By Don Trauger – Kennett
Technology Tips – Published October 2020 in the Guide and Digest
Comcast has made changes on the signed-in page for your Comcast Email account. Under “Bill Pay” you may see the message “Your Xfinity services are currently disconnected. Your unpaid account balance is $0.00. You can make a payment to bring your account up to date.” The account still works fine but you can’t make changes to it other than “User” changes. For example, Settings has disappeared from the menu as it’s considered an “Xfinity Service.” As you know when we transitioned from Comcast to Verizon we were told that we could keep our Comcast email account. The $0.00 under “Bill Pay” is accurate but it doesn’t offset the fact that you now have practically no way to make changes to your account. Believe me, I’ve tried.
Some residents have reported the loss of their Comcast Email accounts when trying to sign in. Apparently this has happened with no notice from Comcast or wrong doing by the user. Below are 2 steps to seriously consider if your account is still working. It will provide a way to restore your account in the event the problem is associated with a corrupt User account or something else in the Comcast system that can be corrected. No definitive answer or prevention of account loss is guaranteed but doing the things outlined might help in account recovery.
1. Setting up a Comcast Email Account Recovery with a Xfinity ID
To check your account’s status, concerning recovery, sign in to your Comcast Email account then click Settings at the top of the window. On the left side scroll down to and click Xfinity ID, Passwords and Pins. You should see your Email address, your secondary Email address and your cell phone number. Again on the left side, near the top, click Contact Information and you should see your Account/Mobile phone numbers and Personal email address which is your secondary or recovery Email address. If you see those 3 items your recovery system is set up properly. If any information is missing then go back to the main Comcast page and sign out. On the main Comcast page, click “Sign In” but DON’T actually sign in. Below the blue “Sign In” button, click on Don’t have an Xfinity ID? “Create one”. Follow the procedure to establish your recovery information. Note: This procedure may not recover all missing Comcast Email accounts. There are many variables in play but it will help if the problem lies with the account structure or password. When setting up a new Xfinity ID have your cell phone handy and be prepared to establish your secondary Email address preferably at gmail.com
Note: You need to be a “Primary” user to make changes in your account profile. If necessary this can be done in the Users category.
If your Comcast Email account is presently working, consider the following – #2. It’s a hybrid system in as much as only new Emails that enter the Comcast Inbox after the setup is done will be forwarded to Gmail with a copy saved in the Comcast Inbox. It’s like a file backup procedure. This will work in the event the account is still there but isn’t working due to some issue in the Comcast sign-in architecture. It’s been tested and works well.
2. Forwarding Comcast Emails to Gmail
First, create your secondary Email account at Gmail.com. Next, create your Xfinity ID if you haven’t done so. This is located below the blue “Sign In” button for your Comcast email account. The Xfinity ID procedure will use that secondary email account at Gmail for authentication. The Gmail account will also be used to accept forwarded Comcast Emails.
To forward your Comcast Email to Gmail, sign in to your Comcast Email account and click the Email envelope icon at the top, then click the “gear” at the upper right of the window. Click “Settings” in the drop down menu. On the left click “Auto Forward”. Click “Enable email forwarding”. Use your new Gmail Email address by putting it in the “Forward all emails to:” box. Be sure to check “Save a copy of forwarded emails”. This tells the Comcast server to save a copy of the forwarded email in your Comcast Inbox.