Do I Have an Internet Data Cap? How to See If You Have Unlimited Data

To find out if your internet plan has a data cap, you'll need to log in to the app or website of your internet service provider (ISP). ISPs around the nation have data allowances that can limit your ability to browse, stream, and more. 

Let’s find out which ISPs have data caps, how much overages could cost you, and how much data your household actually needs. We'll also recommend the best VPNs to combat throttling if you've hit your cap.

How to find out what your data cap is

If your internet plan includes a data cap, your ISP should have a way for you to check your overall data usage. Many ISPs also have notifications in place to alert you when you may be reaching your data limit.

To find out if you have a data cap and how much data you’ve used this month, you can head to your ISP’s website or app and sign in to your account. Look for a dashboard or tracker for your data usage to see how much you’ve used that month.

What happens if you go over your data limit?

In most cases, if you go over your data limit, your ISP will charge you a fee to add additional data to your plan. This fee ranges depending on your provider, but many internet providers charge about $10 for an additional 50 GB of data.

Other ISPs will throttle or slow down your speed once you’ve reached a data cap. This can hinder your ability to stream video, jump on Zoom calls, and more. 

One method to mitigate throttling would be to use a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN encrypts your internet traffic, which would hide it from your ISP. Some VPNs you can use to help combat throttling include:

How much data do you need?

The amount of data you need is dependent on many factors. If you’re a family of five, with both parents working from home and kids constantly streaming TV shows and gaming, you likely need more data than someone who lives alone and commutes to an office five days a week.

According to a Broadband Insights Report by OpenVault, the average data usage of a North American household was more than 512 GB per month. Based on this, an internet plan with at least 600 GB of data should suffice for most American families. If you know your household uses more data than an average household, you should find a plan with more data.

Which providers have internet data caps?

If you’re unsure if your internet provider has a data cap, it’s a good idea to find out. Your internet needs could vary from month to month, and knowing how a data overage could affect you is beneficial.

Check out these nationwide ISPs who have data caps.

ISPs with data caps

Provider	Data cap	Overage fee	Unlimited data add-on cost
Astound Broadband (formerly RCN, Grande, Wave)	100 GB–1 TB/mo	$6.50 per 25 GB	$10.00–$20.00/mo
AT&T	150 GB/mo for DSL, 350 GB/mo for Fixed Wireless Internet, 1.5 TB/mo for AT&T  Internet speed tiers 768KB through 75MB	$10.00 per 50 GB up to $200.00	$3.00/mo
Buckeye Broadband	250 GB/mo	$15.00 for an additional 250 GB	$30.00/mo
Cox	1.25 TB/mo (can add an additional 500 MB)	$10.00 per 50 GB up to $100.00	$30.00/mo
Mediacom	Up to 2,000 GB/mo	N/A	N/A
Sparklight	Up to 1.5 TB/mo	$10.00 per 100 GB up to $40.00	$30.00/mo
Viasat	Up to 300 GB/mo	$10.00 per 1 GB	N/A
Comcast Xfinity	1.2 TB	$10.00 per 50 GB up to $100.00	$25.00/mo or through the xFI complete package

Which types of internet usually have data caps?

There are many different types of internet providers that have data caps for their customers. Many of those ISPs also offer unlimited data plans to help you avoid any unwanted fees. Of all the different types of internet, satellite internet providers tend to have the smallest data caps.

The repercussions of these data caps also vary based on the provider. For instance, some providers charge customers a fee to add additional data, whereas others may throttle or slow down your internet speeds once you’ve hit a specific data limit.

Which providers have unlimited data?

If you’re worried about hitting a data limit every month, you may want to find an ISP that has an unlimited data plan. Here are a few providers with unlimited data offerings.

ISPs with unlimited data

Provider	Data cap
AT&T Fiber (speeds of 100+ Mbps)	Unlimited
CenturyLink	Unlimited
EarthLink	Unlimited
Frontier	Unlimited
Google Fiber	Unlimited
Optimum	Unlimited
Spectrum	Unlimited
Starlink	Unlimited
Starry Internet	Unlimited
T-Mobile Home Internet	Unlimited
Verizon Fios	Unlimited
Verizon 5G Home Internet	Unlimited
Windstream	Unlimited

How to get unlimited data

If you need more data than is included in your ISP’s data plan, contact your provider to see if you can upgrade to an unlimited plan. You could also switch to a different provider with an unlimited plan if one is available in your area.

What’s the AT&T internet data cap?

AT&T’s data caps are based on the type of internet plan you have. Here is a breakdown of the internet plans and how much data is allocated each month.

• DSL: 150 GB/mo
• Fixed wireless internet: 350 GB/mo
• 100 Mbps or faster: Unlimited data

If you have AT&T high-speed internet, you can also upgrade to unlimited data if your current plan doesn’t include it. The cost of an unlimited upgrade is $30.00/mo.

What’s the Comcast Xfinity internet data cap?

Xfinity’s internet service comes with a 1.2 TB-data cap. Once you’ve exceeded the 1.2 TB of data, Xfinity charges $10.00 per 50 GB, not to exceed $100.00 a month. For first-time offenders, Xfinity won’t charge you for additional data.

If you’ll consistently need more data, such as for online gaming and downloading files, Xfinity offers an unlimited data add-on for $25.00/mo.

What’s the Cox internet data cap?

If you’re a Cox internet user, your plan comes with 1.25 TB of data per month. Cox also offers you the option to upgrade by adding an additional 500 GB or unlimited data. The cost of the 500 GB of additional data may vary based on your location. The unlimited data upgrade will cost you $30 per month.

If you do go over your monthly limit, Cox automatically adds additional data for you at the rate of 50 GB for $10.00. These data overage charges shouldn’t exceed $100.

What’s the Spectrum internet data cap?

Spectrum doesn’t have data caps for its internet customers. Spectrum offers a variety of plans with speeds up to 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps), but none of the plans have a data cap.

What’s the Starlink internet data cap?

Starlink doesn’t have data caps or limits for its customers. However, the company may throttle internet speeds as necessary.

Starlink costs $110 per month for residential service, and you’ll need to pay a $599 equipment fee to get the satellite dish and other equipment.

What’s the T-Mobile Home Internet data cap?

Good news! T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet service doesn't have a data cap. The internet service is $50.00 with autopay enabled.

T-Mobile offers only one plan and all customers have unlimited data with the fastest speeds available.

How to avoid using too much data

If you’re concerned about using too much data at home, there are steps you can take to help minimize data usage.

• Download music instead of streaming it
• Turn off Wi-Fi and use cellular data if needed
• Turn off streaming services when not actively using them
• Use lower-quality video for YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming services
• Check which devices are connected to your internet and make sure all are necessary

How much data do you need for…

Online activity	Data usage per hour
Sending 5 emails	2 MB
Browsing social media (4 hrs)	360 MB
Making a video call (Zoom, Skype, etc.)	2 GB
Using a home security camera (1 hr)	2 GB
Streaming video in SD	.75 GB
Streaming video in HD	2.5 GB
Streaming video in 4K	6 GB
Gaming online	0.1 GB

Internet data cap FAQs

Bottom line

Understanding your internet plan and any fees associated with your data usage is important. As more and more devices are connected to the internet, the average household data usage continues to increase. If you have a data cap in place, you could reach that threshold faster with new online devices.

To manage your data plan, first, understand if your current plan with your ISP has a data cap. If so, head to your ISP’s app or website and find out how to check your current data usage. This is helpful in case you’re worried about going over your limit.

If you’re concerned about your data usage and you don’t have an unlimited plan, you can minimize your data usage by making sure that you are only using the internet for needed activities.

You could also invest in one of the best VPNs to keep your browsing anonymous from your ISP.