Independent · not affiliated with SpaceXRules checked against Starlink’s own pages · US addresses only
See Starlink plansReferral link · US only

News · Ordering

Background: Starlink dropped the buy option on new Residential orders in June 2026

In June 2026 new Residential orders on starlink.com became rental-only, with a monthly kit fee at first. What that changed for returns and 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.

Before and after June 2026 for new Residential orders on starlink.com: buy option removed, rental became the only option, with a 10 dollar monthly kit fee that was dropped in July 2026.
What changed?
Starlink removed the option to buy the kit on new Residential orders and made them rentals, with a $10 a month kit fee, as reported by 9to5Google and Drive Tesla Canada on 2026-06-10 and RV Mobile Internet on 2026-06-16. (The fee was later dropped; see our July 2026 post.)
When?
Reported 2026-06-10. Background: more than 90 days old.
Who is affected?
New US Residential customers ordering on starlink.com. Existing owners were not affected, and Roam orders were not part of the change, per RV Mobile Internet.
What should you do now?
Read the kit line at checkout: rental or purchase, and its monthly cost. If you rent, keep the box; a rented kit has to go back when you cancel.
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 changed

9to5Google reported that Starlink "removed the 'buy' option for its Residential plans," leaving only rental. RV Mobile Internet said all new Residential customers were being supplied equipment through a $10 a month rental, that renters must return the kit when they cancel or be charged its full price, and that renters cannot use Standby Mode.

Both reports noted a way to own the hardware: buy a kit from a retailer and activate it. Be careful with that if you want the free month, because store-bought kits are not eligible.

What it means for the free month

The referral terms require the kit and the subscription to be bought on starlink.com through the link. A kit from Best Buy, Home Depot or another store does not qualify (see Bought the kit in a store). So the retail workaround trades the free month for ownership.

A rental kit ordered on starlink.com through the link was still eligible under the terms we read. Returns work differently for rentals: the kit goes back within 30 days of cancelling or you are charged for it. Our free trial page covers the 30-day return window, and plans notes that new Residential orders are rentals.

What we don’t know yet

  • Whether the free month credited the kit fee line as well as the service line. Starlink's pages say "one month of free service" and don't say. The fee was dropped in July 2026, which makes this mostly moot for new orders.

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.