Shopping for home internet in your area isn’t always easy, so it’s nice to be rewarded with a little something extra when you sign up with a new provider. On top of a good internet deal with fast speeds for a low price, the best internet providers often include special bonus offers just for signing up.
Promotions vary by ISP and possibly the plan you choose, but gift cards, streaming service subscriptions, free equipment and bill credits are among the most common offers I’ve seen. Below, you’ll find my top picks for the best internet promotions for the month of May. These offers are subject to change and they do change often, so check back regularly to avoid missing out on special bonus offers.
Top internet promos for May 2022
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How to get it: Sign up for Verizon Fios Gigabit Connection.
Verizon really wants you to sign up for gig service. New customers signing up for Verizon’s gigabit plan will get a free router and Wi-Fi extender rental, 2TB of Verizon Cloud storage (a $15 a month value) plus $5 off their bill for a year when also enrolling in autopay. Gig customers will also receive $300 off a Stream TV Soundbar and a free Disney Bundle subscription, which includes Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu, for 12 months.
Those signing up for the 300Mbps or 500Mbps will get the free Disney Bundle offer for six months, but not any of the other incentives included with gig service.
Verizon Fios
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Jim Lane/Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
How to get it: Order any AT&T Fiber plan online. Order gigabit or multigigabit service to receive the HBO Max offer.
AT&T is known for frequently giving away gift cards, and this May is no exception. All AT&T Fiber plans — that’s AT&T Fiber 300, 500 and 1000 along with the new multi-gig plans available in select areas — come with a $150 gift card when you sign up for service online. The gift card offer is not available with AT&T Internet (a DSL-based service) or AT&T Fixed Wireless Internet.
In addition to the gift card, AT&T Fiber gigabit plans include a free subscription to HBO Max. This is no trial subscription, either: HBO Max is included at no extra cost for as long as you have the plan, an ongoing $15 per month value.
AT&T Home Internet
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Frontier Communications
How to get it: Sign up online for a Frontier FiberOptic plan
Frontier’s promotional offers vary by plan. To get the grand prize — a free Apple 4K TV device and Apple TV Plus subscription free for three months — you’ll have to sign up for Frontier’s new multigig plan, Fiber 2 Gig. At $150 per month, the 2Gbps service is priced a bit higher than others, but the promotional offer does help with that. Frontier’s Fiber 2 Gig also comes with Wi-Fi 6 equipment at no extra cost, as does the provider’s single-gig plan, which also comes with a $200 gift card but not the Apple offer. If you don’t need gigabit speed, Frontier FiberOptic 500/500 comes with a $100 gift card, but no other incentives.
One caveat about Frontier’s special offers: They come with a one-year contract requirement, so you can’t sign up for Fiber 2 Gig, get your free Apple 4K TV device, watch Apple TV Plus for free for three months, then cancel service without penalty. Even if you accept the $100 gift card, it will come with a one-year service agreement. Canceling before your contract is up can mean early termination fees that may outweigh the value of gift cards or other offers, so make sure you’re ready to commit before accepting any special promotions. You can opt out of the special offers when signing up for Frontier internet online.
Frontier Communications
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Windstream
How to get it: Order a Kinetic internet plan and upgrade to gig service.
In select areas, Kinetic by Windstream is offering new customers a free upgrade to gig service for three months. Other locations may not be eligible for the free service upgrade, particularly those where Kinetic fiber is unavailable, but all new Kinetic customers can get a $100 instant credit when signing up.
Kinetic Internet
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Altice
How to get it: Sign up online for Optimum 300, 500 or gigabit plans.
New customers signing up for Optimum internet 300Mbps, 500Mbps and gig plans will receive a $200 gift card along with a free HBO Max subscription, valued at $15 per month. The gift card is the same across all plans, but the HBO Max offer varies by plan. Optimum 300 comes with HBO Max for three months, while Optimum 500 comes with six months of the streaming service and Optimum Gig includes a full year. Optimum 100, a low-cost plan available in select locations, does not come with a gift card or HBO Max offer.
Optimum Internet
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RCN
How to get it: Qualifying customers in the NYC metro area will receive three free months of service when signing up for the 500Mbps or 940Mbps plans.
Astound’s internet offers vary by location and are a bit all over the place. New York City customers can get the biggest payout — three free months of service just for signing up for either of the provider’s two fastest plans. Those who sign up for the cheapest plan, 250Mbps, will receive a free modem but no free months of service. Residents of the DC metro, Lehigh Valley or Chicago areas can get a $100 or $200 gift card depending on your location and the plan you choose.
In other areas where Astound service is available, like the greater Boston area and various Texas cities, the only offer is free installation. It’s not much, especially when compared with a $200 gift card or three months of free service, but it’ll save you around $99 off the initial cost of signing up.
Internet promotion FAQs
Who has the best internet offer in May?
Currently, Verizon Fios has arguably the best internet promotion running, if you’re interested in gigabit service, that is. New customers will receive a Wi-Fi extender, 2TB of cloud storage space, $300 off a Stream TV Soundbar and a free Disney Bundle subscription for one year.
You’ll find the best gift card promotions from AT&T Fiber, Frontier FiberOptic and Optimum, as all are giving away high-dollar gift cards of $100 or higher. In addition to gift cards, AT&T Fiber and Optimum are also including HBO Max subscription with select plans. And if you’re looking for free service, Astound is giving away three free months of service and Kinetic is offering a free upgrade to gig speed (a $30 per month value) for three months.
Is the promo offer worth signing up for a new internet service?
Promotional offers are all well and good, but they shouldn’t be the sole consideration when choosing an internet service or particular plan. The best bang for your buck will often lie in the plan that delivers the speed you need for the lowest price. Anything extra on top of that, such as gift cards or free streaming services, is welcome, but if it entices you into paying a premium for more speed than you need, the signup bonus may not have been worth it.
For example, let’s say you’re shopping for Frontier FiberOptic internet and are interested in the 500Mbps plan, which comes with a $100 gift card. Then you see the gig plan, which is $20 more per month, but comes with a $200 gift card. So after five months, the extra $100 you got with gig service is gone and you’re left paying $20 a month more for a plan that has more speed than you need. In short, always try to go with the best plan for your needs, not necessarily the plan with the highest upfront gratification.
What other internet promotions are available?
Other than the promos listed above, there isn’t much worth writing home about. Sure, some providers have lower introductory pricing or free install offers, but that’s so common among ISPs now that they could hardly be considered “promos.”
That’s not to say that other special offers aren’t available, they’re just not as heavily advertised or may not be available to all residential customers. When signing up for a new internet service, ask the internet provider what other special offer they can throw in for you.
Can existing internet customers get promotional offers?
Internet promos are often reserved for new customers or returning customers who have been away for more than a year. That’s not to say a lower price or a deal on upgrading to a faster speed isn’t available, though. Try calling your current ISP and ask what it can do to keep your business. That may get you nothing, but it could get you a lower rate, free equipment or something else that wasn’t advertised online. Hey, you never know, it never hurts to ask.
