New-customer promotional pricing
The main event. A reduced rate held for a fixed period, usually twelve months, sometimes longer when bundled. Always ask for the date it ends and the rate after it.
The catch. Ends without warning. Diarise it.
How the deals work
Six kinds of offer. Only two are worth much.
Every provider advertises savings, and the word covers wildly different things. A reward card and a three-year price guarantee are not the same instrument. Here is each type, what it is actually worth over a year, and the condition attached to it.
Contract buyout credits
An incoming provider covers some or all of the early-termination fee your current provider charges, up to a stated limit.
The catch. You usually have to submit the final bill within a window.
Phone balance payoff
On mobile switches, outstanding handset installments covered up to a limit when you move a minimum number of lines.
The catch. Minimum line counts and number-porting conditions apply.
Prepaid or reward cards
A one-off card after service has been active for a set period. Real money, but not a rate cut.
The catch. Arrives months later and often expires.
Extended price guarantees
Two or three years of held pricing when you take more than one service. The most valuable and least advertised offer type.
The catch. Dropping a service can end the guarantee.
Waived fees and free equipment
Installation, activation or modem rental waived. Small monthly items that add up over a year.
The catch. Often only on self-install or specific tiers.
Reading an offer
Every offer is a set of terms, not a price.
What the rate is, how long it holds, what happens the month after, and what has to stay active for it to survive. We read all four to you before anything is ordered.
Ranked
What a year of each is roughly worth
Rough, illustrative figures for a typical single-service household, to show the order of magnitude. Your numbers will differ. Nothing here is an offer.
| Offer type | Rough 12-month value | Recurring? |
|---|---|---|
| Extended price guarantee (2–3 yr) | $300–$900 | Yes, for the term |
| New-customer promotional rate | $240–$420 | Yes, then it ends |
| Contract buyout credit | Up to $500 | No, one-off |
| Phone balance payoff | Up to $800 | No, one-off |
| Waived fees and free equipment | $60–$180 | Partly |
| Prepaid or reward card | $100–$300 | No, one-off |
Illustrative ranges compiled from providers’ advertised residential offers, reviewed August 2026. Not a quote, not an offer, and not a prediction of what you will be given. Every credit carries eligibility conditions, and one-off credits are frequently taxable or time-limited. See our Disclaimer.
Ask for these
Four questions that decide whether an offer is good
- 1
What is the rate after the promotion?
Not the promotional price, the one after it. This single number decides whether you are back here in twelve months. If the agent cannot say, that is your answer.
- 2
What is the exact end date?
Write it in a calendar the day you order. A promotion that quietly lapses is the most common cause of an overpriced bill in America, and nobody sends a warning.
- 3
What is the all-in first bill?
Plan price, equipment rental, taxes, fees and any prorated charges. The advertised figure is rarely what leaves your account.
- 4
What ends the guarantee?
Dropping a bundled service, changing tier, or moving address can void a multi-year price lock. Know what you are agreeing not to do.
Fair questions
About offers, and about us
Which offer type is worth the most?
An extended price guarantee, almost always. A $200 reward card is a one-off. Two or three years of held pricing on a bill that would otherwise step up by $25 a month is worth roughly $600 to $900, and it is the offer providers advertise least.
Do you get paid more for pushing a particular offer?
We are paid a commission by the provider when an order completes, and it does not vary by which promotion you take. We say this on every page because it is the question you should be asking any site that compares prices.
Are these offers available at my address?
Not necessarily. Advertised offers are national or regional and often exclude certain footprints, building types or existing-customer situations. The provider decides at the address, at the time of order.
How long do promotional rates last?
Usually twelve months on cable broadband, sometimes twenty-four when bundled. Fiber and 5G home plans more often hold a flat rate with no step-up, which is worth more than a slightly lower first-year price.
What happens when a promotion ends?
The standard rate applies from the next statement. There is no notification. That single step-up is the most common reason a household is overpaying, and it is why we tell you to write the end date down.