News
When the credit rules change
Dated, sourced notes on Starlink changes that touch the referral credit and your first bills: terms, billing, kits and offers. Quiet months stay quiet.
Ordering
What a working Starlink referral link shows now: “$100 each—cash or service credit”
Oct 9 panel: “you’ll get $100—cash or Starlink service credit”; Oct 30 panel: “you and your friend will get $100 each”
Oct 30, 2026 screenshots: a working referral link shows a green panel saying you each get $100, cash or service credit. Here’s what it doesn’t tell you.
Billing and credits
Starlink now prices Residential plans by address: what that means for the $100 credit
Until Oct 25: one Residential price per plan; From Oct 29: the price depends on the address
Starlink now shows Residential prices only for an address, with several levels per plan in its own price data since Oct 29, 2026. The $100 is unchanged.
Billing and credits
Starlink’s referral help article now explains cash payouts through Stripe
Oct 21 copy: no payment processor named; Oct 25: cash through Stripe, set up in a browser
Starlink’s referral help article now says cash rewards go through Stripe, set up in a web browser; skip Stripe and the reward comes as credit.
Billing and credits
Starlink’s invoice glossary names each charge and puts the demand surcharge at up to about $1,500
Dec 2025 glossary: 9 invoice types; Oct 22, 2026: 18 types; surcharge up to about $1,500
Starlink’s Invoice Description Glossary, edited Oct 22, 2026, names the invoices a new customer sees and gives the demand surcharge as up to about $1,500.
Ordering
Starlink orders can be changed or cancelled only while “Pending”, which can end within 1 to 3 hours
Oct 2025 help text: a fixed 3-hour window; Oct 20, 2026: only while Pending, which can end in 1–3 hours
Starlink’s order help, edited Oct 20, 2026: you can update or cancel an order only during its Pending status, which can end 1 to 3 hours after you order.
Billing and credits
Starlink names the only WhatsApp number it uses for payment links, and says support is never paid
2025 copies: no list of payment-link channels; Oct 20, 2026: payment links from three named channels
Starlink’s phishing article (edited Oct 20, 2026) lists the only ways it sends payment links; an Aug 26 article says support never costs “$5 or otherwise”.
Kits and rentalsBackgroundPress report
Starlink Residential kits are rentals: the $10 monthly fee reported in June was reported removed in July
Jun 16 report: a $10 monthly rental fee; Oct 30 order page: rental $0 a month at our test address
Starlink rents the dish on new Residential orders. A $10 fee reported in June was reported removed Jul 20; the order page showed $0 at our test address.