Referral rewards can now be paid in cash; the buyer’s free month stays

What changed

Starlink’s referral rewards used to arrive as service credit, taken off the referrer’s next invoice. Starlink’s help center now describes a choice. In most countries, the customer who shares a link can redeem each reward “as cash or as service credit”, and the value is the same either way. Starlink’s own US example is $100 per successful referral. Credit is still the default. To switch, a referrer chooses cash under the Referrals tab in their account and links a bank account. The choice applies to future rewards.

SatelliteInternet.com reported the change on Aug 25, 2026. Starlink’s area-discount articles from late August carry the same wording, saying a “referral reward is redeemable as cash or service credit”. The Memphis article from June still describes the referral as a month of free service for both people. That fits with the cash option arriving in the summer. Starlink hasn’t given a launch date, so we date this post by the first report we could read.

What it means for the person using the code

Very little, and that’s the point of this post. Starlink’s article spells it out. The person who was referred gets one month of free service on their second month when they sign up for Residential or Roam through the referrer’s link, and “they still receive this even if you choose cash”.

So a buyer doesn’t need to ask whether the link’s owner takes cash. The order works the same way, through the link and on starlink.com. The free month lands the same way. The reward to the referrer is still issued only after the new customer has been subscribed for two months, and Starlink says that can be as soon as 60 days after activation.

Why it could matter anyway

A cash reward gives people a stronger reason to post their links widely, including in places that ask for “promo codes”. Expect more “Starlink promo code” posts that are really someone’s referral link. Nothing about that is new or unsafe. It’s still a referral link. But it helps to know what you’re looking at. Our code vs link explainer shows how to tell a referral link from a supposed promo code, and our myths page covers the “secret discount code” claims.

What you can check now

1. Make sure the link goes to starlink.com and that the part after ?referral= starts with RC-.
2. Before paying, look for “Referral Code Applied” on the order page.
3. After you order, the free month shows up on bill 2, not bill 1. Our FAQ covers the timing.

What stays the same

There’s still no code box at checkout. The referral benefit for the new customer is still one free month. Starlink’s Referral Program Terms, republished Oct 3, 2026, still say only the referrer’s own link counts. Starlink can change the program on 30 days’ notice.