Everything You Must Know about DirecTV Hidden Costs
It’s intimidating to budget a new TV or Internet package. You never know what extra fees will pop up once your contract starts. And when you try to cancel the contract, you are given the gift of the service cancellation fee. It’s frustrating indeed!
All providers have some form of hidden costs whether you are a customer of Spectrum Internet plans or Cox Internet service. The only way to stand firm on the ground is doing to prior price research.
Planning to subscribe to DirecTV but don’t want to become a victim of hidden fees? From TV and Internet plans to equipment cost and cancellation charges, this blog covers all DirecTV hidden costs.
Let’s look at your options together.
Top DirecTV Packages and Prices
Whether it’s TV or the Internet, the initial price looks tempting. You must sign a two year contract and you will get promotional pricing for the first year. To stay informed, pay attention to the 12 months introductory price and the ongoing price that you’ll have to pay when you head into the second year.
The provider offers 6 TV plans:
- Select
- Entertainment
- Choice
- Xtra
- Ultimate
- Premier
Let’s take a look into these DirecTV packages and prices.
| TV Package | Number of Channels | Starting Price | Price after 12 months | Who is it for? |
| Select | 155+ | $49.99 per month | $85.00 per month plus tax | Budget-friendly option |
| Entertainment | 160+ | $54.99 per month | $97.00 per month plus tax | Ideal for Sports fans |
| Choice | 185+ | $59.99 per month | $110.00 per month plus tax | Great for the whole family |
| Xtra | 235+ | $69.99 per month | 124.00 per month plus tax | Most Popular Option |
| Ultimate | 250+ | $74.99 per month | $135.00 per month plus tax | Perfect for movie lovers |
| Premier | 330+ | $124.99 per month | $189.00 per month plus tax | Includes everything and more |
The prices mentioned above are for the first 12 months and regular pricing after the introductory period is over. You will sign a 2-year contract with the provider and an early termination fee applies.
What are the DirecTV Internet Plans?
DirecTV is a TV service provider but it offers Internet plans as well. Since it owns AT&T, you can bundle your TV services with AT&T internet. AT&T is known as one of the most reliable rural Internet providers with both DSL and fixed wireless plans available for remote locations.
Internet and TV bundle starts from $39.99 per month. You get 100 Mbps with all cable TV and AT&T Internet plans. The good news is when you bundle the two services together, you get a $10 discount. To get the best bang for bucks, choose a Choice package.
Here are the provider’s Internet plans:
| TV Package | Number of Channels | Download Speed | Starting Price | Who is it for? |
| Select | 155 | Up to 100 Mbps | $39.99 per month | The budget-friendly basic plan |
| Choice | 185 | Up to 100 Mbps | $49.99 per month | Great for the whole family |
| Ultimate | 250 | Up to 100 Mbps | $64.99 per month | Perfect for movie lovers |
All About DirecTV Hidden Costs
Now that you have been introduced to the TV and Internet plans, let’s see what hidden costs you have to deal with.
Taxes, regional sports, equipment, and premium channels are not the only charges subscribers have to pay. If you are using online service for making payments or receiving help through an agent on the phone, an extra cost is applied. Here’s a glimpse:
| Type of Cost | Price | Purpose |
| TV Access Fee | $7 per receiver | This applies to connect each receiver |
| Regional Sports Fee | Up to $9.99 per month | Price of the regional sports network |
| Late Payment Fee | $4.25 | The penalty associated it late bill payment |
| Vacation Hold | Up to $7 per month | Holding the service for 2 to 6 months (for instance when you are on vacation) |
| Returned Payment Fee | The greater of $25 or 5% of the returned payment | In case the payment is denied |
| Minimum Service | Up to $7 per month | When your account is placed in minimum service status due to non-payment |
| Restoral Fee | Up to $20 | Reinstating the service |
| Dispatch Fee | $99 | The fee that applies when a technician visits for repairs |
| Phone Payment Fee | Up to $5 | Making a payment on the phone through an agent’s assistance |
| Order Assistance Fee | Up to $5 | Ordering Pay Per View by speaking to a rep |
Installation Fee
Whether you are subscribing to DirecTV Internet plans or TV plans, you are charged with an installation fee.
Professional assistance is required for which the provider sends a technician to your place. But a great thing is that the provider doesn’t charge for installing the satellite dish at your place. You will have to pay a small service activation fee of $19.95.
Equipment Fee
DirecTV does not charge extra for DVR. The lease and service fee of DVR is already included in the package. There’s are no hidden costs.
However, if you want to watch more than one TV, you will need another receiver and that costs $7 per receiver, per month. This is the price of a wired receiver. If you want to go wireless, try Genie 2 DVR. It costs a $99 one-time fee for the upgrade. However, you will still be paying $7 per month for the wireless receiver.
Genie 2 is not available in all areas for now so do call customer support to check the availability.
| Fee | Price |
| Wired Receiver | $7 per month |
| Wireless Receiver | $7 per month |
| Genie 2 Upgrade | $99 |
Late Bill Payment Fee
This isn’t technically one of the DirecTV hidden costs because every provider has some sort of penalty for late bill payment.
There is a small late fee which is $4.25. It applies when you fail to pay your bill by the due date.
Service Cancellation Fee
Unlike Centurylink Internet which has the same price till the life of the contract, the prices of most providers change over the year. That’s why when a price hike set in after the introductory price period is over, some of us are tempted to cancel the service.
Before you think about it, here’s a head’s up. It is extremely costly. Don’t forget you will also have to return the receivers and DVR. This makes the overall cancellation fee enormous.
Here is what you are dealing with:
Early terminate fee: Canceling the service before the end of the contract will cost you up to $480.
Non-return fee: If you fail to return the equipment after canceling the service, the non-return fee is between $45 and $135.
Premium Channel Pricing
Premium channels like Cinemax, Showtime, Starz, and HBO are offered free for three months. The Premier TV bundle includes all of them. If you are a subscriber of another package, you can get these channels at an additional cost too.
Let’s look at the prices of add-ons
| Add-Ons | Details | Price |
| Showtime, Starz, HBO & Cinemax | All four premium channels included | $59.98 per month |
| Movies Extra Pack | Includes HD programming such as classic and contemporary movies, short films and, documentaries | $4.99 per month |
| DogTV | This is a TV channel designed for entertaining your canine | $4.99 per month |
| Outdoor Programming | Outdoor broadcasts | $4.99 per month |
| NBA League Pass | Every out-of-market NBA game | $39.99 per month for 5 months or $199.95 per season (one-time payment) |
| NFL Sunday Ticket | All out-of-market NFL games | $48.99 per month for 6 months or $293.94 per season (one-time payment) |
| NFL Sunday Ticket Max | NFL RedZone and everything included in Directive Fantasy Zone | $65.99 per month for 6 months or $395.94 per season (one-time payment) |
| NHL Center Ice | Includes 40 out of market NHL games with NHL Network per week included during the NHL season | $199.95 per season (one-time payment) |
| MLS Direct Kick | Includes 300+ regular-season out-of-market games | $22.25/mo. for 4 mos. OR $89/season in 1 payment |
Considering the above mentioned DirecTV hidden costs, their service can be pretty expensive as compared to other cable TV service providers in the market.
Even if you are unhappy, since you area bond by 2-year contract, you will have to keep the service. An early termination fee is usually a standard expense every other provider in the industry is charging but it can get expensive.
Conclusion
Unlike other providers, there are many DirecTV hidden costs. The only drawback of signing up with them is that the prices nearly double in the second year. Nevertheless, the provider offers great entertainment plans for all kinds of TV lovers whether you are into sports, news, movies or you just want the best in-home entertainment. They even have all the best premium channels.
Their Internet plans are great too. Bundling the TV and Internet service gives you a great value pack. However, if you want standalone Internet service, we would suggest you look for other options like Cox Internet plans.
Get in touch with customer support to learn more about the plans available in your zip code.
