Optimum Internet Plans for Seniors in 2024

Optimum Internet Pros and Cons

Optimum Internet Plans and Pricing

Optimum is fairly simple when it comes to pricing, with three plans to choose from. Prices are locked for the first 12 months, and then they go up by $25 per month. Note that the below prices include a $5 per month discount for enrolling in automatic payments and paperless billing.

Optimum Home Internet Plans Compared

*Monthly price includes a $5 discount for enrolling in automatic payments.

Plan Availability

Optimum internet is available in six states: Connecticut, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and West Virginia. To check if it’s available for where you live, specifically, enter your address on the Optimum website. Your home address may not have plans available, and even if they are available, prices vary by location.

The Fine Print

Internet service providers (ISPs) are famous for their lack of pricing transparency, which is why the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires ISPs to display Broadband Consumer Labels, which tell you what you’ll really pay for the internet. Here are the quick stats from Optimum:

• Equipment fees: Optimum does not charge for its equipment.
• Installation fees: Installation is free if you do it yourself, or $100 if you leave it to a professional.
• Price increases: Optimum’s prices will increase after the first 12 months. Currently, that increase is pretty steep, at $25 a month across all plans.
• Contracts: You won’t have to commit to a long-term contract, as all contracts with Optimum are on a month-to-month basis.
• Discounts for autopay: You will get $5 off for enrolling in automatic payments.
• Overage charges: Optimum has unlimited data, meaning you won’t pay any overage charges.
• Early termination fees: There are also no early termination fees, which makes sense given the lack of long-term contracts.

Internet Bundles

Optimum offers a single bundle: internet and TV. The total cost for this bundle will be between $45 and $90 a month, depending on the speed of the internet, which ranges from 300 Mbps to 5 Gbps. Compared to buying a separate wireless plan, you’ll save anywhere from $5 to $15 a month. Not too much, but if you think about the costs for the entire year, you’ll save $60 to $180.

Optimum Internet Senior Plan

While Optimum doesn’t have a discount or plan for seniors only, it does have a low-cost version that could cover many seniors and veterans. This plan, Advantage Internet, costs $14.99 per month and comes with download speeds up to 50 Mbps.

To be eligible, someone has to meet at least one of the following requirements:

• Eligible for or participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
• New York City resident and attends a public school in New York City
• Eligible for or receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and is 65 or older
• Veteran who receives federal or state public assistance

This is an amazing deal, as similar deals from Cox internet and Spectrum internet cost $30 a month and $20 a month, respectively. If you are eligible, you should definitely take advantage of this program, although the speeds may not be fast enough for households with multiple internet users.

My Experience With Optimum

I didn’t have to speak to a single human to order internet from Optimum. Rather, I just went on the website, chose the fastest plan available to me (1 Gbps), and then had the option to book some extras, like Wi-Fi extenders for $3 a month, or Optimum Stream for $12 a month, which would have included over 50 free channels and streaming apps. My apartment is tiny and I already have Roku, so I passed on these extras. But I did add a Max subscription for $15.99 a month. From there, I created an account, chose self-installation, which was free, entered my payment information, and received my gateway just one day later. Installation time!

Installation

Once I received and unboxed my package, which included my gateway, a coaxial cable, Ethernet cable, and power cord, I scanned the QR code on the self-install guide. From there, it took me to the app, which gave me step-by-step instructions on how to plug in the coaxial cable and power cord. From there, the internet turned on, which took about 15 minutes, and then, I named my Wi-Fi network and created a password, which took a few minutes to complete. In about 20 minutes, I had set up my own internet — congratulations to me!

Optimum App

I used the My Optimum app, available for iOS and Android, for the following internet-related tasks:

• Detect outages
• Get tips on how to optimize my network
• Pay bills
• Track usage and screen time for all of my devices
• Troubleshoot my Wi-Fi network
• View or change my network name and password

This app was clean and easy-to-use. No wonder it has a 4.5 on the App store and a 4.2 on the Google Play Store! From installing my internet to troubleshooting any issues, it was simple to use the app to manage all of my internet needs.

Using My Internet

It may sound a bit pathetic, but I’m dependent on the internet for nearly every activity I do, as is my live-in, work-from-home partner. Whether it’s working and Zooming with co-workers, cooking from a recipe on my phone and listening to Spotify, or streaming Bravo before I go to bed, I am a heavy internet user from the time I wake up until the minute my head hits the pillow.

Fortunately, Optimum fits with my lifestyle, allowing me to use multiple devices nearly 24/7 without any latency. I regularly get the speed I paid for (1 Gbps), which is more than enough for my needs, even with two people working from home.

My Bill

I bought my Optimum internet in June of 2023 for $89.99 a month for download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. I also added a Max subscription to my internet using a promotional credit that made it free, plus another $55 internet credit that brought my monthly total to $84.99. Add a paperless billing/automatic payment discount for $5 a month, and my bill came out to $79.99 a month, saving me $72 overall.

I’ll admit that this bill was a bit confusing, but I loved the fact that I didn’t have to pay anything monthly for my internet equipment, not to mention the free Max subscription! “The Sopranos” rewatch, here I come.

Optimum vs. Cox Internet

There’s no doubt that Optimum is cheaper than Cox, even after that $25 a month price hike from the second year on. On top of that, Cox charges equipment fees, while Optimum does not. Another point to Optimum is for its overage fees — or lack thereof. With Cox, you’ll spend $10 for every 50 GB of data you use above your allotted monthly amount, adding to your overall monthly bill. Optimum doesn’t charge overage fees at all.

So, what’s one area where Cox beats Optimum? Speed. While Cox has speeds of up to 2 Gbps, Optimum caps out at 1 Gbps. I would recommend Cox only if you want this 2 Gbps package. For 1 Gbps and under, Optimum will cost a lot less.

Bottom Line

Altogether, Optimum is a solid ISP with relatively low prices and fast speeds. It’s a good fit for someone that wants to bundle home internet and mobile service, in particular. However, there are cheaper options available, like Xfinity. For more choices, read my list of the best cheap internet providers for seniors, but note that when it comes to ISPs, you may have one or a few options. The availability, along with the prices, depends on your home address.