Best TV, Internet, and Phone Bundles 2021

We sifted through hundreds of different TV, internet, and phone bundles to find some of the best out there. And when the dust settled, we found that Xfinity, AT&T, Cox, Frontier, and Verizon Fios offer some of the best-triple play bundles.

But which bundle is best for you? And are there other options out there? Let’s dig into the prices, channel counts, and internet speeds—plus all the bonus perks—to find out.

How to pick the best TV, internet, and phone bundle

No bundle is a one-size-fits-all deal, and though we make a few recommendations here, there are some things you should consider when shopping for TV, internet, and phone service.

1. Look at what you get for the price

Obviously you want to stay within your budget, but if you’re comparing a couple of bundles (or maybe even providers), take a look at the internet speed and channels you get for that price.

There’s no sense in paying for channels you won’t watch or speed you don’t need. Similarly, you don’t want to pay a low price only to turn around and not have your favorite channel or run into frustratingly slow internet speeds.

As for phone service, most phone plans come with unlimited calling within the US. If you regularly call family members or friends in Canada or Mexico, make sure those calls are included in the plan or come at a low minute-by-minute cost.

2. Compare channel offerings

Channel selection can be an exercise of give and take, but it’s still worth investigating whether your bundle includes the channels you just have to have. For us, that’s HGTV, HBO, and ESPN. Everything else is optional.

Most providers have a channel guide on their websites. If you can’t match your bundle to the TV package, try matching channel counts or give your provider a call.

• Xfinity channel guide
• DIRECTV channel guide
• Cox channel guide
• DISH channel guide
• Verizon Fios channel guide

3. Get enough internet speed

While some bundles don’t give you many options for internet, some let you pick between a wide variety of download speeds. In general, here’s what you should look for:

• 1–2 people: 40–100 Mbps
• 2–4 people: 75–300 Mbps
• 4+ people: 500+ Mbps

You should also estimate your internet speeds based on what your household does online:

• Working/studying from home with video calls: 100+ Mbps
• Using home security cameras: 100+ Mbps
• Streaming 4K video: 75+ Mbps
• Gaming: 40+ Mbps for most games

If you need more help figuring out your internet speed needs, our guide on how many Mbps is best should help.

Xfinity: Best TV, internet, and phone bundles for most

Xfinity’s wide availability and large assortment of bundled internet speeds and TV channels make it our pick for the best bundles for most people.

Our resident TV expert called out Xfinity TV for its “decent dollar to channel ratio” and the spacious storage of its X1 DVR. We also highlight Xfinity as the best value internet provider thanks to its strong internet speed performance, wide availability, and competitive prices.

But before you make the splurge, double-check that Xfinity’s TV fees won’t cause you grief. And keep an eye on that internet data cap of 1.2 TB.

Xfinity is also kind of an odd duck in that its bundles change depending on where you live in the US. So if you live in the Northeast you’ll see different bundle prices, channel counts, and download speeds than someone who lives west of the Mississippi.

Let’s take a look at some of the more popular bundles in each Xfinity region.

Some of the Xfinity bundles available in the Northeast come with extra perks. At first glance, the Signature Triple Play and Super Triple Play bundles look exactly the same except for the price. But the difference is in the details:

• Signature Triple Play comes with Netflix and EPIX
• Super Triple Play comes with Netflix, HBO Max™, SHOWTIME®, TMC®, and EPIX

Also, both the Standard and Select Triple Play bundles come with a free upgrade to 1,200 Mbps download speeds for one year. Of course, watch out for that price bump after your year is up—we recommend downgrading your bundle if you find you don’t need those gig speeds.

As for the Central US, your bundles are a bit more straightforward than the Northeast’s options.

Xfinity Bundles for the Western US also come with a couple of hidden perks. The Preferred Pro Plus Triple Play and Premier Pro Plus Triple Play bundles look the same aside from the price. Here’s the difference:

• Preferred Pro Plus Triple Play comes with either HBO Max and SHOWTIME or Netflix and SHOWTIME
• Premier Pro Plus Triple Play comes with Netflix, SHOWTIME, TMC, Hitz, and EPIX or HBO Max, SHOWTIME, TMC, Hitz, and EPIX

Xfinity phone service

Most of the Xfinity Voice phone service plans come with unlimited nationwide calls. But there are a couple of unique treats if you live in the Central or Northeastern US:

• Central US: Xfinity Voice also includes unlimited calls to American Samoa, Canada, China, Guam, India, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the US Virgin Islands.
• Northeastern US: Xfinity voice also includes unlimited calls to Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and South Korea.

If your Xfinity Voice plan doesn’t include unlimited calls to a country where you need to keep in contact with someone, check the international rates before you rack up a whopper of a phone bill. Or give Xfinity Mobile a look.

View Bundles | Read Xfinity Internet Review | Read Xfinity TV Review

AT&T: Best DIRECTV and internet bundles

DIRECTV isn’t the cheapest way to get all the channels, but it is one of our TV experts’ favorites. And AT&T’s DSL internet service now comes with a fiber-DSL hybrid option that boasts speeds up to 100 Mbps.

DIRECTV comes with coveted channels like NFL SUNDAY TICKET, HBO, and SHOWTIME®. And if those channels don’t tickle your fancy, never fear. Even the basic DIRECTV package, ENTERTAINMENT, comes with a variety of 160+ channels. Our TV experts noted that DIRECTV channels have something for everyone: “for the family, for movie buffs, and for sports addicts.”

But what about AT&T Internet? There are definitely better internet options out there. DSL is an older technology and generally offers slower speeds than cable or fiber internet.  Thankfully, AT&T’s DSL features some of the newest technology available, so its speeds can rival cable or fiber internet depending on where you live.

The other good news is that your AT&T DSL internet data cap gets bumped up to unlimited data when you bundle.

AT&T phone service

AT&T’s DIRECTV bundles all come with its Phone Unlimited home phone service. That service sports unlimited nationwide calls to numbers in the US, Canada, Mexico, and US territories. If you need to call someone in another country, check out AT&T’s international rates.

Though it’s not offered as a bundle deal, AT&T Wireless might be a better deal for you depending on your needs.

View Bundles | Read AT&T Internet Review | Read DIRECTV Review

Cox: Best cable TV, internet, and phone bundles

Cox recently changed the way you sign up for its internet, TV, and phone service. Now you can pretty much bundle whatever internet service with whatever TV package you want—and add phone service too if that’s your jam.

We love this approach because it really gives you the power to choose the exact bundle you want. Here’s a quick look at a few of the Cox TV, internet, and phone combos you can build:

Cox phone service

You can add Cox Voice Preferred to any internet and TV combo for an extra $20 a month. That gets you unlimited calls to the US, Canada, and Mexico, plus you can opt for a few other features, like keeping your old phone number or choosing how you want your info to show up in the phone book—or not.

• Your info available only through directory assistance (411): $3.50/mo. extra
• Non-published directory listing: $5.50/mo. extra

You can also add an international calling plan for an extra $2.99 a month. That gets you calls to more than 230 countries, but be sure to check those international rates too. (You’ll need to scroll down and select the country you’re calling.)

View Bundles | Read Cox Internet Review | Read Cox TV Review

Frontier: Best DISH TV and internet bundles

Frontier is but one of many ways you can bundle your internet service with DISH satellite TV. But we wish you could bundle Frontier’s FiberOptic internet with DISH instead of its DSL internet service.

Of course, you may live in an area where Frontier DSL is all you can get. If so, you’re at least not going to miss out on scrolling through hundreds of TV channels. Not to mention that DISH doesn’t punt your price sky-high after a few months, plus its Hopper DVR is one of the best on the market.

Here’s a quick look at how you can bundle DISH TV with Frontier internet, and we’ll touch on some other ways to pair your internet service with DISH in just a minute.

If Frontier DSL internet isn’t available in your part of the US, you’ve still got a couple more options for getting all those sweet, sweet DISH channels in your life.

Other ways to bundle DISH satellite TV with internet:

• CenturyLink internet + DISH TV
• Viasat satellite internet + DISH TV

We’ve also heard that Windstream, Earthlink, and Verizon can pair internet with DISH TV, but couldn’t confirm. If you have one of these internet providers, give them a call and ask if they offer DISH TV bundles.

Frontier phone service

Frontier offers a few different types of phone service, and the main ones, Freedom Essentials and Digital Phone Unlimited, come with unlimited nationwide calling, plus calls to Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and US territories.

The main difference between these two phone plans is that Freedom Essentials is available in California, Florida, and Texas, while Digital Phone Unlimited is available everywhere else you can get Frontier service.

View Bundles | Read Frontier Internet Review | Read DISH TV Review

Verizon Fios: Best fiber internet and TV

Verizon is another favorite of ours when it comes to bundling because it lets you mix and match all your plans however you like. That means you can pick your internet speed and channel lineup.

Actually, Verizon takes that channel lineup one step further if you get its Your Fios TV package. With Your Fios TV, you get a recommended channel list based on your five favorite channels. So long, TV channels we don’t care for. And hello binge-watching favorites.

Here’s a look at some of the ways you can bundle Verizon Fios TV and internet together.

You can also swap out one of your five favorite channels each billing cycle. So if you know your sports season is coming up, go ahead and tag ESPN in.

Verizon phone service

You can add Verizon home phone service to any TV plus internet combo for an extra $20 a month. That gets you unlimited calls to anywhere in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. And Verizon also has international plans you might be able to upgrade to.

Don’t forget that Verizon is also home to one of the biggest wireless networks in the US. And you’ll save $10–$20 a month on your bundle bill if you have a Verizon Unlimited plan too.

View Bundles | Read Verizon Fios Home Internet Review | Read Verizon Fios TV Review

Recap: Best TV, internet, and phone bundles

• Comcast Xfinity: Best for most. Xfinity is available across most of the US and generally offers competitive prices for its bundles. It offers fast internet speeds, and the X1 DVR offers a lot of storage space.
• AT&T: Best DIRECTV bundles. AT&T is one of the best ways to combine internet with all those glorious DIRECTV channels. Still, we wish you could bundle AT&T’s fiber internet with DIRECTV, but for now you’ve got a choice of AT&T DSL with speeds up to 100 Mbps.
• Cox: Best cable TV bundles. We love Cox’s mix-and-match approach that lets you create a fairly personalized internet, TV, and phone bundle. It also offers a couple of phone service options that we haven’t seen offered anywhere else just yet.
• Frontier: Best DISH TV bundles. Frontier lets you pair its DSL internet service with DISH TV. And if Frontier’s DSL speeds aren’t enough for you, you might be able to wrangle up a DISH TV and CenturyLink or Viasat bundle instead.
• Verizon Fios: Best fiber bundles. Verizon gets a gold star for allowing you to mix and match your internet, TV, and phone service however you want. We’re especially keen on Your Fios TV, which lets you pick your five favorite channels and builds out a custom channel list for you.

Still shopping for a triple play bundle that meets your needs? These other articles might help.

• Best Xfinity Bundles
• Best DIRECTV Internet Bundles
• Best Cox Bundles
• Best Cable TV and Internet Bundles
• Best DISH + Internet Bundles
• Best Verizon Bundles

Methodology

When looking for providers that offer the best triple play bundles, we mainly focused on price and value.

1. How do the bundle prices compare to other providers?
2. Does the provider offer a discount if you bundle?
3. Do you get a lot of internet speed for the price?
4. Do you get a large channel selection for the price?

We also paid special attention to Cox and Verizon Fios, which allow you to customize your bundle selection. This approach makes it more likely you’ll get a TV and internet combo that you’ll be satisfied with.

FAQ

Still have questions about TV, internet, and phone bundles? Let’s find you some answers.

Who has the cheapest TV and internet packages?

Which provider has the cheapest TV and internet bundles depends on where you live, but we found Grande, RCN, Suddenlink, and Xfinity to all have TV plus internet packages at prices less than $60 a month. Take a look:

What’s the cheapest TV, internet, and phone package?

Finding the cheapest TV, internet, and phone bundle depends on where you live, but Frontier, MetroNet, Optimum, RCN, Suddenlink, WOW!, and Xfinity are great places to start. Here’s a look at some of the cheapest triple play bundles that ring in under $100.

What’s the best TV, internet, and phone bundle?

The best TV, internet, and phone bundle is one that gives you enough internet speed to support everyone in your home, plus enough channels to keep them entertained.

As for phone service, unlimited nationwide calls is a pretty standard feature—but some providers, like Frontier, Cox, AT&T, and Xfinity, also include unlimited calls to Canada, Mexico, and US territories.

And don’t forget cell phone service. Xfinity and Verizon both give you a discount on your monthly bill if you bundle and also have their wireless service.

Can you bundle cell phone, internet, and TV?

Yup, you can bundle your cell phone service with internet and TV. Providers like Xfinity and Verizon sometimes even offer a monthly discount on your bill if you use their Xfinity Mobile or Verizon Wireless service and also bundle internet and TV.

Are there other ways to bundle internet and phone with DIRECTV other than AT&T?

Yes, CenturyLink also offers DIRECTV, internet, and phone bundles that range in price from $149.99 to $214.99 a month.

Does Spectrum have bundles?

You bet Spectrum has both TV and internet and TV, internet, and phone bundles. We just found its prices to be a tad high for the internet speed and channels you get.

Here’s a quick look at the price and channel range for Spectrum bundles. (All of its bundles come with 200 Mbps internet speeds.)

Does Verizon have a TV and internet bundle?

Yes, Verizon has several TV and internet bundles to choose from. Its mix-and-match approach lets you combine any of its internet speeds (200, 400, and up to 940 Mbps) with any of its TV packages (125+, 300+, and 425+).

How much is Verizon internet and TV?

If you grab a Verizon Fios TV and internet bundle, you can expect to pay anywhere from $95.99 to $170.99 a month, depending on what internet speed and channel package you choose.