Data caps can apply to mobile (cellular) and home Internet service plans. Using a mobile service as your home Internet provider is the most likely scenario where you will go over your allocated data limit — as you also use your mobile phone away from the home.
No matter the method of service delivery, you likely have a cap. Some providers charge a fee for data use over your monthly cap; other plans have a hard cap that shuts down your Internet access till you add more data. Fees for going over a capped plan can be $15 to $25 for additional data packs.
48% of Americans surveyed do not know their internet plan data cap.
Some unlimited data plans slow down your Internet speeds after a data limit has been hit. For example, you may have an unlimited plan with a monthly cap of 1.5 Terabytes with a speed of 100 Mbps.
When you hit the monthly limit of 1.5TB, your 50 Mbps will slow to 5 Mbps until next month. Even if your provider says you have “Unlimited” data, make sure you read the fine print.
