The Cheapest CenturyLink Internet Plans: Save Money on Wi-Fi

With most internet providers, the cheapest plan is also the slowest plan. Not so with Lumen’s CenturyLink. The cheapest CenturyLink plan is actually the second-fastest plan. To make matters a little more confusing, the cheapest plan is also a fiber plan. For a provider like CenturyLink that offers both fiber and DSL, you’d typically expect the DSL to be less expensive.

The CenturyLink Fiber Internet 500 Mbps costs $50 a month for 500Mbps of CenturyLink Fiber. That price includes unlimited data. The service does require separate installation and modem rental or purchase fees, but all in all, the plan is a truly solid deal.

No, CenturyLink prices don’t automatically increase after the first year—or second or third years.

That’s not to say they never increase. Internet prices go up occasionally, and it might happen after 12 months—or before 12 months—or not at all while you’re a CenturyLink customer. But rest assured that you aren’t signing up for a guaranteed price hike.

Yes, all CenturyLink plans (both fiber and DSL) are contractless. In other words, the provider doesn't require a long-term commitment when you sign up. You can even cancel the next day if you want, although we don’t recommend that. It sounds like a huge hassle.

CenturyLink doesn't offer a whole lot of internet deals or promotions to new customers, but you can add premium streaming channels to your order and you may be eligible for 20% off Bark online monitoring. 

Ask a customer representative when you're signing up to see what else is available. 

CenturyLink compares well to other affordable internet plans. In fact, CenturyLink’s 500Mbps plan is one of the fastest affordable options: Most other brands offer 300Mbps or less at their starting prices.

The 500Mbps plan compares especially well to Lumen’s other brand, Quantum Fiber. The cheapest Quantum Fiber plan is $5 less than CenturyLink’s 500Mbps plan but is 300Mbps slower. In other words, it’s not anywhere near as good a deal.

Let’s look at some ways that CenturyLink Internet customers can save money.

1. Change speeds—although, in CenturyLink’s case, that may mean increasing your speed rather than decreasing it since the 500Mbps plan is the cheapest.
2. Buy your own router and/or modem instead of renting to reduce equipment costs in the long run.
3. Sign up for government support through the Lifeline assistance program if your household is eligible.
4. Negotiate for a better deal. This tactic doesn’t always work, but sometimes it does.
5. Switch internet providers. CenturyLink is far from the only fish in the sea.

CenturyLink has three DSL plans and two fiber plans. They range in speed from 140Mbps to a sweeping 940. All of them have unlimited data and eschew formal contracts (so you don’t have to worry about overage or cancellation fees).

None of CenturyLink’s plans are outrageously expensive. No matter what you pick, it's always $75 or under.

You can add DIRECTV packages to your internet service for an additional cost each month. You don’t get a discount on your internet service or your TV service, but purchasing the satellite TV service through CenturyLink can be easier than contacting DIRECTV directly.

It might go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: You need the internet you can afford. If it’s not in the budget, it’s not for you.

With its $50 500Mbps plan, CenturyLink should fit into an economical lifestyle. But if that’s still too rich for your blood, you’re out of luck. Unlike some of its competitors, CenturyLink doesn’t offer any special plans for low-income households.

Look at your daily internet use and the number of people in your household to figure out how much speed y’all need. (We’ll give you a hint: 500Mbps is a more-than-generous amount for most households.)

Strangely, price doesn’t correlate to speed for CenturyLink, and the 500Mbps plan is the cheapest option. So even if you need less speed than that, you should probably go with 500Mbps anyway.

A great but unreliable way to save money is to get a deal on your CenturyLink internet service.

Seriously, if you can wait to sign up until you see a deal, we strongly recommend it. You can save a significant amount that way—at least for the first several months of service. Most deals tend to expire after two years, at best.

CenturyLink isn’t the only internet option out there. If it’s not the best deal for you (or unavailable where you live), shop around and see what else you can get.