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How to cancel Starlink: trial, billing and your kit

By Switch My Broadband Published 24 October 2026 Updated

How to cancel Starlink: trial, billing and your kit

The short answer

You cancel Starlink yourself, online. Log in to your Starlink account, open your subscription, choose Manage and then Cancel Service. Starlink's UK contract summary describes its month-to-month option as billed monthly in advance, and says you can cancel it at any time in your account with no penalty or fee. There's no notice period to serve: your service carries on until the end of the period you've already paid for, then stops.

Inside Starlink's 30-day return period you can send the kit back for a full refund, and Starlink's terms say that applies for any reason, including a poor view of the sky. After that, a bought kit is yours with no refund; rented kits and 12-month commitments have their own rules.

We compare broadband deals through a partner widget; we don't sell, install or cancel Starlink and can't act on your account. If you're still weighing it up, compare Starlink's plans at your address; for the rules that apply to every provider, see our general guide to cancelling broadband.

Starlink's UK contract summary offers two contract options at checkout, and its terms add renting. Check which you have in your account, because the kit rules differ:

  • Month-to-month, with a kit you bought. Starlink's terms say ownership of a bought kit passes to you on delivery. The 30-day return is the only way to get a refund from Starlink for it.
  • A 12-month service commitment. Where it's offered, Starlink provides the kit at no cost in return for keeping service for at least 12 months. Cancelling, changing your plan or service address, or transferring the kit in those first 12 months triggers a Change Fee, and the contract summary says you're also charged it if you fail to pay an invoice on time. Starlink reduces the fee by a twelfth for each month you've stayed. After 12 months the service rolls on month to month and the fee no longer applies.
  • A rented kit. Starlink's rental article says kits can be rented for Residential plans, one per account, in select countries; its GB terms add that Priority and Roam rentals may be offered at Starlink's discretion, and that renting isn't available everywhere. Neither confirms it for a given UK address, so go by your order. A rented kit stays Starlink's property and goes back when you cancel, unless you ask by support ticket to buy it outright, which Starlink says renters can do.
  • A kit bought from a shop or reseller. Starlink says that if you bought from an authorised retailer or reseller, you return the kit through them, not through Starlink.

Starlink's returns article adds that, from October 2025, a Standard 4 or Standard 4 X kit provided as a no-cost rental must also go back in good condition within 30 days of cancelling, or you're charged the kit's full price.

On a 12-month commitment, the contract summary doesn't say whether the no-cost kit goes back when you cancel. Check how your order describes it, or ask Starlink by support ticket before cancelling.

Starlink's help centre recommends cancelling through your account on the Starlink website. Its steps, checked in October 2026:

  1. Log in to your Starlink account on starlink.com.
  2. On the Home page, select Your Subscription, then Manage next to your plan.
  3. Click Cancel Service.
  4. If you're inside the 30-day return period and want a refund on the kit, tick the box labelled I would like to return my hardware as part of cancelling (see the returns section below). Starlink says that if the box doesn't appear, your kit isn't eligible for a return.

Starlink's terms say you can stop the recurring monthly payment, cancel the service and withdraw at any time through your account. If a problem is behind your decision, Starlink invites you to contact support first, by ticket in your account or the app.

Changed your mind? Until the cancellation takes effect, Starlink says you can undo it by clicking Resume in the "Your service plan will end on…" alert at the top of your account page. Screenshot the confirmation so you have a record of the date.

If the Cancel Service option is missing, or you can't get into your account on the website, raise a support ticket. Starlink's UK contract summary gives a ticket in your starlink.com account or the Starlink app as its contact route, so if one fails, try the other. We found no Starlink page on what to do if you can't log in to either.

When your service and your billing stop

Starlink's help centre says that when you cancel, your service stays active up to the date you've paid for and is removed from future billing cycles. Its terms add that to avoid being billed for the following month, you must cancel before that month's invoice is generated. Apart from its deposit and 30-day kit-return rules, the terms say you aren't entitled to refunds, so there's no money back for unused days.

The timing catch is that Starlink's billing runs on UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, the world reference clock). Changes must be made before 12:00 AM UTC on your billing day, the very start of that day; Starlink says changes made after midnight are delayed until the next billing day. The safe habit is to cancel at least a day before your billing day.

Example, with made-up dates: your billing day is the 15th. Cancel on the 12th and you keep the service until the paid month ends, with no further bill. Leave it until after midnight UTC on the 15th and, by Starlink's rule, the change waits for the next billing day, so you'd likely be charged for another month.

The 30-day trial: a kit return, not a free month

Starlink's UK Residential and Roam pages both advertise a 30-day trial, with the line "Try Starlink for 30 days and if not satisfied, get a full refund." Its help centre is clear that this is not a free month. It's a trial of the hardware: if you're unhappy within the first 30 days of using the service after billing has begun, you can return the kit for a full refund. Your first month of service isn't included in the kit price and is billed separately.

Starlink's GB terms say the window runs for 30 days from the Payment Due Date, the date of your first monthly service charge, which they define as the earlier of the day you activate the kit or 30 days after Starlink ships it. Starlink's help centre instead puts the first bill at activation, or 7 days after delivery if you haven't activated by then, and its rental article says the same for rented kits. Because they don't match, work to the earliest possible date: activation, or 7 days after delivery if you haven't activated by then. Check the first service charge in your account, and if unsure, ask Starlink by support ticket before that date.

The terms set conditions: the kit, and any accessories bought on starlink.com, must come back undamaged, untampered and unmodified. Within those conditions the refund applies for any reason, and the terms specifically include not being able to get service because of field-of-view issues, meaning the dish can't see enough sky from where you've put it. So test the dish where it will actually live, and do your testing early: the checks in our guide to satellite broadband in the UK, such as speed tests on weekday evenings and a real video call, belong before day 30, not after. Our guide to setting up Starlink covers the installation, and our guide to switching to 4G or satellite broadband explains how to test before giving up a fixed line.

What a return within 30 days refunds

According to Starlink's GB terms, a timely return gets you back:

  • the price of the kit and any accessories you bought, or, if you rented, your Activation Price only (the one-time activation charge that Starlink's rental article says is taken when you order, where it applies in your region);
  • the first month's service fee, or rental fee if you rented;
  • the Monthly Kit Access Fee, which the terms say applies to Priority plans only;
  • any Demand Surcharge, a one-time extra charge that Starlink's terms say can apply to an order depending on your service address, the plan you choose and the kit model.

The terms say shipping and handling charges are non-refundable. Outside the 30-day window, Starlink's help centre says there's no refund at all, not even a partial one, and that applies to kits, mounts and accessories alike.

How to send the kit back

Starlink's returns article says you must cancel your subscription to return the kit, whether it's unopened or used. Once you've ticked I would like to return my hardware and confirmed:

  1. Look for a pre-paid return label by email, with the subject "Your Starlink Return" (check your spam folder). On a computer, though not in the app, you can download it again from your Order Summary page, using the three dots next to "Return Initiated".
  2. Stow the dish. For the Standard 4, Standard 4 X and Starlink Mini, Starlink says to fold the kickstand under the dish. For the older Standard (Circular), Standard Actuated and Performance (Gen 1), it says to open the Starlink app, go to Settings, then Starlink, and drag the slider to Stow Starlink. Without the app, take the plugged-in dish out of its base and lay it face down on a table; after about a minute the mast tilts into place, then unplug it. Starlink says the Performance and Performance (Gen 2) don't need stowing.
  3. Re-box the hardware. If it won't fit the original box, Starlink says a bigger box is fine.
  4. Pack only Starlink equipment, with nothing else in the box.
  5. Print the label, stick it on the outside of the box and drop the parcel at the carrier named on the label. Keep the drop-off receipt.

If you ticked the return box by mistake and want to keep the kit, Starlink's help centre says you can simply ignore the email with the return label.

When the refund arrives

Starlink says that once a kit returned within the window reaches its facility, it allows up to 2 weeks to inspect it and start your refund. You'll get an email when it starts, and it can then take up to 10 to 15 business days to reach your account. Keep your records until the money lands, and if it still hasn't arrived after 15 business days from that email, contact Starlink support. If the card you paid with has since expired or been replaced, Starlink says the refund can still succeed as long as the bank account behind the card is still active.

UK law also gives you a cooling-off period when you sign up online or by phone: Citizens Advice's guidance for England says you can cancel an internet contract for free within 14 days, though you're likely to pay for any service you've used. For most Starlink customers, the 30-day return in Starlink's own terms is the longer route, because it runs from your first service charge and refunds that first month too. Our guide to the broadband cooling-off period explains how the legal rights work.

Cancelling after 30 days: what happens to your kit

If you bought the kit, it's yours: Starlink's terms say ownership passes to you on delivery, and its UK contract summary says you're not entitled to a refund on the kit after the initial 30-day period. Nothing goes back: keep it, or sell or give it away using Starlink's transfer process.

If you rented the kit, Starlink's pages give three deadlines, and they don't line up neatly:

  • the rental article says that if you don't go ahead with a rental, the kit must go back in good condition within 7 days of delivery, or you pay its full price;
  • the GB terms say a return within 30 days of the Payment Due Date refunds your Activation Price and first month's rental fee;
  • whenever you cancel, the terms say the kit must go back undamaged, untampered and unmodified (normal wear and tear aside) within 30 days of cancelling, or you pay its full retail price plus any loss or repair costs.

If you're unsure which applies, work to the earliest date and confirm with Starlink by support ticket. Starlink says it issues a return label when you cancel.

If you're on a 12-month commitment, cancelling inside the first 12 months triggers the Change Fee described above, reducing by a twelfth for each month you've kept the service. Our guide to leaving broadband without an exit fee explains the general rules on early-exit charges.

Starlink's GB terms say it may change its plans, prices, kit versions and terms, and will email at least 30 days' notice before any materially adverse change, summarising it and your right to cancel. On month-to-month you can simply cancel first. Inside a 12-month commitment, neither the terms nor the contract summary says whether cancelling after such a notice avoids the Change Fee, so ask Starlink by support ticket and keep the answer. Our Starlink provider page covers its recent UK price changes and shows Starlink's plans at your address.

Starlink's help centre warns that you may not be able to reactivate straight away: restarting Residential service after cancelling, or after using Standby mode, depends on capacity in your area. If there's no Residential capacity, Starlink says you'll be offered a Roam or Priority plan instead. Roam, it says, can be reactivated at any time, except in very rare cases where it's restricted across a whole country for regulatory reasons. Some plans may not be available and prices are subject to change, it adds. And if you cancelled with an outstanding balance, Starlink says you must pay it off before you can reactivate.

Pausing instead of cancelling: Standby mode

If you only need Starlink for part of the year, pausing may suit you better. Starlink's pause option is called Standby mode. Its help centre says Standby is available on Roam, Residential and Priority plans, though not on some promotional offers or some kit rentals, and not on V5 hardware. Its pages differ on rentals: the pausing article excludes only "select kit rentals", the rental article says renters can't pause at all. Starlink says the option won't appear in the app if your plan or rental kit doesn't allow it. Standby gives unlimited low-speed data, at up to 500 Kbps download and upload, for emergency messaging and easy reactivation, for what Starlink calls "a small monthly fee".

To pause, go to Subscriptions, choose the service line, then Manage and Pause Current Service; to come back, choose Resume Service and a plan. Starlink says that pausing before the end of a billing period keeps your full service for the rest of that period, that when you resume, the monthly fee is charged straight away on a pro-rated basis, and that if you restart before your next billing cycle you're charged your usual monthly fee. Any data blocks you bought before pausing don't roll over when you come back.

Three cautions. First, resuming may cost extra: Starlink says you may see a warning that a Demand Surcharge applies to your reactivation when you switch to Standby, and its UK plan descriptions say Standby doesn't guarantee re-activation fees will be waived. Second, Starlink says Standby does not reserve your place on a Residential plan: if your area is at capacity when you try to resume, you may not get your old plan back, although you can resume straight away on any plan available there. Third, if you stay in Standby for more than 12 consecutive months, Starlink says it may, at its discretion, require you to pay a fee or move to a different plan, or limit your connection to reaching your Starlink account only.

Standby replaced a free, zero-data pause in August 2025, Starlink says; ISPreview reported the UK change on 14 August 2025. Starlink's UK Roam page says Roam bills in one-month increments and can be paused and unpaused at any time. Our guide to broadband for caravans, motorhomes and boats covers Roam on the move.

A kit you bought can be passed on, but Starlink sets rules. Its help centre and terms say:

  • Transfers aren't allowed until 120 days after purchase or 90 days after activation, whichever comes first, and service must stay active for 90 days from activation.
  • The account must have no outstanding balance; the terms also require it to be paid in full and in good standing, with network capacity on the plan the new owner wants.
  • A rented kit can't be transferred as it is: Starlink says you first have to change your service plan, which may mean buying out the kit or paying a change fee. Its rental article adds that a renter can ask by support ticket to buy the kit outright.
  • If you've already started a return, you can switch to a transfer only if the carrier hasn't yet scanned the label.
  • The warranty runs from the original purchase date, even after a sale.

Starlink's transfer steps are: log in, open Subscriptions and the subscription, click Manage and Cancel Service; then under Devices, find your Starlink, click Transfer and confirm, which permanently removes it from your account. You can enter the new owner's email to send them an activation link. Then factory reset the router, hand over every item in the kit and give the new owner the Starlink identifier so they can activate it.

Starlink says a second-hand kit activates normally once transferred, and buyers should check availability at their address first. On a 12-month commitment, a transfer in the first year triggers the Change Fee.

Moving house or moving abroad

Moving within the UK doesn't have to mean cancelling. Starlink lets you change the service address in your account (Subscriptions, then Edit in the Service Location section) or in the app. Starlink warns that this switches off service at the old address, that going back may not be possible, and that the change can fail if the new area is at capacity. The new address must be in the same country you signed up in. Starlink's GB terms also say a later change of service address or plan may mean paying the Demand Surcharge, so check for one before you confirm. On a 12-month commitment, a change of service address in the first year triggers the Change Fee.

Moving to another country permanently is different: Starlink says each account is registered to one country, so you cancel your current plan and set up a new account in the new country.

Going back to a fixed line without a gap

If you're leaving Starlink because full fibre or another fixed line has reached your home, get the new service working before you cancel. Since 12 September 2024, switching broadband in the UK between providers that take part in Ofcom's One Touch Switch process has worked like this (as reported by ISPreview at its launch): you contact only the new provider, and your current provider must send you the switching information, including any early-termination charges. That rule only helps if Starlink takes part, and Starlink's GB terms, its UK contract summary and the help articles we read for this guide (October 2026) don't mention One Touch Switch. Our guide to switching to 4G or satellite covers what we found on Starlink and One Touch Switch. Ask the new provider when you order; if it can't switch you, cancel Starlink yourself once the new line is live.

With no notice period on the month-to-month option, the overlap can be short:

  1. Check what reaches you: compare broadband deals at your postcode, browse broadband deals by area or see our list of UK broadband providers.
  2. Order the fixed line and note the installation or activation date.
  3. Keep Starlink running until the new connection is working properly.
  4. Cancel Starlink in your account at least a day before your next billing day (the cut-off is 12:00am UTC at the start of that day), so you aren't charged for another month.
  5. Decide what to do with the dish: return it if it's rented, or keep, sell or give away a bought one.

Starlink's GB terms describe what it sells as two-way satellite-based internet service. If you added a separate internet phone service to use over Starlink, that's a contract with another company: check how to move or end it, and keep your number, using our guide to a separate VoIP home phone.

  1. Check your contract type: month-to-month, 12-month commitment or rental.
  2. Find your billing day and cancel at least a day before it (Starlink works on UTC).
  3. Inside 30 days? Tick "I would like to return my hardware" and keep the kit undamaged.
  4. Need it later? Consider Standby mode instead.
  5. Moving to a fixed line? Get it live first, then cancel.
  6. Keep records: screenshot, label, drop-off receipt, refund emails.

If something goes wrong, Starlink's UK contract summary says to raise a support request with "Customer Complaint" in the subject. Its GB terms say you can also use the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS) to resolve a dispute. See our guide to complaining about a broadband provider.

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