By Cordcutting.com TeamWOW! provides internet service with speeds up to 1 Gig as well as TV and home phone services to nine eastern states. It’s fair to say that WOW! is a pretty affordable internet provider. Their monthly prices range from $34.99-69.99 a month, which puts them even with other providers like AT&T and RCN. You don’t have to worry about an installation fee, data caps, or contracts with any of WOW!’s plans.
WOW! may not be as well-known as other providers (even though they’re the sixth-largest cable provider in the US), so we’ll go through what plans we recommend, a breakdown of WOW!’s pricing, and answer a few frequently asked questions about WOW!
What to Expect from WOW!
WOW! is only available in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Consider yourself lucky if WOW! is available near you. You are among those who have access to up to 200 Mbps for $39.99 a month — most of the providers that offer this plan only offer service in the Northeast.
Expect your monthly prices to increase after 12 months, but don’t worry: WOW!’s regular monthly rate isn’t much higher than their promotional rate. You’re not required to sign a contract with WOW! for their new customer prices; however, you do have to sign up for Autopay and paperless billing, which gives you $5 off each month, to get the prices you see. If you’re like me, you get enough snail mail as it is and prefer email to a stack of junk that gets tossed anyway.
Another thing to know about WOW! is they use a hybrid fiber-coaxial cable connection (a blend of fiber and cable lines). It is one of the more common internet connections nowadays with the rising popularity of fiber internet. A fiber connection is expensive to run all the way to a home. So, what most companies do to lower expenses is run fiber to hubs in your neighborhood, then run cable lines from the hubs to your home. It’s faster than cable internet, but your speed isn’t as fast as fiber internet.
A Breakdown of WOW! Plan and Pricing
WOW! has four internet-only plans that cost between $34.99-$64.99 per month, not including rental equipment, taxes, or additional fees. Since WOW!’s pricing is similar to a number of other providers, we look at the price per Mbps for each plan to see the value of WOW!’s plans.
| Plan | Price | Speed | Price Per Mbps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet 100 | $34.99/mo. | Up to 100 Mbps | $0.34 per Mbps |
| Internet 200 | $39.99/mo. | Up to 200 Mbps | $0.19 per Mbps |
| Internet 500 | $49.99/mo. | Up to 500 Mbps | $0.09 per Mbps |
| Internet 1 Gig | $64.99/mo. | Up to 1000 Mbps | $0.06 per Mbps |
WOW!’s internet price range breaks down to about $0.06-0.34 per Mbps. Generally, the higher speed you have, the less you will pay per Mbps.
In the areas that WOW! services, their biggest competitors are Spectrum, Xfinity, and AT&T. Cable internet providers often offer plans at higher prices than fiber internet providers. WOW!’s prices are on par with AT&T, but they’re also cheaper than Spectrum’s and Xfinity’s. Spectrum’s up to 100 Mbps plan is $15 more a month than WOW!’s — the only major difference between the two is that WOW! doesn’t offer national hotspots like Spectrum. My biggest priority when shopping for home internet is how well it will be at my house. National hotspots are a nice feature, but they’re not worth an extra $15 a month. Besides, there is more than just your plan to pay for if you rent equipment from your internet provider.
Even though there’s no requirement to, internet providers offer pretty good reasons to rent their modems/routers. WOW!’s modem rental fee is on the high end for cable providers, costing $14 per month. Buying your own modem/router will save you money, but you won’t get the same support from your provider.
WOW! makes up for its high equipment fee with great features:
- No contracts
- Free installation ($50 Value)
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- No ETF (because there are no contracts)
Why Choose WOW!?
WOW! internet is ideal for:
- Those who do not like signing long term contracts
- Remote workers
- Tight-budgeters
- Binge-streamers
WOW! gives you a 30-day money-back guarantee on their internet service. If you don’t like what you see, you can part ways and find another provider. With only a few bells and whistles, you may be tempted to jump ship, but don’t underestimate simplicity. The good thing about WOW!’s slim plans is their prices stay low. Normally, internet providers increase their rates about $10 per month after the first year. WOW! only raises their price $5 after the first year.
I’m always tempted to switch providers after the first year because of the price jumps. If you know what you want from an internet provider (for me, that’s just fast and reliable internet), you could save money by choosing WOW!.
WOW! also caters to cord cutters since they partner with four different streaming services to offer internet and TV bundle packages. Bundling a live TV streaming service with WOW! internet is cheaper than most cable and satellite internet and TV bundles.
Our WOW! Internet Recommendations
For an Internet-Only Plan…
You can’t go wrong with WOW!’s up to 200 Mbps plan. It has a great price ($39.99 a month) and enough speed for 3-4 people streaming at the same time. Your price will increase to about $44.99 a month after the first year which is still a good price for up to 200 Mbps and no data cap. If your household grows or you find a great show to start binging, you can upgrade your speeds without worrying about a contract or big price jump.
For a Bundle Plan…
As for a bundle with WOW!, it all depends on which streaming service you prefer. WOW! partners with YouTubeTV, Sling TV, Fubo, and Philo. Personally, I’d recommend Sling TV because it has good channels for families and sports fans at a low price.
Company Summary
WOW!’s name is kind of ironic — it stands for Wide Open West. They began in 1996 and have their roots in Denver, Colorado. However, WOW! no longer does any business in the state or the region. Through several mergers and acquisitions of cable and internet companies like Wave Broadband and Knology, they sold their market in Denver and moved into the Midwest and Southeast regions. WOW! still maintains its headquarters in Englewood, Colorado.
While WOW! is only available in nine states, it is a much faster alternative to satellite internet and a cheaper option for cable internet than more popular providers like Spectrum. The company takes pride in providing great customer service and WOW! Moments (what WOW! calls random acts of kindness). True to offering a seamless internet experience, WOW! Was one of the first cable providers to upgrade their network allowing customers to get download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps.
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Frequently Asked Questions About WOW!
- How much is WOW! internet?
- WOW! internet-only plans begin at $34.99 for up 100 Mbps and top off at $64.99 for their 1 Gig plan.
- How to cancel WOW! internet?
- Since there are no contracts with WOW, all it would take is a phone call to customer service to discontinue your service or notification in writing. Then, you need to return all equipment as soon as possible to avoid being charged for non-return fees.
- Is WOW! available in my area?
- As of now, WOW! is currently available in nine states, AL, FL, GA, IL, IN, MI, OH, SC, and TN. There’s a good chance WOW! Is available to you if you live in Columbus, GA, Saint Petersburg, FL, or Montgomery, AL.