How To Lower Your Viasat Internet Bill

Fact: Rural residents don’t have many internet options.

For many, Viasat is one of the only limited satellite internet options they have. And while the bill can be gnarly high with a gnarly slow connection, we found a few excellent workarounds to make your money count.

Here are seven tips for lowering your Viasat internet bill:

• Take advantage of new-customer internet promos
• Maximize your data
• Pay for Office Hours to allow you to do work-related activities between the hours of 8am-7pm for seven days a week without using your data
• Add on Viasat EasyCare and enjoy three free months of huge perks
• Bundle with Viasat Voice for a $10 monthly discount for 6 months
• Switch to a mobile home internet option
• Switch to a new internet provider

You’re in the middle of nowhere. You need internet.

Who are you gonna call? Probably Viasat.

New Viasat internet customers get $20 off every month for the first six months of service for the Viasat Unleashed plan. The rest of Viasat’s internet plans are $20 off for only three months.

The Unleashed plan is normally $119.99 for speeds up to 150Mbps, but you can get it for $99.99 per month for the next six months. This plan offers the fastest speeds (compared to 12Mbps on its other plans) and doesn’t require contracts or data limits.

Plus, professional installation is included in some locations. Of note, free standard installation is available only to new qualifying customers with credit qualification. Those with lower credit ratings might have to fork over the installation fees (it’s an internet standard to do this, so don’t be mad).

Due to its high latency and data throttling, some activities are less ideal for Viasat internet.

Yes, Viasat offers unlimited data, but there’s a catch. According to Viasat’s website, typical data usage should stay below 360GB in any 30-day period. However, if customers exceed 850GB of data usage in any 30-day period, they “may experience significantly slower speeds.”

So it’s important to use your data wisely.

Here are some activities that work well with Viasat internet:

• Mobile games
• Basic browsing
• Social media scrolling
• Email and banking
• Music streaming (uses only 150MB of data per hour)

Viasat warns on its site that every hour you spend watching Netflix uses about 1GB of data. Watching in high definition consumes about 3GB per hour. While YouTube consumes slightly less than Hulu, it still gobbles up your data. And finally, while music streaming doesn’t devour too much, Viasat warns you shouldn’t party with it all night long. Okay, mom.

To reduce data consumption, Viasat recommends:

• Lower your screen resolution on streaming sites
• Install a Flash Blocker on your browser to prevent automatic loading
• Turn off the autoplay feature on social media
• Turn off smart devices like smart home assistants, thermostats, smart doorbells…etc.

In short, use your internet. But don’t use it too much.

Are you screaming at your computer because the internet won’t load?

Have you thought about throwing all your money at Viasat to upgrade your plan?

Have you considered just paying the staggering fees to get Starlink instead?

Wait.

Viasat offers an optional perk called Office Hours for an extra $40 per month. It gives Viasat internet customers access to a huge perk: Unlimited data. Office Hours allows you to do work-related activities between the hours of 8am-5pm, 7 days a week, without using your precious data.

But here’s the asterisk: If users exceed more than 2TB in a month, they may be contacted and asked to reduce usage. If these users continue to exceed 2TB for two more months in a six-month period, Viasat may terminate the use of Office Hours. So it’s mostly unlimited, but not really…but also better than not having it.

Viasat approves these work-related activities:

• Web browsing and web-based tools: Chrome, Microsoft, Asana, Canva, Shopify, Smartsheet, Google Workspace, Quick Books, Figma, and more
• Bulk transfers: iDrive, Dropbox, SharePoint
• Real-time communications: Zoom, Slack, Skype, and more
• Network storage: SharePoint, Google Docs, Dropbox, and more.
• Social networking: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram (excluding video streaming)
• Email: Microsoft Office, Gmail
• VPN: Corporate virtual private networks

(Be aware that this is not an exhaustive list.)

Viasat’s Office Hours excludes these activities:

• Real-time entertainment
• Gaming
• Video streaming
• Peer-to-peer networking

At the very least, try adding Office Hours before you pay for a more expensive plan or provider.

Viasat offers three EasyCare packages for a monthly fee ranging from $9.99 to $24.99. Each of these packages include the first three months for free.

Because all three plans include the first three months for free, and you can cancel any time, you should take advantage of these Viasat services (services that normally cost a pretty penny). Like, we really recommend you take advantage of FREE Viasat services.

An EasyCare plan gives you access to these types of services:

• Backing up important files
• Setting up new devices
• Live tech support available 7 days
• Protection for your devices
• Accidental Damage from Handling select electronics
• Simple claims (with or without receipt)

So when something goes wrong with your Viasat internet service (and let’s be real, things always go wrong with internet), don’t throw away $95 on a phone call that could easily be free. At least for three months, it’s completely free. And after this period, you pay $24.99 at most. That’s a financial no-brainer!

Viasat does not offer a mobile service like many internet service providers. However, it does offer a VoIP phone service called Viasat Voice.

VoIP stands for voice over internet protocol, and it’s a phone service that sends and receives calls over your internet connection. There’s a good chance that if you’re a Viasat internet customer, you probably live in a rural area that has a very limited mobile connection. Say hello to this smart mobile plan alternative.

Normally $35 per month, new internet customers who bundle with Viasat Voice pay only $19.99 per month for six months. Try it out, see if you like it.

Bundle Viasat Internet with Viasat Voice and enjoy these perks:

• Get a discounted rate for six months
• See one predictable bill for internet and voice
• VoIP activities don’t affect your plan’s monthly data bandwidth
• Use your same landline (if you have one)
• Keep your phone number
• Get unlimited local and long distance calling
• Forward your calls to your smart phone at home or when you’re out

This is a phone service built to work with your smartphone. And it might be better than paying an additional $50 or more per month for a mobile service that may or may not work in your neck of the woods.

The reality is that satellite internet just doesn’t hold a candle to other internet services. It can be slower, less predictable, and a lot pricier. Something as simple as wind can take out your internet connection.

If you’re not satisfied with your Viasat internet service and feel like your bill is too high to salvage, it may be time to switch providers.

This is a good time to try something that a few users have recommended on Reddit: Look into a mobile home internet option.

First, check to see if any mobile provider offers service in your area. You’ll probably get nothing, but don’t worry! That’s where the trick comes in.

Most Reddit users give a specific shout-out to T-Mobile Home Internet.

Users recommend to get your hands on a T-Mobile router:

1. Call and ask T-Mobile if services are available at your home.
2. If they tell you that it’s not available in your area, then tell them that a neighbor has it.
3. At this point, T-Mobile will usually send a router to you.
4. Connect your router to the nearest tower at a 700Hz frequency.

Some users say that T-Mobile won’t even ask to confirm availability at your zip code before sending the router out to you. They just send it to you if you order.

Users also recommend this site to walk you through how to add an antenna to strengthen your connection. But first, you should see how the T-Mobile router unit picks up signal at your house before buying extra antennas.

Surprisingly, people have gotten a connection even if they’re surrounded by mountains!

So it might be worth it to explore T-Mobile 5G Home Internet after you cancel your Viasat internet.

Switching to a different internet provider is your final weapon to ending your financial Viasat woes.

In the case of rural residents, check what internet options are available at your zip code.

Here are some typical satellite internet alternatives:

Starlink is a popular satellite alternative. In our review of Starlink vs. Viasat, Starlink beats Viasat. However, Starlink does put users on a waitlist, and the upfront price including equipment fees is startlingly large. However, Starlink may be your best bet.

Viasat internet customers are usually stuck in dead zones for both internet and mobile service. However, even some of the most remote areas might have options. As Reddit users suggest, some home internet services may even work when the providers themselves are convinced that no service is available to you.

Don’t miss out on any internet service provider in your area. You don’t want to be stuck with an internet provider and a bill that feels like it’s sucking away your soul (and hard-earned money).

Know your options! It’s free to see them now!