Cox Hidden Costs: How Much Do You Really Pay?

Finding hidden charges on a Cox Internet bill can be a chore. Let’s practice by walking through this customer bill Cox provides on its website. (The bill includes multiple Cox services, but if you sign up only for Cox Internet, your statements will be simpler.)

The Cox-provided bill is from November 2024 and is three pages long. Sound overwhelming? It doesn’t have to be.

“Reviewing your bill becomes a ritual when you set a monthly calendar reminder to do it with a cup of coffee,” says Cox customer and PERMATE PR Director Anh Le Zin. Let’s jump in.

The bill's first page is a summary of the customer’s service charges. The main charges for the internet service are shown here under Internet. Additional internet charges are under One Times Charges and Credits and Taxes, Fees and Surcharges.

The previously unpaid balance on the account is under Previous Balance. New charges for the current billing period are under New Charges: LAST MONTH XX, 202X – CURRENT MONTH XX, 202X.

The second page breaks down the customer’s internet charges and terms of service. Under the Term Agreements heading, Cox reminds this customer that they signed a contract for their plans and there’s a termination fee if they end service early.

The Internet section shows both the customer’s internet plan details (under Go Even Faster Internet) and a list of all the rented equipment (under Panoramic WiFi Gateway).

There are also sections showing TV charges, Telephone charges, and the cost of Other Services.

The last page picks up where page two left off. It continues listing other services and also shows promotional discounts, One Time Charges and Credits (such as late fees), and Taxes, Fees and Other Surcharges.

This customer signed up for the Go Even Faster internet plan, which usually costs $80 a month. However, the bill shows the customer receives several promotional discounts that lower the cost to $54.99.

There are also several hidden costs on the bill. These include late-payment fees totaling $6.99 and some TV and telephone taxes, fees, and surcharges.

While none of these costs are from the customer’s internet service, internet-related charges would appear on the statement in a similar way. Cox would tally the $8.35 charge with the other late fees, and any taxes or local surcharges would be under the subheading Internet Taxes, Fees and Surcharges.

You can see from the customer bill that Cox’s pricing structure can be complex, especially if you have multiple services. Common Cox Internet hidden costs include unadvertised taxes, permanent price hikes after two years, equipment fees after the first 14 months, and data overage fees when customers exceed the 1.25TB data cap.

Cox also has less common hidden costs, like contract cancellation fees. These are only relevant if you a) choose to sign up for a Cox plan with a contract and b) cancel said plan before the contract expires. Plus, contract cancellation fees are usually prorated, meaning that the further into the contract you are, the less you pay to break it.

Here’s a full breakdown of fees you might see on your Cox bill.

Cox offers free self-installation with no activation fees, so you don’t have to pay when you set up the equipment yourself. But that’s the only real break—Cox Internet has nearly every other internet hidden cost I’ve encountered.

Your first Cox Internet bill includes a $100 professional installation charge (unless you opt for self-installation). Subsequent bills shouldn’t have this fee tacked on—and if they do, you can call Cox customer service and dispute it. Installation is one and done; you don’t need to keep paying.

After their two year price lock, Cox's internet plans typically increase. The price hikes are $10 to $20, depending on your plan, which luckily isn’t a ludicrous amount.

There are ways to avoid some of Cox’s hidden costs or at least lower your Cox Internet bill. Here are some ideas:

• Buy your own modem and router to avoid paying the $15 equipment fee down the road.
• Keep your data usage below your plan’s cap so you don’t have to pay overage fees.
• Pay on time each month to steer clear of late fees.
• If applicable, wait for your contract to expire before canceling so you don’t have to pay for contract abandonment.
• Review your bill thoroughly each month, looking for invalid charges.

Sometimes, Cox accidentally charges customers for equipment or services by mistake.

“One month I opened my bill to find an extra $45 equipment rental fee—for a modem I'd already returned months ago,” recalls Andrew Lokenauth, a former Cox customer in NYC and founder of TheFinanceNewsletter.com. Luckily, Lokenauth had documentation to prove that he’d sent the equipment back.

If you find a fee Cox mistakenly added to your bill, contact customer service and hash out the situation. Cox customers tell me the service department is a mixed bag, but reaching out is always worth a try.

“When customer service becomes unhelpful, you should try contacting them through live chat or social media because companies respond faster to these channels to prevent public complaints,” suggests Cox customer Anh Le Zin. “Every confirmation and promise you receive during disputes should be saved as a screenshot because it becomes your powerful tool for future disputes.”

Not that you should call Cox with a combative attitude—but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared with documentation.

Cox is one of our fastest internet providers, a big plus. But unfortunately, it has more fees than our other fastest providers (except for Xfinity Internet, which ties with Cox on fees).

If you want fast internet without so many hidden costs, it’s worth considering Google Fiber over Cox. Google Fiber taxes don’t show up in the initial price, but other than that, the only hidden fee you should run into is an unreturned equipment fee.

Even with hidden fees, Cox has a lot to offer customers. If you’re interested in checking it out, put your zip code in the box below and learn which service providers, Cox and otherwise, are available near you.