Report: free Mini rentals extended to every Residential plan
On Sep 22, 2026, one outlet reported Starlink now offers a free Mini rental on every Residential plan in select countries; we couldn't confirm it on the US listing.
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What changed
Tesla North reported on Sep 22, 2026 that Starlink had widened its free Mini rental from Residential Max to all Residential plans, in what it called "select countries". Canada is named as included. The United States is not named in the report.
Under the terms the report describes, the Mini is a rental at no hardware cost, one per customer, and may be a refurbished unit. You keep it only while your Residential plan stays active, and if you cancel Residential you have 30 days to send it back or pay its retail price. The Mini also needs its own service to be useful away from home: the report says it has to sit on Standby Mode or a Roam plan.
We read starlink.com's US national listing on Oct 5, 2026. It showed the extra Mini only with Residential Max, so this stays in our log as "unclear" until it shows up on the US listing or is denied.
"The Mini is a hardware rental at no cost, separate from the home kit"
Who it affects
US Residential customers on the 100 Mbps or 200 Mbps plans, if the change reaches the US. Today, from what we can confirm, only Residential Max orders get the extra Mini.
People thinking about buying a Mini for travel. If a free rental becomes available on your plan, buying one may not be worth it for you; if it doesn't, the Mini is currently $149 on starlink.com.
What you can do now
If you're a Residential customer, look in your Starlink account for an add-on Mini offer. If it appears, read the return terms before accepting, because the rental goes back when Residential ends.
Don't buy a Max upgrade only for the Mini without doing the math on the higher monthly price; see free kit offers for how rentals work.
What hasn't changed
Residential Max still includes the Mini rental in the US listing we read. The Mini purchase price on starlink.com ($149 since Oct 2) is a separate thing.
Context
The report also listed discounted Roam prices for Mini renters. Those figures appear to be Canadian-dollar prices from a Canadian outlet, and they don't match US Roam prices, so we don't repeat them here.
What we don't know yet
- Whether the US is one of the "select countries".
- What Standby Mode costs for a rented Mini in the US. US Standby has been $10 a month since the May 2026 price change; the report quotes a different figure.
- Whether this is permanent or a promotion with an end date.
Source
- Primary: Starlink expands free Mini rentals to more Residential customers (Tesla North), Sep 22, 2026. Retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
"Retrieved" is the date we read the source. A secondary source is a news outlet or industry site, not Starlink itself; we say so in the text where it matters.
In the deals log
See this row in the deals log →
Aug 7, 2026No end date stated
Mini at no charge with Residential Max (rental)
The catch: The Mini is a rental you return, not a kit you keep, and it comes with the most expensive Residential plan.
Source: SpaceX restores free Starlink Mini perk in Canada and the U.S. (Tesla North) (Aug 7, 2026) · checked
$0needs re-check
Live
Sep 22, 2026No end date stated
Free Mini rental reported for every Residential plan
The catch: Reported by one outlet. starlink.com's national listing on Oct 5 didn't show it for plans other than Max.
Source: Starlink expands free Mini rentals to more Residential customers (Tesla North) (Sep 22, 2026) · checked
$0needs re-check
Unclear
No offers match these filters. That usually means none is sourced right now, not that none exists. Regional offers show only at starlink.com checkout for your address.
Updates and corrections
- Updated : Rewritten to the full template; added the rental terms the report describes and a note that its Roam prices appear to be Canadian. Status still unclear.