Pay as you go cable

In February, Comcast began testing a pre-paid Xfinity Internet service in a few states, and now has begun doing the same for a pre-paid cable TV service. Thus far, the service provider hasn’t detailed what markets have access to the service, with its “Check Availability” tool not working presently. The plans have been detailed, however, and are available now for those who want to enjoy cable television as a pay-as-you go service.

The prices aren’t too terribly far out of the norm from what one could expect to pay with a traditional cable plan, with the monthly plan (30 days) being priced at $45 and a cheaper $15 option offering 7 days of service. This excludes the first month, which is priced at $69.95 to encompass the hardware required and an activation fee.

The hardware package is comprised of a digital adapter, signal receiver for the remote + the remote controller, a couple batteries for the controller, and the various A/V cables. The Starter Kit has to be purchased directly from Comcast, and isn’t contingent on some of the requirements one might encounter elsewhere, such as credit standards. Once the Starter Kit is acquired, the service can be renewed whenever desired using a bank card or retail-sold refill code.

Those who already have a Comcast plan of some sort can’t use the prepaid TV service, however. In addition, the service does not offer high-definition channels, so those who use it are stuck with standard-definition. The channels that are available vary based on where the user is located, with the number of locations being unknown, as we mentioned. Comcast supplies a listing only for Metro-Detroit at the moment, but specifies that other locations also have service.

The local channels listed as available for the Metro-Detroit area under the service is comprised of NBC, CW, PBS, ABC, CBS, FOX, and MYNETWORKTV. Beyond the local channels are such offerings as BET, Animal Planet, A&E, AMC, Disney, Discovery, CNN, Comedy Central, E!, ION, Food Network, Lifetime, QVC, TV Land, USA, WGN, HSN, H2, Hallmark, C-SPAN, TV Guide, Music Choice, and more.

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