Mobile's basic plan, another no-brainer for Xfinity customers. More data than granted will result in a $12 per GB fee, however.
Xfinity won't hold you hostage if you don't enjoy using Xfinity Mobile, but you'll need to call their customer service line first at 888-936-4968. As mentioned before, you won't be hit with any unexpected cancellation fees. Be sure cancel before the 30 day period ends to avoid any unnecessary charges, and pay any outstanding payments to avoid billing issues in the future.
