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Changes log · Checkout
The monthly kit rental fee: added in June, reported removed by July
In June 2026, outlets reported that Starlink had stopped selling home kits to new US Residential customers and added a monthly rental fee. By Jul 20, the fee was reported removed in select areas. Starlink's own data shows rental kits at no upfront cost.
Reported, not confirmed
Change dated Published
Reported, not confirmedPart of this post rests on third-party reporting we couldn’t confirm on a Starlink page. Those parts are labelled. We re-check Starlink’s pages weekly.
The short version
- What changed?
- Reported on Jun 10, 2026: new Residential orders showed no upfront hardware cost, plus a monthly kit fee, and no option to buy the dish. Reported on Jul 20, 2026: "After a little more than a month," the fee was removed from new Residential orders in select areas.
- When did it change?
- Fee reported Jun 10, 2026 (9to5Google, Techloy). Removal reported Jul 20, 2026 (SatelliteInternet.com). Starlink didn't announce either change. We read all sources on Oct 6, 2026.
- Who is affected?
- New US Residential customers. Several reports say customers who already own their equipment weren't affected.
- What should you do now?
- On the order page, read every line of the summary: the plan price, any monthly kit or rental line, any activation or installation charge, and any demand surcharge. Rented kits must be returned if you cancel.
- What stays the same?
- There's still no code box, and no code removes a rental fee. Starlink's terms still say rented kits stay Starlink's property and must go back within 30 days of cancelling.
What was reported
June 2026. On Jun 10, 9to5Google and Techloy reported that Starlink’s US Residential order pages had changed. Hardware showed $0 upfront with a monthly kit fee of $10, and there was no option to buy the dish outright for a standard subscription. 9to5Google noted that the Starlink Mini could still be bought. On Jun 16, the Mobile Internet Resource Center added that rental customers can’t use Standby Mode. It also said existing customers who already own their equipment weren’t affected. BGR later reported that the free standard dish once offered with a one-year commitment had also ended.
July 2026. On Jul 20, SatelliteInternet.com reported that the monthly fee had been dropped “after a little more than a month” for new Residential orders in select areas. It said rentals there now carry no monthly charge, with a $20 shipping fee for a Standard kit and a charge if the dish isn’t returned within 30 days of cancelling.
Starlink didn’t publish an announcement of either change. That’s why this post carries the Reported, not confirmed label.
What Starlink’s own pages show
- Order data, Oct 6, 2026. The Residential plan and kit data that starlink.com loads lists several rental kits (Standard 4, Standard 4 X and Starlink V5) at $0 upfront. The three Residential plans are tagged as rental plans. Purchase kits are still listed in the same data. Address-free data can’t tell us what a specific address is offered, or whether a monthly kit line appears at checkout.
- Help center, edited Aug 7, 2026. “What is the rent Starlink option?” says rental is for Residential plans only, with one rental per account. Rental customers can’t pause service, a kit must be returned within 7 days of delivery if you decide not to go ahead, and you can ask support to buy your rented kit.
- Terms of Service, Aug 6, 2026. Rented kits remain Starlink’s property and must be returned within 30 days of cancelling, or the full retail price is charged.
What it means if you were looking for a code
A rental fee, or the lack of one, is set by Starlink for your address. A code doesn’t change it. People searching for “Starlink free dish code” in June were really seeing this change to rentals. We haven’t found any code that removes a kit fee, and Starlink’s checkout has no place to type one. The referral link doesn’t change the kit cost either. What it adds is one free month of service on the second bill for a qualifying new customer.
What you can check now
- Enter your address and read the full order summary before paying. Look for kit, rental, activation, installation and demand-surcharge lines.
- If you rent, keep the box. You’ll need to return the kit if you cancel.
- If a page promises a “no-fee dish code”, see our myths page and promo code guide.
What stays the same
Our where to enter it guide still applies. Open the referral link, order on starlink.com, and check for “Referral Code Applied” before paying.
What we don’t know yet
- Starlink never published a notice of the fee or of its removal, so neither date is confirmed by Starlink (checked 2026-10-06).
- We can't see from the address-free data whether a monthly kit fee applies at any particular US address today.
- Reports differ on whether the fee also applied in other countries. Techloy listed Canada, the UK, France, Australia and Mexico.
Sources
- Starlink drops purchase option, raises prices for some plans (9to5Google)
- Starlink $10 monthly kit fee for new customers (Techloy)
- Starlink implements rental fee for Residential plans (Mobile Internet Resource Center)
- Starlink Just Ended Two Of Its Best Free Perks (BGR)
- Starlink Rentals Go From Free to $10 Per Month (SatelliteInternet.com)
- What is the rent Starlink option? (Starlink help center)
- US Residential plan and kit data (the data starlink.com/residential loads, no address entered)
“After a little more than a month of adding the fee, it's now been removed from new purchases of residential Starlink.”
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Corrections log
No corrections yet. If we fix anything here, the date, what was wrong and what’s right now will be listed in this box.
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