What a Starlink Mini costs in year one, bill by bill

What does a Starlink Mini cost in year one?

Between $709 and $2,249 before tax, depending on the Roam tier and whether the credit posts (our arithmetic from Starlink’s US list, read Nov 4, 2026). The kit is a one-time $149; twelve Roam bills make up most of the year. The $100 referral credit only applies to service bills, so it lowers the yearly total, never the kit price.

When does the credit post, and in what form?

Starlink’s referral terms (version of Oct 7, 2026, read Nov 4, 2026) put a qualifying new customer’s $100 on the second monthly invoice. The help center words it differently: the reward follows two months subscribed and may be issued from 60 days after activation. Treat invoice 2 as the terms’ timing, not a date anyone promises.

• $100 each side. In the US, Starlink's referral reward is $100 for the new customer and $100 for the person who referred them.
• Account credit by default. Unless you pick cash where Starlink offers it, the reward arrives as account credit taken off your next invoice. The help center adds: in most countries either person can take the reward as cash instead of credit; cash is paid through Stripe and needs Stripe set-up in a web browser.
• Nothing comes off the kit or invoice 1. The reward doesn't reduce the kit price or the first bill: the new customer pays for the first month and activates the kit, and the credit comes later.

Referral code or referral link? It’s the link

People search for a “Starlink Mini referral code”, and forum posts print codes. But in starlink.com’s page code, starlink.com's consumer checkout offers no box to key in a referral code; the link itself carries it. The order page has no spot for one.

A referral link is an ordinary starlink.com address with a code on the end. On Nov 3, 2026, starlink.com’s scripts showed that the referral code was kept in the session storage of the single tab where the link landed, and closing that tab dropped it. Starlink doesn’t publish that as a rule, so finish the whole order in that same tab. A code posted as plain text can’t help, because checkout has nowhere to put it.

Who qualifies

Starlink sets the rules and rules on each case. From its referral terms and help center:

• New to Starlink. The reward is only for people who have never been Starlink customers; existing and returning customers don't qualify.
• A US service address. A US referral needs a US service address, because the new customer has to be in the referrer's country.
• Ordered on starlink.com. The kit and plan must be bought directly on starlink.com; store, reseller, used and transferred kits don't earn the reward.
• An eligible plan. Starlink counts every Residential tier (100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, Max), every Roam tier (100GB, 300GB, Unlimited) and the older Residential Lite and Residential plans. For a Mini that means Roam 100GB, 300GB or Unlimited (which one fits).
• Two complete high-speed billing cycles. The new customer has to keep a high-speed plan active through two complete monthly billing cycles; Standby months don't count.
• A person, not a company. Only individuals qualify; business, enterprise and Priority-plan accounts don't earn referral rewards.
• An adult. You must be at least 18 (or the age of majority where you live) to sign up for Starlink service.

Ordering a Mini on starlink.com, step by step

Six steps. The first four happen in one browser tab.

1. 01

   Step 1: Start from a referral link

   Use a Starlink referral link, such as the button near the end of this page. It opens starlink.com’s home page as a new tab, code already in the address. Nothing gets copied or typed.

2. 02

   Step 2: Pick the Mini and a Roam tier without leaving that tab

   Choose the Starlink Mini and Roam 100GB ($55/mo), 300GB ($80/mo) or Unlimited ($175/mo), then enter a US service address. Skip bookmarks, fresh tabs and the Starlink app until the order is placed.

3. 03

   Step 3: Confirm “Referral Code Applied” before paying

   On starlink.com's order page the referral shows as 'Referral Code Applied', or 'Referral Code Not Applied' with a reason. No banner, or “Not Applied”? Hold the order.

4. 04

   Step 4: Pay the checkout total

   Checkout charges the kit ($149 on Starlink’s US list) and the first month in full, plus tax and shipping. Starlink shows the total first.

5. 05

   Step 5: Activate, then pay invoice 1

   Starlink starts billing service at the earliest of three dates: the day you activate, the 7th day after delivery, or the 30th day after shipping when no delivery date exists. Invoice 1 is paid in full; the referral never touches it.

6. 06

   Step 6: Watch for the credit from invoice 2

   Starlink's referral terms credit the new customer on the second monthly service invoice; the help center says it may be issued from 60 days after activation. Keep a high-speed Roam plan through two complete billing cycles, and don’t switch to Standby early.

If the banner reads “Referral Code Not Applied”, check the reason shown before doing anything else. Switched tabs on the way? Close starlink.com and start over from the link. Ordering anyway and fixing it later doesn’t work.

The slips that cost the credit

• Jumping to a fresh tab, a bookmark or the app. There’s a catch on the Mini page, too. Starlink’s own Mini product page adds Starlink’s own referral code, but only when no referral is already in that tab (from starlink.com’s page code). Land on the Mini page in a new tab and the order carries Starlink’s own code, not the one from the link you clicked.
• Being signed in to an existing Starlink account. From starlink.com’s page code, signed-in Starlink customers who click “Get Started” are sent to the shop, not the new-customer order flow, so a shared computer should use a private window. If anyone in the house is signed in to Starlink on this computer, use a private window before you click.
• Buying the Mini in a store. Best Buy, Walmart, Home Depot, Amazon and every other store kit earn no referral credit, even on sale. Kit and plan both have to come from starlink.com.
• Ordering for a business. Truck drivers, note this one: company and fleet accounts don’t qualify. Order on a personal account, or skip the referral.
• Trying to attach it later. Starlink only records a referral for an order placed on starlink.com through the link, and there's no way to attach one afterwards. Already ordered?
• Pausing too early. Standby Mode doesn’t count toward the two billing cycles.

Starlink checks who stays

Most referral posts skip this rule. The new customer must be an active user who genuinely intends to stay, and SpaceX compares retention against the country average to spot abuse.

Put plainly, the referral is for people who will keep paying for the Mini month after month. A Mini that rides along on every road trip and lake weekend for years fits it. A kit bought for one week in Yellowstone doesn’t. If your plans end after one trip, the credit is no reason to buy.

What the site earns

The starlink.com buttons on this page carry Starlink Mini Kit USA’s referral code. When a qualifying order goes through one, Starlink pays the site the same $100 reward it gives you. The order, address and payment stay between you and Starlink.

Any Starlink referral link works the same way. A friend or relative who already has Starlink can share theirs instead; the steps and your credit don’t change. How the site is paid.