Cost decisions · 5 min read
Does basic prepaid internet service fit your home?
Xfinity’s NOW terms show what to ask any prepaid seller about renewal, refunds, pauses and the gateway.
By Pablo Mendoza · Reviewed by George Olfson
Published · Updated
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Basic prepaid internet service changes when and how you pay, not whether your address can get service. It is a payment design, not a speed tier. Xfinity’s NOW Internet, for example, requires AutoPay and renews each period, gives no refunds once activated, and cancels a paused account after 180 days (checked Sep 24, 2026). Price your whole stay, and check Lifeline separately.
What basic prepaid internet service means
“Prepaid” is a payment design, so the rules live in each product’s own terms. Xfinity’s NOW Internet publishes its rules in detail, which makes it a useful model. The right-hand column turns each rule into a question for any prepaid seller.
| Term | What Xfinity’s NOW FAQ says (source) | Question for any prepaid seller |
|---|---|---|
| Speed choices | 100 Mbps (NOW100) and 200 Mbps (NOW200) | Which speeds can my address get? |
| Payment | Prepaid, with AutoPay required | Can I pay without AutoPay? |
| Renewal | Renews on its own each prepaid period | Does a payment buy a month, a set number of days, or service to a date? |
| Contract and credit | No annual contract and no credit check; taxes and fees included | Is there a credit check or deposit? |
| Refunds | No refunds or prorations once activated | What do I get back if I stop mid-period? |
| Pause and cancel | Turning off AutoPay pauses service; after 180 days paused, the account is canceled | What happens if a payment fails? |
| Installation | Self-installation only (our Sep 21, 2026 audit) | Can a technician install it, and at what cost? |
| Equipment and data | Gateway and unlimited data included in the rate (our Sep 21, 2026 audit) | Is the gateway bought, rented or included? |
Xfinity publishes these rules for NOW Internet. See Xfinity plans.
Who can order: address, existing accounts and transfers
Check the full address and unit first. Then ask whether an existing account at the address must close, whether you can install it yourself, and whether you own or return the gateway.
A gap in service can open when an existing account changes over. For a move from Xfinity Internet to NOW, Xfinity says the old service must be disconnected, but it can stay active until the NOW gateway is received and activated. Get the disconnect date and the gateway delivery date from Xfinity before you order NOW. Our Xfinity keep-or-switch guide covers the rest of that account, and switching internet without a gap in service shows how to overlap the two.
Prepaid or postpaid for your situation
Find the row that worries you most, and put both of its questions to the sellers you are comparing.
| Concern | Prepaid question | Postpaid question |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving early | When does paid service stop, and is any of it refunded? | When does a cancellation take effect, and what is on the final bill? |
| Cash on day one | Is a gateway and the first period due now? | Is there an install fee, deposit or first invoice? |
| Keeping service during the change | Can the current line stay on until activation? | Can both services overlap? |
| A missed payment | Does service pause, and for how long? | Is there a late fee, and when does service stop? |
Prepaid often suits an uncertain move-out date. A regular plan can cost less over a long, settled stay. Our guide to internet for a short stay turns this into a cost per usable day.
Price the whole occupancy period
Add every payment period you will use, plus equipment, activation and taxes. Add any paid days after you move out, since NOW, for one, gives no refund once a period starts. Compare that total with a regular plan over the same dates, including installation and the later rate.
Check the data terms too. Our guide to data allowances covers plans that limit usage.
Keep assistance separate: Lifeline yes, ACP no
Lifeline eligibility turns on the household, not on how a plan is paid. Lifeline, run through USAC, is still open to new applicants. It covers households with income at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and households on SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, Federal Public Housing Assistance or the Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit. The rule is one benefit per household, and it can apply to phone, internet or bundled service.
The Affordable Connectivity Program is over. It stopped new enrollments in early February 2024, when over 23 million households were enrolled, and it ended June 1, 2024. Our guide to lower-cost internet options walks through Lifeline step by step. If a regular plan stops you at a credit check or a deposit, how often those steps ended a shopping call is the count from our call center, with the questions to ask before you apply.
What to do next
Price a prepaid product and a regular plan side by side in the cost calculator. Our audit of public offer terms shows how NOW and six other offers state their terms. The Lifeline rules above come from USAC’s own page, since our methodology quotes an eligibility rule only when its current scope can be substantiated. The Nov 2, 2026 reading, including fiber properties and the gateway you cannot replace, is in internet prepagado, explained. If the stop is a credit check or a deposit, what to ask before you apply uses the counts from our call file.
For the broader decision, read Compare introductory and regular pricing for home internet.
Common questions
Does prepaid internet require a credit check?
Some prepaid internet services skip the credit check. Xfinity says its NOW Internet has no credit check and no annual contract, requires AutoPay, and renews each prepaid period with taxes and fees included (checked Sep 24, 2026). Other prepaid sellers set their own rules, so ask each one directly before you give personal details.
Can I get a refund if I stop prepaid internet early?
Prepaid internet refunds depend on the product. Xfinity says NOW Internet gives no refunds or prorations once a prepaid period is activated (checked Sep 24, 2026), so the period, not the day, is the unit you pay for. Price whole periods across your expected stay, and time your last renewal so it ends close to the day you leave.
What happens if I stop paying for prepaid internet?
On Xfinity NOW Internet, turning off AutoPay pauses the service, and Xfinity cancels an account that stays paused for 180 days (checked Sep 24, 2026). Other prepaid services set their own pause and cancellation rules. Before you stop a payment on any of them, ask how long a paused account survives and what restarting it takes.
Can I still sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program?
No. The FCC ended the Affordable Connectivity Program on June 1, 2024, after freezing new enrollments in early February 2024. Lifeline, a separate federal program, still gives eligible households a monthly discount on phone, internet or bundled service. Check Lifeline eligibility through USAC before you choose a prepaid plan, since it can lower the cost.
Sources and scope
- Xfinity: NOW Internet FAQs Checked Prepaid terms, refunds, pauses and moving from Xfinity Internet.
- USAC: Lifeline consumer eligibility Checked Income and program rules, and the one-per-household limit.
- FCC: FCC brings Affordable Connectivity Program to a close (news release) Checked ACP end date, enrollment freeze and the Lifeline benefit.
- FCC: Consumer broadband labels now required nationwide (news release) Checked What a broadband label must show, and the 2024 compliance dates.
- InternetService.ai: internet bill cost study (public price-term audit) Checked Seven public offer pages read on Sep 21, 2026: rate periods, later-price wording, equipment and AutoPay terms.