News · Billing and prices
Background: Starlink doubled the Standby Mode fee in May 2026
Standby Mode doubled to $10 a month in May 2026. Standby still doesn't count toward the two billing cycles the free month needs.
Billing and pricesBackgroundReported 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.
The short answer
- What changed?
- The monthly fee for Standby Mode, Starlink's low-cost pause option, went from $5 to $10, according to RV Mobile Internet, Drive Tesla Canada and Advanced Television.
- When?
- Announced 2026-05-16, part of the same price change as Residential and Roam. Existing customers from billing on or after 2026-06-18, per RV Mobile Internet. Background: more than 90 days old.
- Who is affected?
- Customers who use, or planned to use, Standby Mode. Per a later RV Mobile Internet report (2026-06-16), customers renting their kit cannot use Standby at all.
- What should you do now?
- If you are a new customer waiting for the free month, don't switch to Standby before your second bill. It doesn't count toward the two full billing cycles the referral terms require.
- 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). Starlink's help article still says Standby is not offered on promotional offers or select kit rentals.
Source
- Starlink Roam, Residential and Standby Mode price increases Press
- SpaceX Raises Starlink Prices: Monthly Plans Now $5 – $10 More in Canada and the US Press
- Starlink raises fees Press
- Starlink Implements $10 Rental Fee For Residential Plans; New Customers No Longer Own Their Dish Press
cannot place their service into Standby Mode
What changed
Standby Mode lets a customer keep their account and kit but drop to a very limited connection for a small fee. RV Mobile Internet reported the fee going from $5 to $10 a month, a 100 percent rise, alongside the wider May 2026 price change. Drive Tesla Canada and Advanced Television reported the same figure.
In June 2026 RV Mobile Internet also reported that customers renting their equipment "cannot place their service into Standby Mode." New Residential orders were moved to rentals around then (see our post on the buy option).
Why it matters for the free month
This is the rule people trip on. Starlink's Referral Program Terms, as we read them on 2026-10-05, require two full monthly billing cycles on a high-speed plan, and Standby does not count. Switching to Standby during month one or two can mean the free month never posts.
A higher Standby fee doesn't change that rule. It just makes Standby a little less tempting as a cheap pause. Our page on pausing, cancelling or switching to Standby early explains what to do if you already did, and When the free month shows up shows the dates.
After the free month
Once the credit has posted on bill two, Standby is just a billing choice like any other. Check the current fee in your account first; this post records the May 2026 change.
What we don’t know yet
- Whether every rental customer is blocked from Standby or only some. RV Mobile Internet says renters cannot use it; Starlink's help article says Standby is not offered on "select" kit rentals.