Additional Data prices...

Arj72715,

Thank you for contacting us. I am sorry to hear you are having a hard time managing the monthly priority data allotment.  Exceeding the monthly data allotment does result in slower speeds which is causing the main issue with slowness and buffering. While purchasing tokens is an option, we do not recommend it before trying to manage your monthly data on your own first. Please review this link http://hninfo.us/datatips for helpful tips to achieve that.

When you are in the beginning of your data refresh and may still experience buffering, here is some information to help. When it comes to streaming Netflix and sites similar, it is recommended to manually set your resolution settings, as it is on the auto setting by default. This can cause severe buffering since it is trying to cycle between many different resolutions during a stream. This can be done by logging on to your Netflix account on a desktop computer and clicking on your account information. There you will find a section for playback settings, where you can adjust it accordingly. This will not only save you on data but allow better loading and less buffering. Also, try streaming on one device connected to the modem via LAN cable if available. In this case, if your TV is close enough to the modem or you have a long ethernet cable, you can do this. This will provide a quicker, more stable connection. If buffering is the main issue, even after these tips, downloading shows and movies locally is a great option for you. You can do this by downloading the Netflix app and initiating a download to watch a show or movie offline. This would eliminate buffering completely and save you on data expenditure, since the media it is playing from a stored file and not streaming in real-time. You can find more information on this process below for many streaming services. 
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/every-way-to-watch-movies-and-shows-offline-netflix-youtube-hbo-amazon-prime-disney-plus-hulu/. -Damian      

Some data management tips:

The most recent games are more than double that now. One of these would easily kill a 200GB monthly allowance... unless they're downloaded between 2-8am local time. I've grabbed 12 games during the Steam Winter sale with little to no impact to my data allowance. The only impact is that I didn't start early enough and a couple of them ran past 8am.

Rather than streaming things live most streaming services allow you to download it. Each service has different restrictions, however, so you may be limited to how much you can save locally, as well as how long it allows you to hold it. For example, Paramount+ allows you to download about 30 things, and hold it for a month, whereas Netflix's $7 plan only you to download something like a few things per month.

Additionally, it pays to limit the quality of the stream depending upon the device you're  watching it on. For example, you'll save a lot of data watching a low-res 350p stream, which may be quite watchable on an iPad, but it might not look very good on a 60" Samsung TV. Be aware that most smart TV apps will automatically pick the highest quality. What I do is download shows/movies to my iPad and hook it up to the TV using an HDMI adapter (~$17 on Amazon). I found that using the wireless remote display can use an intermediate server on the internet, which defeats the purpose. The HDMI cable uses no data and things can be downloaded during the 'free' period.

YMMV, so you might want to experiment with different services/methods to see what works for you.