Can I change my Comcast Xfinity plan mid-contract?

August 23, 2019 4:38 PM

I'm about to sign up for a Comcast Xfinity internet-only plan, with a new customer promo ($20/month for Performance Starter). It's possible I may want the next plan up ("Performance"), which also has a promo for $30/month for new customers I think. If I sign up for the Performance Starter and determine in a month or two that I want to upgrade, will I only have to pay $30/month at that point, or will that deal no longer be valid and will I have to pay the full price?
posted by ClaireBear to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

There is a very good chance that deal will no longer be good. Once you've been a customer for a while, you've got some negotiating power because you can threaten to leave when the contract is up and then they might offer you lower costs to stay. In this case, they don't have much incentive to give you another special offer. That said, sometimes I've seen them do this (I help people get broadband so I've seen this sot of stuff in action a lot) by offering you the intro price but a longer contract (like 2 years versus a year)
posted by jessamyn at 4:42 PM on August 23, 2019

I would disagree, it's not unusual to upsell to a better service tier. It's not "another special offer" - it's you giving them more money for something they had offered you anyways. Whether the contract end date remains the same as the original or is restarted from the date of change is the usual issue. It's in your favor for it to start from the date of change and/or a longer term, of course. It isn't in their interest, so you will often find them holding you to the original dates.

The best way to know is to ask when you're signing up. Don't be afraid to waste a rep's time by calling and starting a signup just to get the answer to that question. Also be sure you know what the post-promotion prices will be.
posted by jgreco at 5:59 PM on August 23, 2019

They have one-year starter deals running all the time in my area. People call and negotiate to get the starter rates even when they’ve been on the same plan for years - at our old address we went through Husband’s Name, My Name, and then Hyphenated Husband’s-Name-My-Name in a couple of permutations, all at the urging of the Comcast reps. If you call and get one who won’t negotiate, try again a little later. You should also look at your bill vs their advertised price a couple times a year because, guess what, they don’t always give you the price they tell people they give. It’s shady.

I would bet it’s very likely that when you upgrade in a few months, that deal or a similar one will be available to you if you ask nicely and persistently.
posted by beandip at 8:36 PM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

> Once you've been a customer for a while, you've got some negotiating power because you can threaten to leave when the contract is up


I don't think this is the case any more. Comcast used to fret and reduce fees if threatened with leaving but I've read (and have personally experienced) that this is no longer the case. But as beandip says they do have deals running all the time and you should check on those after your initial deal is up.

For example we'd been buying a package which was over $200/month and last time I called Comcast for technical help they offered a new package for $140 - if I'd been on the ball I'd have changed to the new package some months ago when it came in.

However, watch out for the difference between quoted package cost vs actual price with all the bits added on .. the monthly price you pay Comcast is tens of dollars more than the quoted cost. Be specific with the rep that you be told the final *full* monthly cost as well as the quoted offer price.
posted by anadem at 9:23 PM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Its been a few months since i had comcast, but the secret to getting to a rep that could give you the current deals was to call the customer service number, listen to the prompt options, and choose the one for "moving." As in moving house. Then just explain to them that you need to end your service to move to another because (whatever) and see if they have any deals that work. I used in a comcast monopoly so i usually said i was going to just use my cell data if there wasnt an affordable deal. I usually got a rep who just looked at what i had and rattled off the current deal for the same thing or tried to upsell sometiong that had a cuurent deal at a similar price.
posted by WeekendJen at 11:53 PM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

It can vary. At one time, they would give you a better deal if you threatened to leave, but last time I tried that, they did not. I haven’t tried to negotiate with them lately because it’s so frustrating - lots of time waiting to talk to multiple representatives. My big problem with them is it’s usually much more expensive if you don’t also get cable, so I have a cable box still in the box in my house that I’ll have to return someday. But in my experience, there’s always at least some willingness to negotiate if you can tolerate the time suck of calling.
posted by FencingGal at 3:36 AM on August 24, 2019