U.S. residents in large swaths of the country can now get Starlink residential satellite internet service—and pay nothing for the hardware kit. That’s a $349 cost saving if you live in one of the available areas. Since some RVers use their Starlink residential service while traveling (and save $30 a month compared to Starlink’s roaming service) the new offer might be quite attractive. But hang on, there’s some fine print in the free Starlink hardware offer.
Hook ’em and reel ’em in with free Starlink hardware offer
What’s behind the big Starlink free hardware offer? Like a lot of other players in the telecommunications market, Starlink has figured out that if you offer free equipment, you’ll snag new customers. You can make up for the “loss” on hardware by hooking customers on the subscription fees. Fine and dandy, if the customer goes into the deal with their eyes open and understands everything.
So, do you live in the Starlink free hardware offer area? Check out the map above. If your residential address is in a white area on the map, then the free hardware offer is available. To be certain, click here to go to the Starlink site, enter your residential address, and you’ll know for certain.
RVers can use residential service, save money, better service in congested areas…
Is Starlink residential for you? Many RVers have the residential service. Yes, “you can take it with you” in this way. When you pack up the RV for your road trip, take along your residential hardware. Yep, the dish is bigger. Yes, the system uses more power. Once you hit an area where you want internet connectivity, you’ll need to use your smartphone to log into your Starlink account and change your service address. You can learn more about this here.
The beauty of using your Starlink residential service on the road is that you’ll get priority over Starlink Roaming customers in areas of high user congestion. And you’ll be paying less than the Roaming customers. BUT, you won’t be able to use your Starlink service while in motion—it just doesn’t work. However, if you’re set up in camp, it may be just the ticket for your needs.
… but the free hardware offer has an RV killer
But here’s the fine print in the Starlink free hardware offer. For RVers, the biggest catch is the killer. Here’s the fine print, direct from Starlink: “During the service commitment, taking any of the following actions will result in a Change Fee. Change service address.”
What’s a “Change Fee”? In the case of the free hardware offer, that means you’ll owe Starlink the regular charge for the equipment. Keep reading on how that’s billed. There’s another bit here. IF you have completed a 12-month commitment, then the hardware is yours for free, and changing your “service address” won’t hang you up. There are some other caveats during those first 12 months of free hardware. You’ll see the Change Fee if you:
- Cancel service
- Fail to timely pay your bill
- Attempt to transfer your kit to another user
- Cancel service during the 30-day trial and not return your kit
How much do you pay if you violate? It’s a “pig in a poke” situation
So, if you do any of the no-no’s during your first 12 months of service, here’s how the “pay us back” for the hardware kit works:
“Customers on the 12-month Residential plan must reach out to Customer Support in order to change their service plan and will be charged a Change Fee. This will either be pro-rated or a flat fee, depending on the market, for the month of their service plan change.
“The Change Fee may be either pro-rated or a flat fee, depending on the market, over the 12-month period. The Change Fee differs by market. Please consult the 12-month commitment confirmation email you received after placing your order for your Change Fee and other revelant [sic] information.”
So to really know how much you’ll be charged if you violate the terms of this “free” offer, you’ll first have to commit to the service. Grandma would say, “You’re buying a pig in a poke” with this deal.
For the RVing community, the Starlink free hardware offer is likely a non-starter.
RELATED
- T-Mobile’s $10 Starlink texting plan now open to subscribers of rival carriers
- Cell service anywhere: T-Mobile and Starlink connection testing open to customers
- T-Mobile and Starlink team up for cell service anywhere
- Ways to connect to the internet while traveling, and the pros and cons of each option
- Got Starlink? Scam alert for unsuspecting customers
RVT1207b
2 people I would never spend a penny on – Musk and Lemonis!
What a country. Choices abound.
Amen! 🇺🇸
😂
Thank you, Russ and Tina! Initially, I thought tbat it would be nice to have a dish in case I decided to try the service. As I got deeper into the article I realized that it was a non-starter idea. Might make sense for us while in Alaska, but only then. So, I’ll opt for DVDs instead. Have a great day and safe travels!
And now you know why ‘they’ hollowed out the CFPB. So consumers will have no recourse when consumers get shafted by businesses.
You need a government agency to read you the fine print? You may be better off never buying anything.
Just guessing John but somehow I do think he may need someone to disect a contract for service.
😂
We use StarLink Roam and it works everywhere and I mean everywhere. Unless you’re under a jungle canopy or in a cave with zero view of the sky, StarLink makes relying on cellular or RV Park WiFi as obsolete as a postage stamp. Our cell phones work via VOIP when there’s zero cell connectivity and our download speeds are generally around 100 Mbps with astonishingly low latency.
I don’t think changing addresses every time you move is worth the hassle (or risk) unless you’re a park dweller that rarely moves. In that case, maybe cellular is a more economical choice. Especially if you go into an area that has a residential wait list (which are getting fewer).
🇺🇸
It’s so friggin sad to read how demeaning some writers have become over anything Elon Musk has developed. This article is a prime example of my comment. EVERY COMMERICAL telecommunications company has strict Terms of Service requirements and how you can use their technologies. There is absolutely nothing wrong or misleading if people take the time to read what STARLINK says verses some opinionated writer who has NEVER developed, funded and patented any advanced technologies…..the fact you have a hundred years of RVing experienced in no way makes you an expert on satellite technology and Terms of Service and how International law impacts how you sell service plans
🇺🇸
I don’t remember an article about T-mobile having conditions attached to it’s free cell phone marketing campaigns. Did we get an article about Verizon passing out discounts on phones but only with terms of service commitments and a contract?
Does anyone think Elon put those thousands of satelites in space for altruistic reasons alone? It is a business folks.
When you buy a car it has conditions attached to the warranty.
BOGO is a condition of receiving a free product. You can’t get the free one without paying for the first one. Holy moly. Stay 5 nights get 2 free…. you don’t get the first 2 nights free and then change your mind, simply canceling the next 5 nights.
🇺🇸
I have Starlink that I use in the RV (love it!) and have used it at home when my cable service was down. I might go with this program for one for the house. Then I can suspend the Roam when I’m at home. I have cameras and alarms at my property for when I am on the road and even the new fiber optic I just signed up for has had multiple outages while I’ve been on the road this time.
🇺🇸
It’s called get em hooked
competition is coming Amazon just launched the first satellites of their system
😂
Here we go again…another “propaganda” article fed to the internet in hopes of hooking the “Elon Musk haters”…Funny how those who sacrifice their own gain, for the good of this country, are persecuted…and those who enrich themselves, to the detriment of the taxpayers, are protected…go figure…
Not sure why so many people equate you presenting some facts about Starlink plans and how trying to use the residential plan while they are traveling will cause them some consequences, and how triggered they get. You weren’t telling people not to use Starlink, you were letting people know that residential use plan won’t necessarily transfer well to mobile use, as apparently some people are trying to do. Geez!
In fact, in a different article they let us know about new emergency text plans that use Starlink to text through satellites, but suddenly no one is complaining about THAT article! https://www.rvtravel.com/mobiles-10-starlink-texting-plan-open-subscribers-rival-carriers/