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News · Ordering

Background: congestion charges on new Residential orders rose sharply in Alaska in early 2026

In January 2026 Starlink's one-time demand surcharge for new Residential customers reached up to $1,500 in Alaska. Why it doesn't touch the free month.

OrderingBackgroundReported by press, not confirmed on Starlink’s pages

Event
Published

Background. This event was more than 90 days old when we wrote this post. Prices, plan names or rules may have changed since; newer posts on the news page say so where we know.

Three cards from the 2026-01-27 report: demand surcharge up to 1,500 dollars in Alaska, 500 dollars in parts of the Pacific Northwest, 250 dollars in many other areas.
What changed?
SatelliteInternet.com reported on 2026-01-27 that Starlink was still charging a one-time demand surcharge on new Residential orders in busy areas: up to $1,500 in Alaska, $500 in parts of the Pacific Northwest (down from $1,000), and $250 in many other areas.
When?
Reported 2026-01-27. Surcharges vary by address and change over time. Background: more than 90 days old.
Who is affected?
New Residential customers at addresses Starlink marks as high-demand, and, per the report, former customers reactivating service there.
What should you do now?
Enter your exact service address on starlink.com and read the order summary for any surcharge line before you pay. Screenshot it.
What stays the same?
Starlink's Referral Program Terms, as we read them on 2026-10-05, still give a new customer one free month on the eligible plan they pick, credited to the second monthly bill. You still pay month one, still need to order the kit and plan on starlink.com through a current customer's link, and still need two full billing cycles on a high-speed plan (Standby doesn't count).

Source

What was reported

SatelliteInternet.com said Starlink "continues to charge a demand surcharge for new Residential customers in select regions" to manage congestion. It gave examples of up to $1,500 in Alaska, $500 in parts of the Pacific Northwest after dropping from $1,000, and $250 in many places. It also said former customers who had deactivated were surprised by the fee when they reactivated.

The report linked the eventual end of these charges to more network capacity, and did not give a date.

How it relates to the free month

The surcharge is a one-time order charge. The free month is a credit for one month of service on your second bill. They are separate lines, and the referral terms we read say nothing about the surcharge. A referral link does not remove it.

If your address shows a surcharge, it is still worth running the eligibility checks before deciding. If you have had Starlink before, note that returning customers don't get the free month at all (see Had Starlink before?), and the report says reactivations can see the surcharge too.

For the step-by-step order flow, see How to get the free month.

How we got here

Before the one-time charges, Starlink used waitlists. SatelliteInternet.com reported on 2024-11-18 that parts of the Austin, Portland, Seattle, Sacramento and San Diego regions, and most of Puerto Rico, were marked sold out, with a $99 deposit to reserve a kit. It called that the first waitlist since October 2023. The January 2026 report describes surcharges replacing waitlists in several places.

What we don’t know yet

  • Whether the surcharge is refunded if you return the kit within 30 days. The report does not say, and we have not found a Starlink page that does.
  • Current surcharge amounts. They are set by address and change; this post is a dated snapshot.

Corrections

No corrections to this post. If something here is wrong, tell us and we’ll fix it in the open, with a dated note.

Where to next

The site may earn a referral reward if you order through its referral link (see how this site makes money); that never decides what we report. Independent · not affiliated with SpaceX.