How the Starlink referral actually works.

A plain-English walkthrough of the program for people signing up for the first time. What qualifies, what does not, and where the free month actually shows up.

The short version, in one paragraph

Starlink runs an official referral program. When a new customer signs up using someone else's referral link, both accounts get one free month of standard service after the new customer has been active for 30 days. The referral is applied automatically when you click the link and complete checkout in the same browser session. There is no code to type. There is no extra cost. The new customer pays the same price they would pay anywhere else.

That is the whole thing. Everything below is just clarification on the edge cases.

The signup flow, step by step

01. Click a referral link. Either the one on the homepage of this site, or any other valid Starlink referral. The link sends you to starlink.com with a tag attached that tells Starlink which existing customer referred you.

02. Enter your service address. Starlink immediately checks whether residential service is available where you live. If yes, you continue. If your area is sold out, you join a waitlist. If your country has no coverage at all, you cannot sign up.

03. Choose hardware and a plan. The standard kit is the dish, mount, cable, and Wi-Fi router. Plans range from Roam (mobile) to Residential (fixed location) to Business. The referral credit applies to Residential and Roam, not Business or Priority.

04. Look for the referral confirmation banner. Before you place the order, Starlink shows a small banner near the top of the order page confirming that a referral has been applied. If you do not see this banner, do not complete the order. Close the browser, click the referral link fresh, and start over. Once an order is placed without the banner, the referral cannot be added retroactively.

05. Complete checkout. Pay for the hardware and your first month of service like any normal Starlink order. The referral does not change the price you pay at checkout, only the credit you receive after activation.

06. Activate your dish when it arrives. Hardware ships in days or weeks depending on country. You set up the dish, connect to the app, and your service starts on the activation date.

07. Wait roughly 30 days. The credit is awarded once you have kept the service active for a full billing cycle. It then appears on your next monthly invoice as a service credit equal to one month of your plan price.

What qualifies, and what does not

This is the part most articles get wrong. The official Starlink terms make a few specific exclusions:

The two most common mistakes are buying from a retailer and not noticing the referral confirmation banner before checkout. Both are easy to avoid: order direct from starlink.com, and look for the banner before clicking pay.

Where the free month actually shows up

The credit appears as a one-time discount on your second monthly invoice, equal to your plan's standard monthly cost. If your Residential plan is $120 per month, you see a $120 service credit. If you are on Roam at $50 per month, you see a $50 credit. The currency and amount match your country's pricing.

The credit does not arrive instantly. The 30-day waiting period is required for both sides: you, as the new customer, and the existing customer who referred you. If you cancel before the 30 days are up, neither account gets credited.

Country availability for the referral program

Starlink hardware is sold in 75+ countries, but the referral program itself launched in a smaller list and has been gradually rolled out. As of 2026, the program is active in most established Starlink markets including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, all of the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Japan, the Philippines, and most of South America.

If the program is not active in a particular country, the referral link still works mechanically, but no credit is awarded. The fastest way to confirm is to check whether you can see a referral section in your own Starlink dashboard after activation. If you can refer others, you can be referred.

For a full country-by-country breakdown, see the countries page.

Why does this program exist?

Two reasons, both straightforward. First, word-of-mouth is the cheapest customer acquisition channel any company has. Paying existing customers a free month each is dramatically cheaper than running ads. Second, Starlink wants to grow as fast as the satellite constellation can support, which means lowering the barrier to "should I try this?" for hesitant new customers.

The free month for the new customer is the real lever. It removes the "what if I do not like it" risk. If the service does not work for you, you have effectively used it for $0 in service costs (you still paid for the hardware, which has its own 30-day return policy).

Common questions about referral hygiene

Do I have to use a referral from someone I know?

No. The program does not require any prior relationship between the referrer and the referee. Strangers' links work exactly the same as a friend's link. The credit goes to whoever owns the link.

Is there a limit on how many people one person can refer?

Starlink does not publish a hard cap, but they have stated that using the referral program as a paid business is against their terms of service and grounds for account suspension. Sharing your link in normal community settings (forums, social media, personal sites) is fine. Reselling referrals for cash is not.

What if my friend wants to refer me later?

Once you place an order without a referral, you cannot add one retroactively. If you want a friend's specific link applied, wait until they send it before checking out. There is no "apply later" path.

Can I use my own referral link to refer myself?

No. The program checks for the same name, address, payment method, and IP signals to prevent self-referrals. Attempts to game it can get both accounts flagged.

What happens to the credit if I downgrade my plan?

The credit is equal to your plan price at the time it is awarded. If you downgrade right after activation, the credit value matches your new (lower) plan. There is no prorating tricks worth pursuing here.