News · Billing and prices
Starlink brought back the free Mini rental for Residential Max in August 2026
The free Starlink Mini rental and half-price Roam for Residential Max were back on the US website by 2026-08-07, two months after being dropped.
Billing and pricesReported by press, not confirmed on Starlink’s pages
- Event
- Published
The short answer
- What changed?
- Starlink reinstated a free Starlink Mini hardware rental, plus 50 percent off the Roam plan the Mini needs, for Residential Max subscribers in the US and Canada, iPhone in Canada reported on 2026-08-07. The perk had been removed in June 2026.
- When?
- Reported 2026-08-07. Starlink did not announce a start date publicly, per the report.
- Who is affected?
- Residential Max customers, new and existing, in the US and Canada. Other Residential tiers were added in September 2026 at a smaller Roam discount (see our later post).
- What should you do now?
- If the Mini is part of why you'd pick Max, check that the checkout or your account shows the offer on the day you order, and 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). Residential Max and all three Roam plans are on the eligible list.
Source
What came back
iPhone in Canada reported that Residential Max subscribers can again get a Starlink Mini rental with no hardware rental cost and a 50 percent discount on the Roam plan required to use it away from home. It said the perk was removed in June 2026 without explanation and is now back across the US and Canada.
The same report said Starlink had briefly charged a monthly kit fee on Residential plans that summer and then dropped it, which matches the 2026-07-20 SatelliteInternet.com report covered in our post on the kit fee.
How it relates to the free month
The free month is one month of the plan you order through the referral link, credited on bill two. A Residential Max order qualifies. The Mini perk is a separate offer on top.
What we don't know is how the two interact if you activate the Mini's Roam plan during your first two billing cycles. The referral terms speak about the plan you order; they don't mention a second, discounted Roam line. Our plans page explains what one month of Max is worth, and the dates page shows when the credit lands.
If you also want to use the Mini abroad, note the July 2026 Roam travel rules: only Roam Unlimited works outside the US and Canada. See eligibility for the rest of the rules.
What we don’t know yet
- Whether the free month applies to the Mini's discounted Roam plan as well as the Max plan. We believe it applies to the plan you order through the link, but Starlink's terms don't address a second line.
- How long the reinstated perk will last. No end date was reported.
Corrections
Where to next
- Which plans get the free monthResidential, Roam and the Mini: what qualifies and what one month is worth.
- When the free month shows upYou pay month 1. The credit comes off bill 2. Put in a date to see yours.
- Who qualifies for the free monthThe rules from Starlink’s terms, the edge cases, and a decision tree.