Key points:
- Starlink has added a cheaper limited data Roam plan option - 10GB for $10/month.
- Extra mobile data is $2/GB on the Roam 10GB plan.
- Roam 10GB can be paused just as other roam plan options.
- You cannot activate any hardware on this Roam 10GB plan. It's only available to existing users.
The Starlink Roam Unlimited and Roam 50GB data plans are good options if you need a lot or a moderate amount of data, but what if your data needs are way less, or you only need Starlink a couple of days a month?
Starlink has now added a low-data option that could be a great choice for weekend travelers or those who rely on cellular and may only need Starlink periodically.
With the Roam Unlimited plan now at $165/month, lighter data users need cheaper plan options if they really don't need that much data or do not want to spend that much on Starlink each month.
When Starlink added the $50/50GB Roam data plan option, it was immediately an attractive option for users with lower data requirements or who only need their Starlink dish a couple of times a month. However, now, for extremely light data users or very occasional use, there is even a cheaper option available.
Table of Contents
Starlink Offers a Roam 10GB Plan Option
Starlink quietly added a cheaper limited data tier to its Roaming data plan options. This new plan is only $10/month for 10GB of data for US-based customers.
10GB is not a lot of data, and some users could easily go through that amount of data in just a few hours, but for other users, this could be a great option if they are only taking their Starlink dish out for occasional use, are very light data users, or just want more flexibility in controlling their monthly costs.
Before the new Roam 10Gb plan was available, the cheapest monthly option was the Roam 50GB for $50.
While the new Roam 10GB plan offers the initial 10GB for $10/month, once you go over that allocated data amount, your data costs are then $2/GB in contrast to the Roam 50GB plan where extra data is only $1/GB.
Even though the 10GB/$10 plan starts off cheaper, the higher per GB costs means you could quickly exceed the cost of more expensive plans so it's important to pay attention to your data usage and perhaps keep the option to purchase extra data off until you really need it.
By knowing how much data you typically use and calculating your possible overage costs, savvy user watching their data usage could certainly keep their cost lower by monitoring usage and upgrading plans as they see necessary.
Starlink’s TOS Is Wrong On The Data Cost
Most of the time Starlink's TOS is good about giving accurate information, but when researching this new plan, Starlink's PDF on extra data cost did not give accurate information about the cost of extra data on this plan.
On our first release of this article, we were led to believe that the Roam 10GB and Roam 50GB plans both charged extra data at $1/GB.
We obtained this information by following a link in the Fair Use Policy to this Country Specific Pricing for Additional Roam Data document which states extra roam data is $1/GB.
However under further investigation by one of our team members activating the plan, we discovered the true data cost for this plan is $2/GB once you are over your initial 10GB.
The extra cost of data on the Roam 10GB vs the Roam 50GB plan changes some aspects of comparing these two plans and means that you'll definitely want to make sure your data use is low enough to take advantage of the Roam 10GB plan or you could pay more than the Roam 50GB plan very quickly.
Uses For a Smaller Data Plan
While heavy data users will not see much value in such a small data plan, there are plenty of uses for which having a small data plan option available makes a lot of sense.
- Use Starlink at remote properties for security & monitoring.
- Keep a Starlink dish dedicated to your vehicle, boat, or RV for occasional use.
- Have Starlink as an inexpensive redundant backup to your current ISP for when it goes down.
- Take Starlink on weekend adventures such as hiking, tent camping, or other excursions.
If you don't mind keeping extra hardware on hand, you can have an extra dish or two ready for a quick adventure, keep one in your vehicle, or keep it at a remote property.
Starlink hardware has continually dropped in price, with newer hardware much cheaper than it used to be. Older hardware can also be picked up pretty cheaply, so having extra hardware on hand to activate these cheaper plans requires a lot less initial investment then it used.
How To Activate Starlink Roam 10GB Plan
If you go to the Starlink website and purchase the Starlink Standard or Mini hardware, you'll see the cheapest plan option for activation is the $50/month plan for Roam 50GB. The same is true if you purchase from a third party and want to activate it; you won't find the Roam 10GB plan option available.
The Roam 10GB plan is only available to existing users once they have service. That means new users will have to activate the Roam 50GB plan first (or more expensive plans) and then can change to the Roam 10GB plan at their next billing cycle.
Starlink handles plan changes in two ways: If the new plan's price is higher than your current plan, the change happens immediately, and you are charged a prorated difference for the remaining billing days. If the new plan's price is less, the change happens at the next billing cycle.
Once you are on the 10 GB plan, you can upgrade to the Roam 50GB plan or Roam Unlimited plan at any time during your billing cycle and those data amounts will take affect immediately. You will only pay a prorated difference for the remaining billing days, and you will have extra data from that point forward.
You can also choose to downgrade to the lower-cost plans for the next month and pause the service so it's ready to go again when you need it.
Use our referral link when setting up a new Starlink account, and get a FREE month of service!
And so will someone on our team, which helps us keep our multiple lines of service active for continued testing.
It's a win-win - you save money and help support MIRC!
Bonus Member Only Content Available!
We go extra for our premium members - who make this resource center possible (did you notice the lack of 3rd Party advertising?). We have included some additional information in this news article just for our members - analysis, guidance and/or insider tips.
If you're not yet a member, please consider joining us. Extra content like this is one of the many perks we offer - in-depth content, guidance, discounts, alerts, classroom and more.
If you are already a member, please log in above to see the special content we have prepared for you.
Conclusion
Starlink costs have continued to climb, and for some users, being able to control their costs is becoming much more important so they can keep enjoying their Starlink. This lower-cost data plan gives users a lot more control over that.
Starlink is also unique in that it can work almost anywhere, so having a very reduced-cost plan available just for security or very infrequent use in remote locations can make it a lot more feasible to keep a dish on hand for those use cases and keep subscribed to this cheaper plan option.
Further Reading
- Starlink Satellite Internet For Mobile RV And Boat Use - Our featured guide focused on taking advantage of SpaceX's Starlink on the go.
- Mobile Satellite Internet Options -
Our featured guide on all the current and future satellite internet options of interest to RVers and cruisers. - All our our Satellite Internet Resources - Our collection of guides, gear center entries and news coverage on satellite internet.
- Industry Update: Mobile Satellite Internet for RVers & Boaters – Early 2024 Update: Starlink, Kuiper, Direct To Cellular, and Beyond! - Our deep dive into the state of the satellite internet world.
And here is all of our recent satellite internet coverage:
Mobile Internet Resource Center (dba Two Steps Beyond LLC) is founded by Chris & Cherie of 