Optimum Hidden Costs: How Much Do You Really Pay?

Let’s walk through a real Optimum bill. I received this bill from Donna Jones, who uses Optimum Internet for her home in North Carolina.

Here’s a look at the real thing:

The bill is several pages long, and has the following main sections:

• Account Summary: This section includes summary information about the plan, such as the total amount due, any new charges, and payments made.
• Account Details: This section provides the most detail. You can see itemized charges for your payments, partial month activity, and current month charges for each Optimum service.

Donna tells me that she is happy with how billing works as an Optimum customer.  “We like that Optimum’s billing is clear and easy to understand,” she explains. We looked over the itemized list of monthly charges and everything was laid out in plain English:

• Optimum Internet
• Speed
• Modem Fee
• Internet Credit

If you have additional services, you’ll also find fees for those.

Other fees not displayed above may also be included:

• Monthly equipment fees for the Optimum Gateway
• One-time charges like installation costs or equipment upgrades

Donna negotiated her bills down without a hitch—here’s how she did it.

Donna’s bill in January 2024 shows her total cost of internet services was $100, and the total cost of internet, TV, and home phone services was over $300. Donna was tired of paying for all these services and decided to call Optimum customer service to cancel her TV and phone service. In the same call, Optimum offered her a reduced internet rate of $50 monthly for a year.

“They offered us that reduced rate because we said we were going to switch to Metronet and get rid of Optimum altogether.” Having an alternative option in your area is always a good way to leverage a better deal, since customer service agents don’t want to lose you to a competing service.

The process was swift, and she did not have to mention how long she had been a customer or even pull out any additional negotiation tactics. She also scored free equipment rental during the negotiation without even asking for it. “We wish the credit would last longer than a year, but we’ll threaten to leave for a competitor in September when our discount expires—and switch if they don’t keep our discounted rate!” she explains.

Donna is fairly happy with her Optimum bill, especially because she elected to get her bill in the mail for a $1 convenience fee. Although many customers choose to enroll in autopay and paperless billing for a $5 discount, having it physically come through the mail ensures she can check it and see if there are any errors.

Optimum’s most common hidden costs include speed fees and Wi-Fi equipment rental. There are also taxes, but customers should expect to see that from any internet provider.

Speed fees

Some Optimum customers may see that the provider splits the cost of the internet service between Optimum Internet and Speed. The combined total of the two line items equals the total cost of the internet service. New customers usually get their internet price included in one total price.

Wi-Fi equipment rental

New customers get free Wi-Fi equipment, like an Optimum Gateway or modem. However, after the promotional period ends, some customers get charged $14 monthly for renting the Optimum modem.

Optimum does not have data overage fees or early termination fees. If you have the option to choose self set-up for installation, you can avoid the $100 professional installation fee.

Optimum offers a discounted introductory rate to new customers. According to Optimum’s broadband facts labels, after your promotional period ends, your monthly price will increase by $15 every year until it reaches the rate card price, which is up to $80 more per month.

The timing of when your price starts to increase depends on your plan’s price-lock period. This could be anywhere from 12-months to five years.

This was the case for Donna, who had been a loyal customer of Optimum, previously Suddenlink, for over twenty years. Her internet price had crept up to $100 over the years, even though she was on the slowest plan (300Mbps).

Optimum’s hidden costs are often extra fees associated with optional services on top of your internet. Chances are, there are cheaper ways to get those services. Here are a few ways you can avoid them:

• Cut out Wi-Fi equipment rental. Use your own modem and router and set up your own whole-home Wi-Fi system to reduce equipment rental fees. Alternatively, call to negotiate a deal to get free rental.
• Cancel your Optimum Mobile plan. Optimum’s mobile and internet bundle gives you a $20 discount to start, but it only lasts a year. After a year, you can probably get a better deal with a different cell phone carrier.
• Negotiate with customer service. Arm yourself with knowledge on what other plans and prices are available in your area, and use this as leverage to reduce your bill.
• Opt-in to paper bills. Yes, it’s a dollar more. But having a physical bill in the mail like Donna means you’re more likely to actually check it and watch for the extra fees.

Call Optimum’s customer service. They have different support lines depending on your location, so make sure to check those on Optimum’s website.

Optimum also suggests reporting billing errors in writing to the customer support address printed on your bill. This is an old-school approach to sorting out a bill, but if you do go this route, make sure you pay the undisputed amount of your bill—the part you believe is correct—so that your service doesn’t get interrupted. Optimum will then send you a reply within 10 days.

Optimum’s fees are fairly straightforward. Compared to other top cable providers like Spectrum Internet, the provider does well in outlining each of the extra fees clearly in the bill itself, although the annual price increase isn’t ideal.

Verizon Fios offers a more reliable service and better billing terms than Optimum, and you should switch to it if it's available in your area. The plans come with a three- to four-year price lock guarantee, and there are no router rental fees.

Some other options that are all-inclusive and come with price guarantees include Verizon 5G Home Internet, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, and Xfinity Internet.

For what it’s worth, Optimum is still a good option even with the hidden fees, especially since they’re often optional fees that you can simply remove from your plan. However, if you’re curious if you could get a better price with a different provider, check what other providers are available in your area in the zip code search bar below.