The free month and the 30-day return window on one calendar

The 30-day return window and the free month sit back to back on your calendar: the window closes right around the day bill 2 arrives, and bill 2 is where the free month is credited. So you get to plan on one of them, not both. Return the kit inside the window and you get the kit and month 1 refunded; keep it past the window and month 2 is credited.

This guide puts both on one calendar with real dates, shows what each is worth in money, and gives you a simple way to decide before the window shuts. For the basic difference between a “free trial” and the free month, our free trial guide has the side-by-side.

The two rules, side by side

The return window comes from section 6.3 of Starlink’s Terms of Service: return an undamaged kit bought on starlink.com within 30 days of the Payment Due Date for a full refund, including the first month's fee. shipping and handling charges are non-refundable, even on a return. Starlink’s account FAQ explains that the “30-day trial” on its website “is not a 30-day free trial but rather a trial of the Starlink hardware.”

The free month comes from the referral terms: one free month of service “applied to their second monthly subscription invoice.” To keep it you must stay on a full-speed plan for two full billing cycles, and Starlink says it reviews retention patterns for people who leave early.

Both clocks start at the same moment: your Payment Due Date, which is your first charge comes on the earliest of: the day you activate, 7 days after delivery, or 30 days after shipping if there's no delivery date (the 'Payment Due Date').

Where the two meet on the calendar

Here is where it gets precise. The window is “within 30 days of the Payment Due Date.” Bill 2 is on “the anniversary of the Payment Due Date,” the same day next month. Months aren’t all 30 days long, so the gap moves.

Two cautions about this table:

• Whether day 30 itself counts isn’t spelled out. “Within 30 days” could be read either way. Starting a return on the last possible day is a risk you don’t need. Use the day before.
• The February overlap isn’t a loophole. On paper, a February start gives you bill 2 a couple of days before the window closes. But a return cancels your service, the free month needs two full cycles, and the referral terms say Starlink looks for people who sign up without “genuine intent to remain subscribed.” Don’t plan around it.

What each one is worth

The difference in value is big, and it’s the main reason this isn’t a close call when Starlink isn’t working for you.

Example. You bought the kit on starlink.com and chose Residential 100 Mbps at $55/mo. Your first bill was on Wednesday, Nov 4, 2026.

• If you return by Thursday, Dec 3: Starlink refunds the kit and accessories, plus the month 1 service fee. Starlink’s activation-charge article says the one-time activation charge is also refunded for a return inside the window. You lose the shipping and handling charge.
• If you keep it: bill 2 on Dec 4 has one month of service credited. You keep paying for the kit (you already did, at checkout) and pay full price again from bill 3 on Jan 4, 2027.

So the return is worth the kit price plus a month of service. The free month is worth one month of service. If you’re unhappy, the return wins by a wide margin. If you’re happy, the free month is a nice extra and there’s nothing to give up.

How to decide, by day 25

Give yourself a real decision day: about day 25 after your first bill. That leaves time to start the return, get the label and pack the box before the window closes.

1. Does it work where and when you need it? Test at the busiest time of day, from the spot where the dish will stay. Our guide to what to test in your first 30 days has a week-by-week plan.
2. Will you keep it at least two more months? The free month assumes you will. If you’re not sure, that doubt is your answer: a refund you lose costs far more than the credit you’d gain.
3. Keep it? Do nothing. Watch the bill 2 preview for the credit.
4. Return it? Start the return before the window closes, as below.

How a return works, step by step

From Starlink’s return article:

1. Sign in to your Starlink account.
2. Open Subscriptions and select the service line.
3. Click Manage in the Service Plan box.
4. Cancel your subscription. Starlink says this is required to return the kit.
5. Tick I would like to return my hardware. If you don’t see it, Starlink says your kit isn’t eligible for a return.
6. Confirm. A prepaid return label arrives by email with the subject “Your Starlink Return.”

Then stow the dish, re-box the hardware (only Starlink equipment, nothing else), attach the label and drop it at the carrier. Starlink says the refund for “hardware and first month subscription cost (shipping not included)” comes within 10 to 15 business days. Its refund article adds that it can take up to 2 weeks after the kit arrives for the refund to start, then up to 10 business days to appear in a US account.

The return window is judged by when you cancel and start the return, according to the return article (“If you cancelled within the 30-day return period, you will be eligible for a full refund”). Don’t wait for the box to arrive back to count the days, but don’t sit on the label either.

Edge cases

Your kit was never delivered on time

Starlink’s billing article says that if billing is about to start and the kit hasn’t been delivered within 30 days of shipping, the 30-day trial period is extended by another 30 days and a one-month service credit is applied. That’s separate from the referral free month.

You’re replacing another internet service

If Starlink is meant to replace a cable, DSL or fixed-wireless plan, think about the order you do things in. Cancelling the old service on day one removes your fallback if Starlink doesn’t work at your address, and some providers charge to reconnect or have waits for a new install. Our suggestion, not a Starlink rule: keep the old service until you’ve made your day-25 decision, then cancel whichever one you’re not keeping. A few weeks of overlap usually costs less than being stuck with neither.

You moved during the window

Starlink’s service-address rules tie Residential service to the address on your account, and the return window still counts from your first bill. Moving doesn’t pause it. If the new place doesn’t work for Starlink, the return deadline is the same one you started with.

You bought from a store

kits bought from a store or reseller go back to that store, under its own policy. Store kits also don’t qualify for the free month. See store or phone order.

You’re outside the window

Starlink’s help center: kits returned outside the 30-day window are “not eligible for any refund.” At that point, keeping Starlink at least through bill 2 at least gets you the credit you ordered for.

Common mistakes

• Counting 30 days from delivery. The clock starts at your first bill.
• Waiting for bill 2 “to see if the credit comes” before deciding. By then the window has closed or is closing.
• Thinking “30-day trial” means a free first month. Starlink says it doesn’t.
• Packing extra items in the return box. Starlink asks for Starlink equipment only.
• Using the last day. “Within 30 days” isn’t defined to the day. Use the day before.

What we don’t know

Starlink doesn’t say whether day 30 counts as inside the window, how the window interacts with the 28th-of-the-month billing rule, or how a rental’s 7-day rule fits with the 30-day Terms of Service window. We’ve flagged our arithmetic as ours. The billing timeline tool shows your window and bill 2 dates side by side.

What to do next

1. Find your first bill date and add a day-25 reminder.
2. Test properly before then.
3. Decide: return now, or keep it and watch the bill 2 preview.