America Online (AOL) is a company that has changed a great deal over the years and many people tend to overlook AOL when shopping for cheap Internet service.

Sometimes they assume AOL now offers only high-end services or they think AOL has moved beyond offering dial-up Internet connections. Did you know AOL offers dial-up service and compares favorably with many cheap Internet providers? If you are doing a search for cheap Internet options, you should definitely include AOL on the list of companies to evaluate.

Cheap Internet service offers low-cost dialup Internet access for $9.95 a month. AOL also offers a basic plan with many of the same features as other providers. A common feature of many cheap Internet service plans (including AOL) is a discount or free trial period where you can test drive the service at no risk. When you do the math, calculating the savings of the trial period with the cost of the regular monthly plan, many times you will find the costs of cheap Internet service average about the same cost per plan, per company. With prices so similar, the real decision making comes when trying to pick the company that offers the best perks for your needs. And, with all the content offered by AOL it's still one of the best choices for cheap internet service.

There are some standard features to look for when shopping for cheap Internet service, whether you are considering AOL or any of the other providers:

• Spam protection
• Anti-virus software
• Web-based e-mail
• Internet call waiting

With millions of annoying e-mails sent every day, spam protection is more important than ever. This feature is practically standard with most cheap Internet plans; don’t consider companies that can’t help protect you in some way against spam e-mails.

Anti-virus protection may not be as widely available as a standard option, but the best companies offer some form of Internet security to help protect customers from hacking, phishing, viruses, and other malicious programs. AOL compares favorably with many well-known dial-up Internet providers in this area; if you are looking at a company that doesn’t offer any security protection at all, move on to one that does.

Web-based e-mail is another feature offered by most of the major dial-up services. AOL and other companies provide a browser-based interface to let you view, reply and manage your e-mail. This feature offers a bit of extra security in case you encounter an e-mail virus or Trojan horse. If you are checking messages on the web instead of downloading them to your computer, you can delete the infected e-mails knowing they never made it onto your hard drive.

Internet call waiting is an excellent tool for all dial-up users with only a single phone line. This is not always a regular offering with AOL or other providers, but the companies that do offer this service help their customers to stay connected to the Internet without missing important calls. Some people have no use for call waiting, but if this is important to you, be sure to ask if the feature is available from that provider.

Regardless of whether you’re considering AOL or another cheap Internet service provider, it helps to make a list of the features most important to you and screen the companies based on who best meets your needs. Deciding what’s best for you ahead of time goes a long way towards helping you decide between companies with closely-matched price structures.