Best internet providers for Veterans and military families
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Best military bonusesXfinity
- Bonuses for veterans
- Wide availability
- Military discount after initial purchase
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Best for bundlesAT&T
- Options to bundle with TV and phone
- Fast speeds
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Best performanceGoogle Fiber
- Gigabit-speed fiber connections
- Low latency for video chat and gaming
- No long-term contracts
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Veteran discountsOptimum
- Discount for veterans
- Discount for SSI
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Military discounts
- Gigabit-speed fiber connections
- Discounts for active military and veterans
- Additional discounts for mobile plans
Data as of 2/19/2025. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Xfinity offers special bonuses to members of the military who sign up for its services. Instead of discounts to your monthly bill, Xfinity offers one-time coupons and gift cards as a reward for signing up.
Other Xfinity plans that aren’t specifically for veterans can also help you out. Comcast Internet Essentials can provide discounts for veterans and their families who also qualify for certain forms of government assistance.
AT&T offers discounted phone plans for military and veteran families. Although these are not traditional home internet plans, several of these plans also offer additional hotspot data in addition to their normal data plan, which you can use to connect your other devices to the internet. The downside is that this extra hotspot data tops out at around 30 GB per month, so these plans work best for if you don’t use the internet that much in your home.
To qualify for these plans as an active member of the military, all you need is your .mil email address. Veterans can also qualify with their Veteran ID Card (VIC).
Google Fiber offers reliable, high-speed fiber connections that are great for video chat, streaming video, and playing online games. Its plans have simple, transparent pricing, so you never have to worry about hidden fees or other surprises on your bill.
Importantly, Google Fiber also doesn’t have any long-term contracts, which means you’ll never get hit with early termination fees—an important feature for active-duty military families that move around a lot.
The Altice Advantage program offers internet service for just $14.99* per month and is available to veterans receiving public assistance. The program also accepts seniors eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
*Plus taxes and installation fees
Verizon also offers discounts for eligible military members and veterans on certain plans. Both new and current Verizon customers can apply for a military discount. These discounts start at $5 off per month and go up to $15 off per month on gigabit connections.† If you’re a current customer and your plan is not eligible for a military discount, you can still get the discount by switching to a plan that does qualify.
†w/Auto Pay, taxes, and equip. charges.
Nongovernment programs
You can also find other programs for helping veterans and their families get affordable internet access. Many of these are offered by nonprofit organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
Veterans Advantage
Veterans Advantage, a public benefit corporation (PBC), provides benefits and discounts for the military community. This includes active duty and retired military members, guards, reservists, and family members.
Veterans Advantage is a subscription program, which means you have to sign up for a paid subscription in order to get the associated benefits. Members also get the VetReward card, which you can use at many places as proof of identification without having to provide other military credentials.
If you’re considering signing up for their program, Veterans Advantage offers a free 30-day trial of their basic membership plan.
Other programs
Some veterans and their families may also qualify for other programs for discounted internet. To find out more about these programs, check out our analysis of free and low-cost internet programs.
What’s a good internet speed?
- Works best for 1–4 people
- Can check email, browse, make video calls
- Streaming video on one device
- Available on subsidized internet plans
- Works best for 5–7 people
- Good for downloading large files
- HD streaming on multiple devices
- Typically costs around $30/mo.
- Works best for 8–10 people
- Good for downloading large files fast
- 4K streaming on multiple devices
- Typically costs around $50/mo.
- Works best for 10+ people
- Can easily perform most online tasks
- Can handle as much streaming as you want
- Typically costs around $70/mo.
Internet for veterans FAQ
Verizon and AT&T both offer discounted internet plans for active duty military personnel. Xfinity offers special one-time offers for military service. If you’re not sure if your ISP has offers for military and military families, you should contact a sales representative and ask.
There are various programs for seniors who served in the military, such as the Altice Advantage program, which serves veterans who receive public assistance. There are also many other private and public programs available to seniors, regardless of military service.
To learn more about these programs, take a look at our guide for internet for seniors.
For veterans looking for internet in rural areas, it can be difficult to find an internet plan that fits your needs. This is also true for active duty military personnel who aren’t stationed close to major urban areas. How are you supposed to get reliable high-speed internet if you’re in an area without the necessary infrastructure?
Fortunately, even if you live outside the range of residential fiber and cable networks, there are still a lot of options to choose from.
- DSL uses existing phone lines to deliver high-speed internet, reaching even relatively small towns.
- 4G LTE home internet reaches even farther than DSL, covering any area where the provider offers cell reception.
- Fixed Wireless has some of the highest wireless speeds and serves many areas that lack wired infrastructure, but it isn’t very widespread compared to other wireless technologies.
- Satellite internet is available almost everywhere but has lower data caps and higher costs than plans with similar speeds.
If you’re going to school on the Montgomery GI Bill or a military scholarship, you might qualify for discounts and special programs directed at students.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, having a fast, reliable internet connection is more important to education than ever before. Many classes now use more online elements, and a reliable internet connection is more important than ever.
To learn more about student discounts, check out our review of the best internet plans for students.