What a service address is on a Starlink order
Three addresses can appear on one order. Only one decides your plans, prices and whether a US referral fits: the service address.
Key takeaways
- The service address is where you'll use Starlink. The shipping address is where the box goes. The billing address is tied to your card.
- The service address decides which plans and prices you see, any promotional pricing, and any demand surcharge.
- For a US referral, Starlink's terms require your service address to be in the same country as the referrer's: the US.
- Enter the real place you'll use the dish. Never enter a different address to get a price or a referral.
- The three can be the same place, and often are.
On this page
Your service address on a Starlink order is the place where you’ll use the dish. It’s different from the shipping address (where the box is delivered) and the billing address (the address tied to your payment card), although all three are often the same place. The service address is the one that matters most: it decides which plans and prices you’re offered, whether promotional pricing or a demand surcharge applies, and, for a referral, whether your order fits the rule that your service address must be in the same country as the referrer’s. For a US referral code, that means a US service address.
Definition
The service address is where Starlink service will be used. It’s the location Starlink checks when it works out what to offer you. On this site’s glossary we put it in one line: “Where the dish will be used. For a US referral, it must be in the US.”
Starlink’s own terms use the phrase directly. The referral terms require that the new customer activates a Starlink subscription with a service address in the same country as the Referrer’s service address.
Starlink’s demand surcharge article lists “Your service address” as one of the two things that set the surcharge.
How it differs from shipping and billing
| Address | What it’s for | What it affects |
|---|---|---|
| Service address | Where you’ll use Starlink | Plans and prices offered, promotional pricing, demand surcharge, referral country rule |
| Shipping address | Where the kit is delivered | Delivery |
| Billing address | Matches your payment card | Payment verification |
Some examples of when they differ:
- A cabin or second home. You live in one place but want Starlink at a rural property. The service address is the cabin; the box might ship to your main home.
- A new house you haven’t moved into. The service address is the new house, if that’s where the dish will go.
- Someone ordering for a relative. The service address is the relative’s home. Note that for a referral, the order should be the new customer’s own, in their own account. See helping someone order.
Why it matters at checkout
It decides what you’re offered
Starlink’s US price data shows national list prices before you enter an address. Some plans are marked “select areas” only: Residential 100 Mbps (listed at $55/mo) and Residential 200 Mbps ($85/mo), read Oct 5, 2026. Whether you see those plans, and at what price, depends on the service address you enter.
It decides promotional pricing
Starlink’s help center says that in select areas, new customers can get discounted service pricing for a fixed period, and that If discounted service pricing is available in your area, you will see the discount service price offering at the time you place your order on starlink.com.
“Your area” means your service address. There’s no code to type; the address does it. See discount options compared.
It decides any demand surcharge
Starlink describes a one-time demand surcharge that may apply in high-demand locations, determined by your service address and the plan you select. A referral code doesn’t remove it, and neither does anything else we know of. If your order summary shows one, it’s part of the price for that address.
It decides whether a US referral fits
The referral terms require the new customer’s service address to be in the same country as the referrer’s service address. So:
- a US customer’s referral link works for a new customer with a US service address,
- a US referral doesn’t fit a service address in Canada, Mexico or anywhere else,
- a referral from a customer in another country doesn’t fit a US service address.
This site covers US addresses only, which is why you’ll see “US service addresses only” next to every mention of a code here.
Enter the real address
It might be tempting to try a different address to see a cheaper price, a plan your area doesn’t offer, or to make a foreign referral fit. Don’t.
- Starlink’s offers are tied to the location. A price or plan that’s available somewhere else isn’t available where you’ll actually use the dish.
- The referral country rule is about the real service address. Entering a false address to fit it misstates your order, and Starlink’s terms let it cancel referrals it judges not to be bona fide.
- Service may not work as expected if the address on the order isn’t where the dish is.
Our site never advises using a different address to get a price or a referral, and nothing on this page should be read that way.
Worked examples
| Situation | Service address | Shipping address | Billing address |
|---|---|---|---|
| You live and use Starlink at the same house | Your house | Your house | Your card’s address (often your house) |
| Rural cabin, delivered to your city apartment | The cabin | The apartment | Your card’s address |
| Moving next month; ordering now for the new home | The new home, if that’s where the dish goes | Wherever you’ll be to receive it | Your card’s address |
| A parent orders for their own home with your help | Your parent’s home | Your parent’s home (or yours, if you’ll deliver it) | Your parent’s card’s address |
In each case, the service address is where the dish will be used. The others follow practical needs.
The service address and a referral: three cases
- You and the referrer both have US service addresses. The country rule is met. If the other conditions are met too (new customer, ordering on starlink.com, plan on the list), the referral can apply. For a new customer that means one free month, credited to the second bill.
- The referrer is in the US; your service address is in Canada. The country rule isn’t met. A US referral doesn’t fit. You’d need a referrer whose service address is in Canada, which is outside what this site covers.
- The referrer moved abroad; you’re in the US. The rule compares service addresses. If the referrer’s service address is no longer in the US, their link may not fit a US order. Starlink doesn’t publish how it treats a referrer who changes country, so ask the referrer where their service address is now, or use a link from someone else.
Related terms
- Service address vs “address on file”. Your account may store several addresses; on the order, the service address is the one that counts for offers.
- Demand surcharge: a one-time fee in busy areas, set by service address and plan.
- Promotional service pricing: a lower price for a fixed period in select areas, shown automatically for eligible addresses.
- Regional Savings: a one-time saving by area; Starlink’s article lists only Mexico.
- Referral link: the starlink.com link that carries a referral code to checkout.
Where you’ll see it on the order
When you open a referral link and start an order on starlink.com, the service address is typically one of the first things you’re asked for, because everything after it depends on it: the plans shown, the prices, and any promotional pricing or demand surcharge. Shipping and billing details come later, around payment. If the plans or prices you see look wrong, the first thing to check is the service address you entered: a typo in the street, ZIP code or city can put you in a different area.
Order-page layouts change, and Starlink’s help center doesn’t publish screenshots of every step, so treat this as the general order of things rather than a screen-by-screen promise. Our where-to-enter walkthrough covers the steps in more detail.
Common mistakes
- Entering the shipping address as the service address when the dish will be used somewhere else. Your offers will be for the wrong place.
- Assuming a friend’s price applies to you. Prices and promotions vary by address.
- Using a referral from another country. The service addresses must be in the same country.
- Treating the billing address as irrelevant. It needs to match your card for payment to go through, even though it doesn’t affect offers.
What we don’t know
- How Starlink handles every edge case, such as a service address that changes soon after ordering, or how Roam plans treat addresses in detail. Those are questions for Starlink’s plan rules and support, not something we can answer reliably.
What to do next
Enter your real service address on starlink.com to see your plans and prices. If you’ll use a referral, check our plan table and follow the where-to-enter walkthrough. For a new US customer, a working referral gives one free month of service on the eligible plan you choose, credited to the second bill.
Questions people ask
What does service address mean on Starlink?
It's where you'll use the Starlink dish. Starlink uses it to decide which plans and prices you're offered, and it's what the referral country rule looks at.
Is the Starlink service address the same as the shipping address?
Not necessarily. The shipping address is where the kit is delivered; the service address is where it will be used. They're often the same place, but they mean different things.
Does the service address affect the Starlink price?
Yes. Starlink says promotional pricing, where available, shows when you order for an eligible area, and that a demand surcharge, where it applies, is set by your service address and plan.
Does my service address matter for a referral code?
Yes. Starlink's terms require the new customer's service address to be in the same country as the referrer's. For a US referral, your service address must be in the US.
Can I use a friend's address to get a better Starlink price?
No. Enter the address where you'll actually use the dish. Using a different address to get a price, plan or referral misstates your order and can leave you with service that doesn't work where you need it.
What about Roam? Does it have a service address?
Roam is Starlink's portable service. Starlink's plan rules decide how addresses work for Roam; we don't cover them here. For the referral, the same-country rule still applies.
Related guides
Does a referral code work on every Starlink plan?
No. Starlink names eight plans, all Residential or Roam. Here's the list as Starlink publishes it, with US list prices from our data file and the date we read them.
Discount code, promo pricing, Regional Savings, referral: compared
Four terms, four very different mechanisms. Only two can apply to a US order, and neither involves typing a code.
Helping someone order: whose device opens the link?
The new customer's own browser, account and card should carry the order. The helper's job is the link, the reading and the final check.
Sources
What we read for this article, and when. Prices on this site come from one data file, re-read at least every 30 days.
- Referral Program Terms, US (DOC-1882-84808-83), retrieved
- Promotional Service Pricing Terms of Service (Starlink help center), retrieved
- What is a demand surcharge? (Starlink help center), retrieved
- US Residential plan list prices (data starlink.com/residential loads), retrieved
- How do I use a referral link? (Starlink help center), retrieved
Spotted something out of date? Report it, and see how we check claims.
Independent · not affiliated with SpaceX. Referral Code USA is an independent site. Some pages may show our own Starlink referral code; if you order with it, we may receive a referral reward from SpaceX. That never changes what an article says, and articles about scams carry no code at all. How we make money.