The short version
Do not switch on a narrow gap, if you are on a flat rate that is not stepping up, if only one provider reaches your address, if you are moving within a few months, or if the service is genuinely good and you value that. In four of those five, a retention call is the better move.
1. The gap is small
A narrow gap rarely pays for the disruption: an installation window, new equipment, returning the old kit, and possibly an activation fee. Those costs are real and they land in the first month. Call your current provider and ask for a retention offer instead. Being able to name a specific competing price makes that call work.
2. You are on a flat rate that is holding
If you are on fiber or 5G home internet at a price that has not moved in two years, you are already in the good position that switching is meant to achieve. Check the rate against current new-customer pricing once a year and otherwise leave it alone.
3. Only one provider reaches the address
It happens more than people expect. If the coverage record and the provider both confirm a single wired option, switching means moving to satellite or fixed wireless, which is a change in the service you receive, not just the price. Sometimes that is right. Often it is not, and we will say so.
4. You are moving soon
If a move is within a few months, wait. A new address qualifies for new-customer pricing on its own, and switching twice means two installations, two equipment returns and possibly two activation fees to reach the same place.
5. The service is genuinely good
Reliability has a value that does not appear on a comparison table. If you work from home on a connection that has not dropped in two years, a $10 saving on an unfamiliar network is a bad trade. Price is one variable, not the only one.
So when should you switch?
When the gap is meaningful and durable: your promotion ended, equivalent service at your address is materially cheaper as a new customer, the new price is guaranteed for a period you understand, and the service is at least as good as what you have. That is the case we look for, and when it is not there we say so.
Questions
When is switching providers not worth it?
When the monthly gap is under roughly $15, when you are on a flat rate that is not stepping up, when only one provider reaches your address, when you are moving within a few months, or when the current service is genuinely reliable and you value that more than a small saving.
Should I call my current provider before switching?
If the gap is small, yes. Retention offers are real and a call is quicker than a switch. Name the specific competing price you have been quoted; vague dissatisfaction gets a vaguer offer.
I am moving in two months. Should I switch now?
No. Wait for the move. A new address qualifies for new-customer pricing on its own, and switching twice means two installations, two equipment returns and possibly two activation fees.
Coverage data: FCC Broadband Data Collection (December 2024). Every figure here is indicative, varies by address and changes often. Nothing on this page is a quote. Confirm current pricing with the provider or call (855) 463-2084.