Referrer
The existing Starlink customer whose personal link the new customer uses. They earn the reward.
Example (hypothetical): Dana has had Starlink Residential since 2024 and sends her link to her brother. Dana is the referrer.
Referee (referred subscriber)
The new customer who orders using someone else’s link. The terms call them the “Referred Subscriber.” They get the free month.
Example (hypothetical): Dana’s brother orders through her link. He is the referee.
Referral link
A personal web address tied to one customer’s account. Opening it on starlink.com before ordering is how a referral is tracked. The terms say no other method counts.
Referral reward
What the referrer earns when a referral counts. Its amount is shown in the referrer’s account; Starlink gives $100 as the US example.
Pending referral
A referral that meets every rule except the new customer’s minimum stay. It becomes eligible (“matures”) after two full billing cycles.
Eligible referral
A referral that has met every rule, including the minimum stay. Only eligible referrals pay a reward.
Service credit
Money off a future Starlink bill, held on your account. It isn’t cash and can’t be withdrawn. Referral rewards are paid this way unless the referrer chooses cash.
Example (hypothetical): with a credit of the reward amount and a bill of a smaller amount, the next bill shows zero and the rest carries forward.
Cash payout
A reward paid to your bank account through SpaceX’s third-party payment processor instead of as credit. You opt in and pass the processor’s identity checks.
Payment processor
The outside company SpaceX uses to send cash rewards. The terms don’t name it and say it may change.
Minimum subscription duration
How long the new customer must stay on a high-speed plan before the referral counts: two full monthly billing cycles, and Standby doesn’t count.
Standby Mode
Starlink’s paused, low-speed plan. It doesn’t count as a high-speed plan for either side of a referral.
Program terms
The contract every referrer accepts by sharing a link: the Referral Program Terms. The US version was last republished on Oct 3, 2026.
Unsolicited contact
Reaching out to someone who didn’t ask to hear from you. The terms ban it “of any kind” for referrers.
Form 1099
IRS forms a payer sends to report money it paid you. For 2026 payments, 1099-MISC is required at $2,000 or more of prizes, awards or other income, and 1099-K from a payment processor only above $20,000 and 200 transactions. Whether SpaceX or its processor issues one for referral cash isn’t stated.
Example (hypothetical): three cash rewards in 2026 add up to well under $2,000, so a payer wouldn’t be required to send a 1099-MISC. The IRS still says income is taxable unless the law excludes it.
Independent site
A site not run, paid for, or reviewed by Starlink or SpaceX. This is one.