News · Eligibility
Global Roam ended and the 30-day travel cap reached existing Roam customers on 2026-08-17
On 2026-08-17 Starlink's Global Roam plan stopped for existing customers and the 30-day abroad limit applied to every Roam account. The US-only picture is unchanged.
EligibilityReported by press, not confirmed on Starlink’s pages
- Event
- Published
The short answer
- What changed?
- Global Roam was discontinued for existing customers on 2026-08-17, and Roam Unlimited use outside the registered home region became limited to 30 consecutive days (previously 60) for existing accounts too. New accounts had been on the new rules since 2026-07-14. Reported by Boat News on 2026-08-24.
- When?
- Effective 2026-08-17 for existing customers. New customers: from 2026-07-14. Reported 2026-08-24.
- Who is affected?
- Existing Global Roam customers, who had to move to another plan, and Roam Unlimited customers who travel outside the US and Canada.
- What should you do now?
- If you are ordering now, Global Roam is not an option and is not on the free-month plan list. Pick Roam Unlimited if you need travel abroad, or any Roam plan for the US and Canada.
- 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). The eligible list names Roam 100GB, Roam 300GB and Roam Unlimited. It does not name Global Roam.
Source
- Starlink Roam is changing its rules: what Internet access options remain available on long cruises? Press
Use outside the registered country or region is now limited to 30 consecutive days.
- Can I Travel Internationally With Starlink? Roam's New 2026 Travel Policy Explained Press
What the report says
Boat News reported that Global Roam "was discontinued effective August 17, 2026, for existing customers," and that use outside the registered country or region "is now limited to 30 consecutive days," down from 60. It said the rules applied to new accounts from 2026-07-14 and to existing contracts from 2026-08-17.
When the limit is exceeded, the report lists three choices: bring the equipment home, change plans, or move the account to where the equipment is, subject to local availability.
What it means for free-month readers
This mostly affects people who already have Starlink, and people who already had Starlink can't get the free month anyway (see Had Starlink before?).
For a new US customer the lesson is about plan choice. Global Roam is gone, and it was never on the eligible-plan list in the terms we read. The three Roam plans that remain all qualify. Our plans page lists them and what one month of each is worth.
If you're a US resident heading abroad for long stretches, remember the free month needs two full billing cycles on a high-speed plan. Our dates page shows when those cycles end.
What we don’t know yet
- What Starlink moved Global Roam customers to by default, if anything. The report does not say.
- Whether exceeding the 30-day limit pauses billing or only service. The report describes loss of connection, not billing.