Comcast Xfinity Prepaid Internet: Everything You Should Know

I’m always searching for the best internet plan and came across this package. I’ll go over everything this plan offers to help you decide whether it’s worth getting.

To understand Xfinity Prepaid Internet, I’ll cover the following:

• What It is
• How It Works
• Eligibility Requirements
• Speeds and Packages
• Getting Started
• Setting up Prepaid Internet
• How To Make a Prepaid Payment
• Who To Reach if You Have Questions

Keep reading to learn more.

What Is Xfinity Prepaid Internet?

Comcast Xfinity launched a pay-as-you-go internet service in 2017. With this plan, you’ll get 50 Mbps download speeds and 10 Mbps upload. 

Here’s who’ll benefit from Xfinity Prepaid:

• Anyone who doesn’t qualify for Internet Essentials
• Has a short or poor credit history
• Don’t want to pay a deposit
• Temporary residents: students and renters

It’s an excellent way for temporary residents to save money on a contract-less plan.

You can refill your prepaid plan in a store, your Xfinity account, or your Xfinity app.

Let’s circle back to the speeds for a second. 50 Mbps download speed isn’t much. Only two devices could simultaneously stream 4K video. So if you’re living in a house with more than a couple people, you’re going to fill your bandwidth fast.

How Does Xfinity Prepaid Internet Work?

Xfinity uses the same cable network for the internet as other plans. Network signals will go through a refurbished Xfinity gateway. A gateway combines the features of a router and modem.

After setting up your device, you’ll have access to the internet for 30 days. Once that time passes, you’ll have to refill your prepaid internet. You can do so through your Xfinity account, Xfinity Prepaid app, or in-store.

Eligibility Requirements

If you’re under 18, you’re reading the wrong guide. Because you can’t subscribe to Xfinity Prepaid yourself. And you can’t have an active Xfinity service.

Now that’s out of the way, you’ll need to reside within one of the 40 states Xfinity supports. These include:

Alabama	Arizona	Arkansas	California
Colorado	Connecticut	Delaware	Florida
Georgia	Idaho	Illinois	Indiana
Kansas	Kentucky	Louisiana	Maine
Maryland	Massachusetts	Michigan	Minnesota
Mississippi	Missouri	New Hampshire	New Jersey
Nevada	New Mexico	New York	North Carolina
Ohio	Oregon	Pennsylvania	South Carolina
Tennessee	Texas	Utah	Vermont
Virginia	Washington	West Virginia	Wisconsin

Comcast may change their supported locations at any time. These charts may not be the most accurate. Xfinity may also not offer internet to all cities. Go to Xfinity’s ‘Deals’ page, enter your address, and see whether they offer service in your area.

Do you have an outstanding balance from former Xfinity plans you subscribed to? This MAY affect whether you qualify. Though, there’s no information that specifies this claim.

Pricing

You’ll need to pay a one-time fee of $35 for the Prepaid Starter Kit. This price doesn’t include taxes and shipping. I tried finding specific prices, but there are too many variables.

Comcast Xfinity will determine these other fees depending on your location.

Anyway, you’ll need to pay a one-time equipment and startup fee [1].

You’ll pay $80 to set up your prepaid plan. When buying the starter kit, you’ll own the Wireless Gateway. So you don’t have to pay an equipment rental fee.

But that also means you can’t use your own equipment. That’s a downer because using your own equipment and separate devices from modem/router combos has many benefits.

And for the plan itself, you’ll need to pay $45 every 30 days.

Sometimes you can score deals.

Let’s talk about Xfinity’s data cap. You can’t escape it unless you pay for their Unlimited Internet or Gigabit Pro plan. Instead of a 1.2 terabyte (TB) data cap, their regular plans have, Xfinity Prepaid has a 1 TB data cap.

You can do a lot with 1 TB. Not if you love 4K, though. A single device can only stream 171 total hours of 4K video. And that’s only if you stream 4K media the whole month.

Getting Started

If you’re in an area that supports Xfinity, you’ll need to check whether they offer prepaid services where you live. In my experience, you’ll get the quickest response through Xfinity Assistant.

It’s a chatbot, but if you type “talk to someone” twice, it’ll redirect you to a customer service person. And if you don’t have an Xfinity account, tell them you’re a new customer interested in trying the service.

Otherwise, you can speak with someone on the phone or schedule an appointment at an Xfinity store.

If you’re at an Xfinity store and they tell you a plan’s available, you may as well just get your Prepaid Starter Kit while you’re there. And if you’re in a store, that’s the only way to use cash to pay for your service.

Xfinity also partnered with many retailers who sell their starter kits. Here’s a tool where you enter your ZIP code, then it’ll show you nearby stores with the kit.

The Prepaid Starter Kit will include:

• 30 days of prepaid internet
• Refurbished Xfinity Wireless Gateway (modem/router combination)
• Coaxial cable

Once you have your kit, set up your Wireless Gateway. Take the coaxial cable and connect your gateway to a coaxial port. Then plug it into an outlet.

As your gateway powers on, wait a bit for all the LED indicators to turn on. If the lights don’t turn on, unplug your router and check to ensure the power outlet works. Test it with something like a lamp.

Congratulations on getting your modem to work. Now you’ll create an account at my.Xfinityprepaid.com. Then once you have an account, you can activate it on the same site.

Now you should have prepaid internet.

30 days have passed. How do you add more money?

How To Make a Prepaid Payment

As I mentioned, you can pay for your prepaid internet using your Xfinity account. Once you’re there, click the ‘Refill’ tab. If you don’t want to log in, click ‘Skip Login and Refill Now.’

Or you can follow this link: my.Xfinityprepaid.com/en/litepay. You’ll need to enter your ZIP code, phone number affiliated with your account, and payment information.

Don’t want to use your Comcast Xfinity account? Use the Xfinity Prepaid app.

Log into your app and see a ‘Refill’ tab at the bottom. Tap it, enter your payment information, and give them money.

Or you can do so in-store. They offer plenty of flexibility with how you want to pay your plan.

You can pay for seven days ($15) or 30 days ($45). And you can either by paying for your entire balance online or set up auto-refill.

Who To Reach if You Have Questions

Let’s dive into their equipment rental. Do you need to receive replacement equipment? If your gateway breaks within 30 days of purchase, you can call (855) 757-7372 for a replacement.

If you forget your account’s username, don’t waste your time trying to reach someone. Use their Look Up My ID tool.

As I mentioned, you’ll want to use Xfinity Assistant to reach them.

To reach Xfinity customer service, call (800) 934-6489 and tell the automated system you want to speak to technical support. They’re only available Monday–Saturday, 7 am to 9 pm (EST). If you’re not able to reach anyone, try one of these other ways to contact Xfinity.

FAQ: Comcast Xfinity Prepaid Internet

Here are some questions you may not have known you had beforehand.

Conclusion

Xfinity Prepaid internet works great for anyone not qualified for Internet Essentials and who has poor credit. It MAY also cost a bit less than other plans with similar download speeds. When considering costs after contracts and discounts pass.

But you don’t have much flexibility. You have 200 gigabytes (GB) less data cap than other plans.

Weigh your options. Consider every Xfinity plan before subscribing.

When subscribing to an Xfinity plan (that’s not Xfinity Prepaid), you can save money on equipment fees by buying your own modem. But you’ll need a compatible one. We’ve put together a list of Xfinity-compatible modems that you should consider.