Plan changes can now apply immediately or at the next billing date; immediate downgrades aren't refunded

What changed

On February 17, 2026, RV Mobile Internet reported that Starlink users “can now choose to switch the current plan immediately or wait until the next billing cycle,” for upgrades and downgrades alike. Starlink’s support page on changing plans now names the two options “Now” and “Date.”

Change	Option	This month	Next bill
Upgrade	Now	Prorated difference charged at once	New price
Upgrade	Date	Current plan to cycle end	New price
Downgrade	Now	Moved down at once; remaining time not refunded	New price
Downgrade	Date	Current plan to cycle end	New price

Before the change, as the report and the support wording describe it, a downgrade took effect at the end of the billing period and an upgrade was charged prorated at once. The new part is the choice, and the cost catch that comes with it: picking “now” on a downgrade forfeits the rest of a month already paid.

Who it affected

• Residential and Roam customers who change plans in the app or on starlink.com.
• Not every account: Starlink’s support page says the option may not be available for all account types, and lists promotional plans, a pending plan change and suspended accounts among reasons the change option can be unavailable.

What it does to your cost

Nothing, if you pick “date” for a downgrade. The cheaper price starts on the next bill either way.

Example at the February 2026 prices (Residential 200 Mbps $80, Residential 100 Mbps $50), billing date on the 1st, downgrade on the 10th:

• “Now”: drop to 100 Mbps on the 10th; the $80 paid on the 1st covered the month and isn’t partly refunded. Next bill $50.
• “Date”: keep 200 Mbps until the 1st. Next bill $50.

The dollars are the same; “now” simply gives up three weeks of the faster tier. The yearly saving from that downgrade was $360 at those prices. At today’s prices, see downgrading mid-cycle.

What stays the same

• Billing runs on UTC: Starlink’s support page says changes must be made before 12:00 AM UTC on your billing day, or they roll to the next one.
• A plan change can still bring a one-time demand surcharge in high-demand areas; see the hidden fees guide.
• Plan prices were not part of this change.

What to check yourself

• Read the option on the change screen before confirming, especially for a downgrade.
• Make changes a day before your billing date to stay clear of the UTC cut-off.
• Proration is defined in our glossary.

What we don’t know

• The exact date the option appeared; the report gave none.
• Whether support ever credits unused time after an immediate downgrade. The support wording says it isn’t refunded.
• We could open the support pages only through search snippets; the pages render with JavaScript.