Internet with no credit check
Most providers pull your credit before they'll connect you, and ask for a deposit if the file is thin. A handful don't check at all — and they're no longer the slow, embarrassing option.
NOW Internet is the best no-credit-check plan in the country: $30/mo all-in for unlimited 100 Mbps on Xfinity's cable network, billed monthly, cancel whenever. If it isn't available where you live, Mint's Home MINTernet is the 5G alternative — cheaper still if you need a phone line, but it wants the year up front. For a hotspot instead of home internet, see prepaid WiFi.
- Ziply Fiber doesn't run a credit check for internet, and neither do the prepaid options from Visible and Mint.
- Astound and Verizon both run credit checks.
The options, ranked
Xfinity's prepaid brand, running on the same cable network as its postpaid plans. Taxes, government fees and the gateway are inside the price, data is unlimited, and it's billed monthly so you're never committed beyond 30 days.
On a low income? HomeWifi30 sells unlimited T-Mobile 5G home internet for $30/mo with taxes included and no credit check, for households that qualify.
Prepaid 5G on T-Mobile's network. The bundle adds twelve months of unlimited wireless for an effective $45/mo, and the No Bill Creep Guarantee locks that wireless pricing for five years.
Prepaid on Verizon's network, so no check and no deposit at any tier. At $35 next to a Total Wireless phone plan it's the cheapest route onto Verizon's towers.
Several providers run low-cost plans for households on federal benefits like SNAP or Medicaid. These are usually cheaper than any prepaid plan, don't hinge on your credit, and often include equipment.
Credit check policy by provider
Who runs a check, who doesn't, and what happens if your file is thin. Policies vary by market — confirm on the order page before you commit.
| Provider | Credit check | If your credit is thin | Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOW Internet | None | No effect — prepaid | Never |
| Mint Home MINTernet | None | No effect — prepaid | Never |
| Total Wireless | None | No effect — prepaid | Never |
| Tracfone Home Internet | None | No effect — prepaid | Never |
| Visible Home Internet | None | No effect — prepaid | Never |
| T-Mobile 5G Home | Soft or hard | Usually approved, autopay may be required | Possible |
| Xfinity | Hard pull | Deposit or prepaid brand offered instead | Common |
| Spectrum | Soft pull | Deposit, waived with prior good standing | Possible |
| AT&T | Hard pull | Deposit, or steered to AT&T Internet Air | Possible |
Why ISPs check your credit at all
Postpaid internet is a small loan. The provider hands you a gateway worth a couple of hundred dollars, gives you a month of service, and bills you afterwards — so it wants some evidence you'll pay. A thin or damaged credit file usually doesn't mean rejection; it means a deposit, typically $50 to $100, refunded after a year of on-time payments, or a requirement to enroll in autopay.
Prepaid plans invert the risk. You pay before you use the service, so there's nothing to underwrite and no reason to run a check. That's the entire mechanism behind every plan on this list — not a special program for people with bad credit, just a different billing model that happens to skip the credit bureau.
Hard pull, soft pull, and why the difference matters
A soft pull doesn't affect your score and often doesn't even appear to other lenders. A hard pull does both, and several of them in a short window compounds the damage. If you are shopping around while also applying for a car loan or a mortgage, ask which kind the provider runs before you give them your details — and note that every prepaid plan above runs neither.
What you give up
Speed ceilings are the main one: expect 100 to 400 Mbps down and 20 to 55 up, not gigabit fiber. You'll also self-install, sometimes on refurbished equipment limited to a single outlet, and you'll miss the reward cards and bundle discounts that live on the postpaid side. Some prepaid plans sit outside their parent brand's money-back guarantee, so check your out before you pay for a long term.
What you don't give up is worth naming too: no contract, no early-termination fee, no promotional rate that doubles in month 13, and — on the plans above — taxes and equipment already inside the advertised price. For a lot of households that's a better deal than what a good credit score would have bought them.
If you'd rather have a postpaid plan
Three things reliably reduce or remove a deposit. Ask whether enrolling in autopay and paperless billing waives it — it often does. Ask whether you can bring your own modem, which cuts the equipment the provider is risking. And ask whether a prior account in good standing with the same company counts, because it usually does even if your credit file has since changed. Our no-deposit guide goes through each in detail.
It's also worth checking assistance programs before you settle. Several providers run low-cost plans for households on federal benefits, and those are postpaid, cheaper than everything on this page, and don't hinge on credit either. See the low-income internet options.
Watch out for these
Common questions
The bottom line
No credit check no longer means bad internet. Start with NOW if Comcast serves your address, because $30 all-in on a wired connection billed monthly is the lowest-risk, best-value option available. Look at Mint if you're outside that footprint or you want a phone line in the same price. And if you qualify for an assistance program, check that first — it will beat both.
- Plan pages and Broadband Facts labels from Ziply Fiber, Visible, Home MINTernet, Astound Broadband, NOW Internet, Total Wireless Home Internet, Xfinity, checked Oct 2026
- Company press releases and regulatory filings on the ownership changes mentioned
Prices and offers change often; confirm at your address before you order. How we research
Jean founded ShopHighSpeed after trying to find one straight answer about business internet in his own town. He has been a Comcast and Verizon Fios customer, and ranks providers on what they actually deliver, not on what they advertise.
Only need it for a few months? See short-term internet for 1–3 months.
