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See Starlink plansReferral link · US only

Billing timeline

When does the Starlink free month apply?

Short version: not on your first bill. Here’s exactly when, and a tool that works out your own dates.

Rules checked Against Starlink’s own help pages and terms. How we check

Short answer

The free month is applied as a credit to your second monthly bill. You pay the first month in full. Bill 2 comes one month after your first charge, on the same day of the month.

“First month: You pay for the first month. … Second month: A service credit is applied to your account and deducted from your next invoice.”
From How do I use a referral link? (Starlink help center). Read .

See your own dates

Add the day you set the kit up, or the day it arrived. Nothing you type leaves this page.

Put in your dates

Fill in what you know. Starlink’s terms set your first bill on whichever comes first of these, and we work out the rest. Nothing is saved.

  1. Month 1

    Bill 1

    Your Payment Due Date You pay in full

    The first month is normal price. Activating is part of how Starlink confirms the referral.

  2. Days 1–30

    Return window

    Ends 30 days after bill 1 Refund if you send it back

    Not a free trial. A full refund if the kit goes back undamaged in time.

  3. Month 2

    Bill 2

    Same day, next month Free month credited

    A service credit is taken off this bill. Your bill preview should show month two as free.

  4. Month 3

    Bill 3

    Same day, a month later Back to normal

    Regular price again. By now you’ve passed two full billing cycles.

Dates are estimates from the rules in Starlink’s Terms of Service. Your Starlink account shows the real ones.

How each bill works, one at a time

Bill 1: you pay in full

Your first charge comes on your Payment Due Date. That’s your first charge comes on the earliest of: the day you activate, 7 days after delivery, or 30 days after shipping if there's no delivery date (the 'Payment Due Date'). Seeing the full price here is normal. It doesn’t mean the referral failed.

Bill 2: the credit

One month later, on the same day, bill 2 is generated. The free month is a service credit taken off this bill. Before it’s charged, Starlink says you can preview the bill in your account and see month two as free.

“We'll email you when your one month of free service is confirmed. To see it on your account, preview your upcoming bill in the Starlink account portal—your second month will show as free.”
From How do I use a referral link? (Starlink help center). Read .

Bill 3: back to normal

Regular price again. By the time it’s charged, you’ve passed two full monthly billing cycles on a high-speed plan, continuously, with Standby Mode not counting. At that point the referral is complete for the person who shared the link.

The free month against everything else in the first two months
WhenWhat you payWhat to check
Order dayKit (or rental activation), shipping, tax: shown at checkoutYou used the link in the same browser
Bill 1Month 1 of your plan, full priceThe 30-day return clock starts today
During month 1Nothing extraThe “free month confirmed” email; your bill preview
Bill 2Month 2 minus one month’s service creditA credit line on the bill. If it’s missing, use the troubleshooter
Bill 3Regular priceNothing. You’re done.

What we can’t tell you yet

Two things Starlink doesn’t spell out

  • Open question: whether the free month also covers a monthly kit rental feeunverified. Starlink calls it “one month of free service”. Check your bill preview to see which lines get the credit.
  • Open question: how the credit lines up with a prorated or plan-changed billunverified. If you change plans in month 1, the bill may look different. The only rule Starlink states is “applied to the second monthly invoice”.

If you see either one on your own bill, tell us and we’ll add it here with the date.

Don’t cancel to “skip” bill 2

Starlink says to avoid next month's charge you must cancel before that invoice is generated. If you cancel before bill 2 is generated, there’s no bill for the credit to come off. If you’re unsure about Starlink, decide inside the 30-day return window instead.

Questions people ask

Is the first month of Starlink free?
No, the second one is. With a referral link you pay month 1 in full, and one month of service is credited on your second monthly bill.
Why does Starlink wait until the second bill?
Starlink’s help page says paying for the first month and activating is part of confirming the referral is genuine. Then the credit comes off your next invoice.
When exactly is my second bill?
On the same day of the month as your first charge, one month later. Your first charge is on your Payment Due Date: the day you activate, 7 days after delivery, or 30 days after shipping if there’s no delivery date, whichever comes first.
Will I get the money back on my card?
No. It’s a service credit on your Starlink account, taken off the bill. Nothing is refunded to your card.
Does the free month cover the kit rental fee too?
We don’t know, and we haven’t found a Starlink page that says. Starlink describes it as “one month of free service”. Preview your second bill in your account to see which lines are credited.

Sources

  1. Referral Program Terms, US (starlink.com legal document DOC-1882-84808-83) StarlinkRead · published
  2. How do I use a referral link? (Starlink help center) StarlinkRead · page last changed
  3. Starlink Terms of Service, US (sections 3, 6.2 and 6.3) StarlinkRead · published

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