Black Friday’s not just for gadgets. Find deals on your internet service too!
Image by Pixabay/Illustration by CNET
I get it. You’re on the lookout for great discounts on the newest smartphones, biggest TVs, most clever toys or the glitzy new doodad you saw on YouTube the other day. After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. But don’t sleep on the deals coming from the internet service providers in your area. Those ISPs probably aren’t on your radar, but with the holiday shopping season already here (haven’t you heard about the late-year supply chain woes?), it’s a sneaky-good time to score a deal on internet service.
When we chatted with Earthlink’s CEO Glenn Goad for our deep dive on how to negotiate with your ISP, he passed along several insights. Most important? Be prepared.
“It’s a great time for promotions, offers and incentives,” Goad told us, pointing out how the arrival of new competitors like Starlink and the emergence of new technologies like 5G have forced ISPs to go big in order to win customers or even keep hold of existing ones.
“But,” Goad added, it’s “also a time where you may not get the hand-holding or the time you want to research.”
That’s where we can help. ISP deals might not be on your radar, but they’re definitely on ours. Whether you currently have a data cap you want to shed or perhaps are looking for a plan with a little more download speed, we may be able to point you to a deal that makes sense for you.
One little disclaimer. We say it all the time with our ISP reviews, but it bears repeating: There may be a provider out there with a seemingly perfect plan for your household, but said ISP is not available at your address. It can be frustrating. But with the expansion of satellite internet service and 5G home internet options, your choices may slowly but surely begin to expand.
It’s still early, but here’s our CNET list of Black Friday broadband deals thus far. Keep this page bookmarked as we’ll continue to update it as more deals, offers and promotions get announced. And if any providers are ruling Black Friday deals out, we’ll let you know that, too.
Top Black Friday broadband deals
Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications
Frontier is getting into the game early, with an offer going live on Oct. 31. It will emphasize its Gig service by offering a $200 reward card for new customers. Also, exclusive to Gig customers, it will include an Eero Pro 6 mesh router for a whole-home Wi-Fi experience for no added charge.
This deal features a three-year price lock and a one-year contract.
Read our Frontier home internet service review.
Providers not participating in Black Friday
WideOpenWest
Wide Open West
A WOW spokesperson shared with CNET that it will not have specific deals planned for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Still, WOW is committed to “offering its customers their most reliable, fastest network at the best price.”
Read our WOW home internet service review.
Black Friday internet deal FAQs
Is Black Friday really the best time to get broadband?
It could be. While many sales experts agree that May to October — moving season — is the prime window to find great sales and incentives on internet service, some ISPs are hopping on the Black Friday bandwagon to extend special promos and offers beyond their recurring monthly deals.
What makes for a good internet deal?
That will differ for each household, but one good way to determine value is to look at the cost per megabit per second. For example, you might jump at a 100Mbps plan for $20 per month and skip the 500Mbps plan for $40 per month. That’s $20 a month more!
However, when you look at the cost per Mbps, it’s 20 cents per Mbps for the 100 plan and just 8 cents per Mbps for the 500 plan. If you have several users in your household and multiple smart devices throughout the home, you’ll notice the performance difference in having the 500Mbps plan versus having to settle for the 100Mbps option.
Lastly, don’t sleep on the value of promotional perks. If a plan offers you free HBO Max, that’s a savings of $15 a month or $180 a year. As more and more of us cut the cord on cable and lean on streaming services, that’s an excellent value.
Are there internet promotions I should avoid on Black Friday?
We would suggest staying away from services that require you to enter into a term agreement. To sign one means you often have to pay a stiff penalty if you decide to end service before the end of the contract. Thankfully, more and more ISPs are giving up the idea of long-term contracts. But if a Black Friday deal requires that you sign a long-term agreement, make sure you have no other options — or already know and like the provider — before signing on the dotted line.