Utility bills may be unavoidable, but you can make them easier to swallow by bundling them together. Cox is one of the largest cable and internet companies in the United States, with huge customer bases in states like Arizona, California, and Virginia. While its individual services—like internet—are not usually ranked among the best, Cox is known for its bundle deals. We’ve got the lowdown on Cox’s different double and triple play packages (and there are a lot of them). Cox offers some killer internet and TV bundles with a whole host of plans that pair the company’s cable internet with its Contour TV service. Here are the details: You can party like it’s 1999 with Cox’s cheap starter package, which offers 10 Mbps internet speeds and just 75 channels. Or you can dive headlong into the 21st century with its more expensive bundles that offer gigabit speeds and 250 channels. Speaking of variety, Cox offers premium channel packages that you can add onto an existing bundle (this channel lineup shows what comes standard). Throw a “sports and information pack” or a “Latino pack” onto that Bronze Double Play for just a few bucks a month. Righteous! Cox’s internet/TV bundles include some cool extra features, like the Contour TV app. As soon as you sign up for TV service with Cox, you’ll get access to the app, which means you can start watching your favorite shows before your cable gets installed. When it comes to price, Cox leaves us with mixed emotions. The company’s lower-tier plans are a decent deal when compared with companies like AT&T and Centurylink. But if you’re looking at higher-tier plans with 250+ channels and gigabit internet, companies like Verizon offer more for less. Our final complaint about Cox internet and TV bundles (being nitpicky is our job after all) is the network infrastructure. Cox runs its services through a cable network. Unlike fiber-optic networks, cable networks cannot offer symmetrical uploads, which can be a problem for gamers or home businesses that need to upload large files. Cox internet service also comes with a pesky 1 TB data cap. Bogus. Who it’s best for: Medium-sized families, college roommates, and young urban professionals Cox has a few options for those who want an old-fashioned landline and a state-of-the-art internet connection. Check it out. But for all this variety, Cox’s internet and phone bundles are quite simple. There’s only one home phone service called Voice Premier. Voice Premier comes with some nifty features, like the Cox Voice Everywhere app that allows you to use you home phone and voicemail from a mobile device. It includes unlimited calls to all of the US and Canada, and to landlines in Mexico. When it comes to pricing, these packages are more straightforward than the internet/TV packages. Each option requires a 12-month contract and the prices will not go up in that period. You can find similar bundles for similar prices from Xfinity. Speaking of looking elsewhere: we’ve noticed that Verizon Fios offers internet and phone bundles that cost less than Cox’s while offering even higher speeds. If you happen to be in a Fios service area, these plans are worth looking into. Who it’s best for: Small-to-medium-sized families, retired couples The higher-tier bundles pack in enough internet and TV to keep the whole extended family satisfied during a reunion. (Ok, Uncle Craig may never be satisfied, but there’s nothing we can do about that.) Seriously though, Gigabit internet is fast enough to simultaneously stream every single episode of Scrubs (if you happen to have 200 laptops and maybe a weird crush on Zach Braff). And 250+ channels on your TV can get you into more weird stuff (Ancient Aliens, anyone?). These packages, like Cox’s TV/internet bundles, require a 2-year contract. We don’t like being locked in for 24 long months, and we don’t like the price increases that come along after the first year. When it comes to affordability, we’d give Cox’s Triple Play bundles a solid B grade. Most of the company’s plans end up being cheaper than similar offerings from AT&T, and are about the same price as Xfinity’s TV, internet, and phone bundles. But once again, Verizon Fios steals the show with cheaper plans on a stronger network. If that channel count feels too low, you can always add on channel packages, and you also get unlimited calling (so you can keep up that argument you started with Uncle Craig at the family reunion). Who it’s best for: Families that don’t need BBC America or the Military History channel But like most one-stop shops, Cox doesn’t always have the highest-quality products or the best deals. We’re especially wary of the company’s long contracts and cable internet network. Pros: wide variety of plans, decent prices on lower-tier plansCons: long service contracts, high prices on top-tier plans Of course, the best way to figure out if Cox has a bundle for you is to check out its offerings. See what’s available in your area, and mix and match bundle deals! And let us know in the comments if you end up choosing a Cox bundle.
