Starlink’s $50-Per-Month ‘Backup’ Plan Has One Big Downside

To attract new customers, SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service now offers a $50-per-month plan. But it caps the data to 50GB. 

In the US, the company updated Starlink.com with the “Backup—50GB” plan as an option for customers purchasing the satellite internet service through the residential tier. 

Previously, the residential tier only featured a single plan for $120 per month, which supports the standard Starlink dish and unlimited data. But on Friday, users spotted the residential tier offering the backup plan as a more affordable option for new customers.

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SpaceX has also offered the 50GB-for-$50 plan for the Starlink Mini dish, and it’s been quietly available to subscribers who own the standard Starlink dish since last year, according to Reddit users. But it now looks like SpaceX is rolling out the 50GB option more widely to appeal to prospective customers thinking about buying Starlink as a backup internet solution. 

(Credit: Starlink.com)

The move comes amid raging wildfires in Los Angeles, where about 153,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. The fires have caused electrical outages and taken down ground-based internet and cellular services.

While Starlink stills need electricity to function, the technology can bypass the outages since it relies on orbiting satellites to beam the high-speed internet. But on the downside, the $50 plan, while cheaper, will cut the user off once the cap is reached, rendering their dish useless unless they pay for more data.

“Note: If you exceed the allotted data on your Roam 50GB plan and have not opted in to additional Roam data, you will be unable to access the internet except to access your Starlink account,” the company wrote on Starlink.com. In the past, users have reported SpaceX asking $1 for each extra GB consumed through its similar 50GB plans.

In response to the fires in Los Angeles, SpaceX has donated Starlink dishes to the affected areas and is offering one month of free access to the satellite internet service. But the deal is only available for customers who own or buy a Starlink dish, which usually goes for $349, but can cost more if you live in a congested area.

5 Things to Know About Starlink Satellite Internet

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About Michael Kan

Senior Reporter

I’ve been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.

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