A little more than five years, we bought a brand new car (GASP! I know — how not frugal!).
We wanted a Toyota Venza and it was the first model year so no used cars were available. (see???)
If you've ever bought a new car within the last few years, you probably have a trial subscription to Sirius XM radio. I think our trial subscription was for six months.
SiriusXM is pretty great. You get high-quality audio, a bazillion different channels so you'll always be entertained, and it's available practically everywhere except if you're surrounded by mountains or in a tunnel. It's a solid service.
I just didn't want yet another subscription and even at $10.99 for their lowest “Mostly Music” package. It was too much. Their $15.99 and $19.99 All Access are all reasonable prices (when our trial ended, it cost closer to $30 a month, and now the plan names have changed) given what you get but let me explain how easy it is to save 75%.
But… you should never pay full price for Sirius XM. Never. Ever.
SiriusXM is a prime case where negotiating your subscription rate will always save you money.
All you have to do is call in, threaten to cancel, and wait until they offer you their comeback offer.
Sirius Streaming: $8 / Month
SiriusXM now has a streaming service where you can get Sirius outside of your car for just $8 a month.
This will allow you to listen on your phone, at home, and online. If you have a smartphone and more than one car, this seems like a pretty good deal. You can listen on your phone and just bring your phone to any of the cars you drive.
It costs more than a single car but you can listen to it on your phone, which you can bring anywhere.
Sirius Standard Pricing: $5 / Month
SiriusXM has a few plans but the basic one for your car is $5 per month for 12 months (new subscriptions only).
The three tiers are:
- SiriusXM Select: $5 / month for 12 months for 140+ channels, then goes to $15.99 / month
- Premier Streaming: This one isn't for your car, it's streaming to your computer or phone. It's $5 / month for 12 months for 200+ channels, then goes to $15.99 / month
- SiriusXM All Access: $8.25 / month for 12 months for both streaming and in the car, then goes to $20.99 / month. It also comes with a free 3rd Gen Echo Dot.
After the 12 month promotion period, you're automatically renewed at the regular, much higher, price.
But you can do better than this offer. And it doesn't even require too many hoops.
The Best Deal: 6 Months for $25
You can always get 5 months of Sirius XM Radio for just $25. Sometimes people have gotten 6 months for $25.
All you need to say is “I love Sirius XM, I just can't afford that price. Is there any way you can help me?” — and they will help you.
If they don't, hang up and call again.
It's very important that you take note of when your promotional period ends because they will start charging you full price immediately. There will be no warning, it's automatic renewal at the full price, so mark it on a calendar somewhere and set up notifications.
When the time nears, call them up again. Sometimes they'll cut right to the chase and offer to extend the deal. If you don't, cancel it and you'll get a “winback” offer in a month or two.
Don't take anything worse than that deal.
SiriusXM Promotions
If you only care about getting the very cheapest, then $4.17 per month is the cheapest.
If price is less important (say, if you're being reimbursed or it is a tax-deductible expense) and you want to take advantage of promotions, SiriusXM runs promotions periodically.
This is their current promotion on SiriusXM Select (lowest tier, but includes 140 channels), which is pretty good considering you have to jump through no hoops to get it:
This is the best offer on Sirius All Access (highest tier, includes in car and streaming):
No bad!
Emily @ JohnJaneDoe says
August 31, 2016 at 9:20 amHa, we just did this. (or rather, we actually cancelled and they kept sending this deal with free installation, so the hubby paid for it as an anniversary present.) We don’t have quite the same collection of channels, but I’m really enjoying having my satellite radio back.
Jim Wang says
August 31, 2016 at 3:22 pmWhen we had it, we only ever listened to 5-6 channels. Since we both work primarily from home nowadays, it doesn’t make much sense to pay for it… even at such low prices. (tbh, I just don’t want to call back and play this game every 5-6 months!)
Stephen C Massey says
April 8, 2019 at 9:56 pmI got my renewal bill for 294.00 and thought that was too much for All access and streaming. I called said I wanted to cancel. They came back with a 149.00 for the same. That included taxes and fees. Then just for the heck of it I said; “throw in an Echo Dot and you could have a deal”. She came back on the line and said, ” After some fancy work on my computer I was able to get you that Echo Dot”. I’m happy until April 2020.
Jim Wang says
April 9, 2019 at 7:24 amThey’re happy, you’re happy, and you aren’t paying $294!
Laura Houghton says
April 13, 2019 at 7:58 pmJust bought a car from dealership says it has sirus but it unscription anyway my husband has an acct but only allowed to transfer it to three vehicle and well I sold my car which was third car and now I need to buy sirus what deals don’t have
Jess says
September 13, 2016 at 2:09 pmWow, thanks so much for this advice! I have a free trial for Sirius XM in my car and had no idea you could get a comeback offer! I will definitely look into this soon!
Jim Wang says
September 13, 2016 at 4:32 pmYes, they will very aggressively try to win you back when you leave. 🙂
Chad says
June 5, 2019 at 5:51 pmhaha glad i came by this site, i got mine with my new truck and it runs out in 2 weeks, so i called them, they offered me 70 bux for 6 months and i said no, 2 days later they called and offered me 30 for 6, so i said yes, took your advice jim, set myself a reminder in 5 months, will play the same game, worth saving 70 bux every 6 months
Lazy Man and Money says
September 15, 2016 at 11:54 amI tried to do this and straight-up canceled for a month. They really didn’t try to win me back with any kind of deal. Well, they gave us a worse package at around a 40% discount.
It’s my wife’s car and now she just listens to the free, ad-sponsored Google Play through Bluetooth. She’s happy with the selection and quality.
Jim Wang says
September 16, 2016 at 9:04 amJust wait… the comeback offer will come. 🙂
Donna Hiatt says
March 30, 2019 at 10:49 amI just cancelled because I was charged on my credit card and foolishly did not mark my calendar to cancel in advance. Lesson learned. They are refunding my money. I love Sirius and hope they will come back with a new offer. We shall see. Was paying $131.00 just to listen mostly to one or two news channels when we travel.
Jack says
June 18, 2019 at 9:17 amTypically they’ll offer you a deal when you cancel if you say it was too expensive…..sometimes you have to push back more than once to get the best deal……It’s a pain to have to talk to them ever 6-months to a year, but it saves a ton….
Bebe Enteo says
December 14, 2016 at 5:12 pmDon’t ever use a credit card. Buy a gift card from Best Buy and pay using that. Then negotiate for the best price. Currently, here is what I’ve gotten for the last 5 years:
For Select: 6 months for $25.00
For Full Access: 1 year for $119.00
You have to pay tax and royalty fees on top of this. Just remember to call about a month before it expires, or they’ll charge you full price.
Jim Wang says
December 14, 2016 at 5:50 pmBrilliant!
brad says
February 12, 2017 at 6:43 pmis it possible to get out of their ridiculous “connection fee”?
HTubblers says
January 21, 2019 at 4:46 amThey did this to my Aunt. She had 4 up for renewal at the same time. XM Radio took over $900.00 out of her checking her account without warning. She forgot that they were all up for renewal and when they tried to negotiate they refused to offer her any deals for 4 cars. On top of that it was around Christmas. She eventually got her money back through the Attorney Generals office. You can buy XM radio gift cards at Best Buy. Never give them access to your bank account.
Jim Wang says
January 21, 2019 at 9:27 amYeah, I got dinged for a couple months too… thankfully only for one car. That partially motivated me to write this post… 🙂
Melody Ann Gladwell says
February 19, 2019 at 2:56 pmwhat is a connection fee?
Johnny says
May 24, 2019 at 11:27 amCheck out Privacy.com, there you can create virtual cards that you can limit the spending and create ‘one-time’ cards that only works once.
That’s what I use for pretty much anything online.
Andy says
February 16, 2017 at 11:43 amThanks for the tip, just tried it and worked perfectly – $25 per radio ($32.31 with taxes and junk) for 5 months. They even gave me a credit for the previous month since I pay quarterly.
Jim Wang says
February 16, 2017 at 12:49 pmSet a reminder for yourself in five months to call them back, they won’t remind you that your contract is up.
Dave V says
May 3, 2017 at 5:38 pmThey will also give you a 6 months for $30 deal which is the same as the 5 months for $25 but it extends the subscription out one more month. I just did this.
Gail says
May 4, 2017 at 5:13 pmI got this offer as well. I haven’t started the subscription yet, but just FYI, you can get this same offer through Ebates and they (Ebates) will credit your account $5.00. (Ebates pays you a check once a year anytime you shop through their website). Which would be a great deal !!! Six months for $25.00 🙂 That’s the route I’m going to use . Hope this info. is worthwhile and beneficial. 🙂
Laura says
June 5, 2017 at 12:08 pmI just saved $100 on my Select subscription. $99/year
Mike says
November 16, 2018 at 1:34 amWhat does Select include?
Jim Wang says
November 16, 2018 at 11:49 amIt has 165 channels – includes MLB, NBA, NHL and PGA. Does not include Howard Stern, NFL or NASCAR.
Aaliyah says
February 11, 2019 at 11:38 pmMy trial just ended a couple days ago. I didnt get All Acess, but I got a year for $60 plus the taxes. Came out to around $78.
PaulS says
January 12, 2018 at 6:28 amEnjoy several talk stations, especially at home. Would miss Dr. Laura and sports talk shows. Music quality is terrible. My car HD radio stations blow it away. Considering using Google Play or IHeartRadio. Possibly Apple Music. Anyone do a cost analysis of data use when playing these services in the car?
Rhea Geberer says
May 17, 2019 at 5:39 pmWhat would you miss about Dr. Laura? Ms Moralistic?
Hannah says
July 3, 2019 at 9:04 amWhy do you care why someone would miss a particular show? Sounds pretty judgemental to me and not nice! Enjoy your day and listen to whatever or whomever you wish!
Trent says
May 21, 2019 at 1:48 pmYou can always stream satellite through your phone and it’s high quality just make sure you have the streaming service with the package
Mr. Blue Sky says
January 12, 2018 at 4:35 pmWe use this method every six months to keep cost to a minimum on our two vehicles. We bought a 2010 Honda Accord for our soon-to-be teen daughter and college sis to drive. Daughter #1 goes to school in DC, so car at home after purchase. Enjoyed the two months free, then let lapse as car was just sitting in garage. Offers come in for 40-50% off…not interested…no one driving car. Then, low and behold, Dec 10th get an offer for 84% off…yes…$99 for 36 months. That was too good to pass up, go to website to accept, and there is a second offer associated with it…60 months for $149! With tax and royalty, came out to $179. I am VERY tempted to let my work vehicle lapse for a few months then see if they will give me this deal again!
Jim Wang says
January 13, 2018 at 7:43 amThat’s a pretty good offer… I’d probably do that long term one because then you don’t have to call back every 9-12 months.
len says
January 15, 2018 at 9:07 amI asked for that deal, 36 months for $99, and was told that deal was for 2009 and earlier models.
Yorky says
April 22, 2018 at 10:40 amI just got a new car and it has this Sirius radio in it. Free for 3 months. I only like listening to 95.1 FM and KFI on AM. Sure hope they do not charge me a renewal for Sirius. Sounds like a rip off to me. Cheaper putting a CD in to,listen to. Can they automatically renew me without my permission .I never asked for the service in the first place it came with the car.
Jim Wang says
April 22, 2018 at 10:54 amI’m not sure, I believe you have to opt in and give billing information to continue… but I don’t know for certain. You should call the dealership or Sirius to confirm.
Stacy says
December 29, 2018 at 9:42 pmI bought a new car in May. When the trial is up, you’ll just get prompted to subscribe if you switch to the satellite radio. Mine’s been expired for 4 months now, no charges. They don’t have your credit card info.
They keep sending me good offers, though.
HTubblers says
January 21, 2019 at 4:55 amThey forgot about me. I bought a Car in June and I am still on my 3 month trial. My sister and daughter all bought new cars from the same dealership all new Nissan’s. And their trials have all ended except for mine.
Stu says
April 17, 2019 at 8:45 amThat’s nothing, I was on a season plan. I called to turn off my service when my car was stored for the winter. They told me to call back when I wanted to turn it back on in April. Well they never turned the service off, I never called them back to turn it on either. Bottom line, I got 5 years of service for FREE! All the while they kept sending me offer saying they want my business back. They never figured it out.
Yorky says
April 22, 2018 at 1:08 pmI do not believe in paying to listen to music. I will definitely not renew. Most of it is music I do not like anyway. I will enjoy my free 3 months and then cancel . I only posted because I thought you would know the answer to my question seeing you had bought a new car as well and had Sirius in when you bought the car
Jim Wang says
April 22, 2018 at 2:35 pmI don’t remember how the billing part went but I think I signed up after the trial – I wasn’t 100% sure so I didn’t want to steer you wrong!
Bill says
June 15, 2018 at 4:10 pmI currently have 2 cars each with a Sirius XM radio. Each radio is setup on it’s own account, one under my name and the other under my wifes. Do you think it would help or hurt to have them both on the same account when trying to negotiate these better rates?
Jim Wang says
June 17, 2018 at 3:21 pmI’m afraid I don’t know if that’s better or worse, do they have two device discounts? I don’t think they do but I’m not 100% sure.
Deb says
May 10, 2019 at 11:16 amWe have two cars under one billing account. It doesn’t seem to matter. We have to do the “I’m canceling” threat and negotiate for both cars. It is still more convenient to call just one time for both cars.
Elmer says
July 5, 2018 at 3:28 pmHey Bill, I’m currently trying to decide whether it’s worth merging my two car radio accounts, did you ever find anything out about the perks or disadvantages to it?
Deb says
May 10, 2019 at 11:19 amIt is more convenient to have one a one-time argument with them. But, there is no difference in price. One of our cars has a contract that was up in May and one up in August. I negotiate and pre-pay for the August car. The credit then pays for the August car with no disruption in service and no extra call to Sirius.
Jim says
January 23, 2019 at 9:03 amI currently have two cars under the same account and they give you a family discount. I have had the service for over 5 years. Like most of you folks I call in and request for a better deal because I cannot do the payment. I have always received a good deal as other, but this last time they were unwilling to offer me anything so I did end up cancelling. It has been a month and of course they sent me a deal for each car of 6 months for 29 + their fees. but I got a great deal.
radiohead says
October 28, 2018 at 1:57 pmI actually do get a notice in the mail when my current renewal period is about to expire.
Rob W says
December 6, 2018 at 11:21 amGot an offer of $99 for 3 years on my 2008 truck that I rarely drive. Called Sirius and asked for the same deal for my 2019 for which the trial period had just ended. No luck, they said that offer was applicable to older vehicles only. I use to get deals for $3 a month on the 2008. Best they would offer for the 2019 is $60 plus fees for a year. Told them no thanks. They’ll have to come off the nut and sweeten the deal for me to bite.
Jim Wang says
December 7, 2018 at 9:37 amI love how they pretend they won’t deal… the cost to them to add a new subscriber is ZERO! Collecting $99 from you for three years is $99 they wouldn’t otherwise get!
Jatin says
December 12, 2018 at 6:29 pmThat’s not correct. There’s a cost associated with every activation. Bandwidth, partnership with OEM, marketing cost, operating cost , content, events etc.
Jim Wang says
December 13, 2018 at 7:20 amBut it’s marginal compared to what they earn, which is the point.
David Krump says
July 4, 2019 at 11:42 amIt’s a satellite broadcast. Receiving that broadcast does not cost them any extra bandwidth. The satellite doesn’t know or care how many radios are receiving the signal. This isn’t cable. It’s no different than tuning into terrestrial radio. They turn you on to receive the signal. There is no extra marketing cost to add a subscriber. Marketing costs per subscriber goes down the more subscribers they have. They don’t increase their marketing cost to add someone. Same for operating cost, content, and events. These are costs that they incur regardless of subscribers. There really is no additional cost to activate my radio.
Cindy says
December 23, 2018 at 10:25 pmWow! I will do $99/ 3 years for my just purchased 2009 Aura. I have a Lifetime Select on my other 2009 Aura and they would not transfer it. I really only bought the Lifetime for the Broadway channel and Cinemagic. They made Cinemagic streaming only and that was disappointing. I have a 2 month trial that I just started, so I will call and ask about $99 for 3.
Harley says
December 6, 2018 at 6:20 pmWell I tried to take advantage of the 6 month 8.33 current deal when I tried to pay on line with a gift card visa debit it would not take so I called and the rep tried but would not go through I wanted this to be a surprise so I did not use a debit card from my account. ” I said I guess she can live without Sirius”
Well I got a call back from Exec. services who was going to make it go through.
No way 6 attempts and said is your car by you I said yes she said turn it on and go to Sirius and she sent the signal for 6 months free. not 4.50 8.33 10,00 0r even 15.00 free for 6 months. BEST PRICE EVER THEY WERE VERY NICE AND GOOD TO DEAL WITH…..THANKS FOR THE INFO. HARLEY
Dave says
December 7, 2018 at 10:10 amI had one month left on my recent year of SiriusXM all access… we have been members for 5 years now…. I have always gotten the cheaper deal and this year since we still had a month left they gave me all access for 114. for a year plus an echo dot….. Life is good…… its too bad though that since my wife also has Sirius that we can’t bundle them both and get a REALLY GOOD price….
Billy Bob says
December 10, 2018 at 10:18 pmI listen to WDGY for free! Sorry SiriusXM. “Are you Serious? Sirius as satellite radio!” I don’t pay to watch T.V. either.
Connie says
December 16, 2018 at 2:53 pmSirius is such a joke. My husband wants the all access package and its. $25 a month. They wouldn’t give me any deal at all via the chat. I’m going to call now and see what they will offer. So disappointing to have to spend so much time on something they over charge for.
Connie says
December 16, 2018 at 3:27 pmSo I just called and they are giving me one year $99 and an echo.
Darrell says
December 27, 2018 at 9:58 pmOh no! I didn’t set a reminder two years ago when I renewed, and now I just realized they charged me $457.06 for 2 years without notifying me….ARRGGGG! Any chance they provide a refund if I threaten to cancel now?
Jim Wang says
December 28, 2018 at 8:16 amYou can give it a try… I wasn’t able to do it with 4 months of charging full price. They let me cancel.
Ross Caperton says
January 2, 2019 at 2:23 pmI am trying to figure out how Sirius obtained my contact info; my name, address, phone, auto vin#. I feel kind of violated by this breach of my privacy. Sirius is no help as they refuse to tell me how this came to be.
Jim Wang says
January 3, 2019 at 7:08 amI suspect the dealership provides that as part of a marketing partnership if you ever got the trial.
Lynn says
January 3, 2019 at 6:06 pmI bought a new car and just started my 3 months trial. Do you think I would get a better deal if I stop listening to Sirius? It’s funny that they give better deals for older cars and not late model cars. If they think I really like it because I listen to it all the time, maybe won’t deal much on price? I am interest in the select package.
Jim Wang says
January 3, 2019 at 6:09 pmI don’t think they have that level of usage detail. If you threaten to quit, or actually quit for a bit, they will deal.
ASIMA SAAD MAURA says
January 21, 2019 at 11:36 amWell, I am one of the “oldies” who bought their LIFETIME subscription at top price in 2008-October only to find that the company changed the meaning of “lifetime” to their own benefit. It is a shame, totally deceitful.
MaggieB says
July 2, 2019 at 11:29 amABSOLUTELY AGREE! We bought our lifetime plan in 2005, taking a chance that they would even survive as most people at that time didn’t even know what satellite radio was… and now fast forward to 2019 and all I want to do is switch my service to my new car… and they think I should pay them a $75 transfer fee? Totally deceitful.
Duffy says
January 21, 2019 at 3:07 pmDon’t forget they offer a package called “Basic” for $6.99 a month that offers about 50 channels. Hard to find but if you search on SiriusXM Basic using Google, it will find it. There is also another hidden package called BasicPlus which has a few more channels and also Internet listening. Has some good channels and a good mix of music, news, sports and talk.
Kate P says
January 29, 2019 at 9:51 amThank you for the tip to use a prepaid card instead of my credit card. Brilliant. I just called and had $107 credited to my account. I have to call back in 6 months, but I saved a good chunk of money. Thanks!
bill s says
February 13, 2019 at 10:21 amI just said I want 1 year for $60. they said okay, total will be $77.21 with fees and taxes. took less than 2 minutes.
Jim Wang says
February 13, 2019 at 1:45 pmGreat advice!
bill s says
February 13, 2019 at 11:37 amAfter you pay with a credit card, you can delete the credit card from the account. Then they will have to bill you if you forget to cancel. They can’t automatically charge your card. You can always add it back.
BillR says
February 13, 2019 at 12:46 pmI just signed up for the 12-month Sirius Select plan for $99.00 + fees, that equal a one-time debit of $120.19 from my credit card. I insisted that this “one-time” charge isn’t followed up with any recurring charges (at the full rate) in the future. I was assured that my credit card info would not be retained in their system for future use. I called back after 25 minutes to verify that my credit card info was not kept on file. I was told it was not, and that today’s transaction was a “paper invoice billing” transaction. (This is easier than buying a gift card.). Sirius said that I would be notified, by mail, some 54 to 60 days prior to the end of my subscription, so I could renegotiate for continued service. We’ll see if that happens as well….
Jim Wang says
February 13, 2019 at 1:44 pmI would put a reminder in my calendar to confirm this. I know they said it’s off but… 🙂
JerryM says
February 18, 2019 at 8:49 amI just renewed my All Access subscription at the $99.00 annual with Amazon Echo Dot. They say this rate is for new customers only: I said “so basically you screw the old customers?’. [I’ve subscribed since the early 2000’s.] They rolled over in 2 seconds. [Another thing – through Bank of America credit card – you can generate a one time use credit card number, with a maximum value, and as short as 2 month expiration. I use that for things that want to auto renew [like Sirius] and for purchases from shady organizations. ]
Jim Wang says
February 18, 2019 at 9:21 amGreat tip, thanks Jerry!
This is what I never understand about new customer promotions – you are screwing your loyal customers.
You’re making them jump through hoops to get the same deals, which you give them anyway! Why not just give loyal customers a “loyalty plans” that’s the cheaper price, save everyone time, and make them feel happy in the process?
brenda swartz says
March 23, 2019 at 7:33 pmComcast Cable company does the same thing. They offer all the great deals to new customers and leave the 20 plus year
loyal customers to pony up tons of money!
Mary says
February 23, 2019 at 10:04 amOk, so I received a card in the mail telling me my Sirius is up for renewal—200 bucks more thank I paid last year! I called this morning (i remember negotiating down last year to 120 for all access for I year) They told me I was getting a discounted rate and that all access is supposed to be $299 a year. I said I wouldn’t pay more than what I payed last year for same service. He put me on hold and quickly came back and said ok to the 120 bucks for All Access one year…I agreed… hung up and then started wondering if I could have gotten a better deal? Any thoughts? Thanks!
Jim Wang says
February 23, 2019 at 8:47 pmIt depends on how many radios you are paying for service. The current promotion is 6 months for $50 so $120 for one year isn’t that far off (only $20 more).
J.T. says
February 23, 2019 at 3:35 pmWhat you’re doing isn’t negotiating. It’s backhanded thievery.
Jim Wang says
February 23, 2019 at 8:46 pmHow is it backhanded thievery?
Robin says
February 24, 2019 at 10:19 amMy free new car subscription is up in 2 days, I just got a text message on my phone I can have 3 months free then be charged the 4th month at whatever the current price will be. They state I can cancel at anytime. Can I cancel after the 3 months of free service? I guess I would have to cancel the last couple days of the free service, before the 4th month?? just wanted to know if anyone has done this?
Jim Wang says
February 25, 2019 at 7:37 amI’d check to see if the three months come with a contract. If there is no contract, I don’t see why you couldn’t take advantage of it?
Rosie says
February 25, 2019 at 10:04 amSaved $80 off of one car and $100 off a second car subscription.
Jim Wang says
February 25, 2019 at 11:10 amCongratulations! That’s awesome!
Valerie says
March 13, 2019 at 11:08 amIf I have Sirius in another vehicle, can I add my new car that’s expiring to that account? I fear that we’ve (stupidly) been paying ‘rack rate’ in that vehicle for a few years now.
Fellow Tartan alum
Jim Wang says
March 13, 2019 at 2:53 pmI’m not entirely sure, we never had it in two cars so I never had to deal with this. Customer service may know better – best of luck!
Maddernhell says
March 18, 2019 at 12:44 amPushed a button in newly purchased used car. Got a line of blather about SIRIUS. Then lo and behold ,today got an email from them advising that I have a FREE subscription for three months. Having learned to look gift-horses in the mouth, I ran a search and wound up here. I’ve enjoyed reading how all you good folks have dealt with SIRIUS. I have not turned my car radio or CD player on for at least 100,000 miles. So, informed as I am, I’ll jost sit and wait for their offers. Thank you all. ARB
Mister Gee says
March 19, 2019 at 2:55 pmI am about to buy a Kia with free 90 days Siriusxm. From what i understand, at the end of this period I am then eligible for 12 months at $5, after which normal pricing begins. Is this true?
After a first year discounted subscription, can one still barter a deal? If so, is it better to first cancel and then inquire?
Thank you so much for this voluntary contribution!
Jim Wang says
March 20, 2019 at 10:36 amYou should check your paperwork as that will explain it in detail.
You can call before your renewal to see if they will keep you on a discount otherwise you may have to cancel and sign up again (it’s really easy and fast).
al covey says
April 9, 2019 at 11:47 ami just cancelled mine after having xm for a year and a half.last time i tried to cancel they offered a great deal for one year.this time they never asked whyi was cancelling .so i asked why she told me i no longer have vehicle i was shocked i still have it and drive it daily ,i told her i never said that ,she replied you are now cancelled ,very dissapointed
Jason Hare says
April 10, 2019 at 12:48 pmThey had me renewing AllAccess at a total of $305.78 (including taxes/fees) for the year. I called to cancel. Offers were (I had to decline each offer to get the next one):
1) $160.08 for the year
2) $145.53 for the year
3) $99 for the Select package for the year (which I didn’t want)
4) $60.69 for six months
I took the $60.69 for six months. I hate that I have to call back in six months to do this crap again, but it seemed unlikely the price was going to go lower than that. And I don’t know why, but I think I started to feel bad that I just kept saying “no” to the offers!
This post (and comments) were very helpful!
Jim Wang says
April 11, 2019 at 8:26 amHaving to do this every six months can be tedious but it’s all part of the game, unfortunately.
David Tegge says
April 24, 2019 at 8:15 pmI had my basic subscription transferred to a new vehicle that I purchased. Essentially I was able to negotiate about a year and a half worth of service for $99, as long as i committed to their standard subscription price of right around $190 +/-. Well, when the time came due, they hit my account for $232.94. I’m not happy about it but I’m probably screwed aren’t I? Love my XM listening, but not happy at all about paying more than 100% more for what I’ve always listened to. Can’t say I wasn’t warned but any ideas you can give to get a little relief?
Jim Wang says
April 25, 2019 at 9:03 amI don’t know what you can do after the fact but they respond well to threats to cancel…
Gary Ludwick says
May 23, 2019 at 10:15 amI missed canceling before the renewal date, but when I saw it on my credit card, I called and cancelled my service and got a refund for everything but the few weeks used before I called. I just told’em I sold the car and there was no problem getting the refund.
Jim Wang says
May 23, 2019 at 10:34 amThanks for sharing your experience, it’ll help a lot of folks who run into that same issue!
JMS says
May 1, 2019 at 10:23 amI just got 6 months for $50 with a Echo Dot
Bobbyg says
May 2, 2019 at 7:34 pmThe fleet vehicles at my job have SiriusXM Radio, so I listen whenever I travel. But I don’t get how you can say it’s great, high quality audio. No matter what vehicle I’m in, the audio is always very digital sounding, sometimes hard to listen to. Pretty horrible to my ears.
Does quality differ in various parts of the country? I’d love to get a subscription in my own vehicle, but can’t justify it with what I’m hearing.
Thanks.
Bebe Enteo says
May 15, 2019 at 5:04 pmI have a built-in dash radio that came with the car, and the sound it great. I have read that the ones you buy and plug into the audio jack on the radio may have some audio issues
Stefen says
May 3, 2019 at 8:55 pmI was considering subscribing to this service after my free trial ended. I had no idea that after a promotional offering rate they woukd triple the price with no warning. Thanks for the heads up on that. Their tactic sounds much like a major TV cable company I used to subscribe to. You have to threaten to cancel so they give you a better rate for a year. Something about that sort of behavior just ferls deceptive and wrong. I have decided not to play their game at all. The music channels are convenient but not really the type of music I enjoy. Much of it is either very dated or all pop and new artists who have lots of recognition but do not offer my kind of music. They seem to offer nothing by international well known stars – just your typical American humdrum stuff that everyone goes for now…
Jim Wang says
May 4, 2019 at 8:08 amI know! Me neither! It was infuriating that it jumped with no warning, your only warning is the bill!
Mary Elwood says
May 12, 2019 at 11:43 amYou mentioned the Premier Streaming deal at the beginning
of your article and did not include the car…..any reason you can’t listen to your iphone in the car? My car radio and an input jack and on the rare
occasion I don’t have satellite reception I plug in iphone with Sirius
app and works fine.
Gone2TheDogs says
May 15, 2019 at 1:15 pmDON’T USE A CREDIT CARD TO RENEW!!!!!
I just tell them to send me an invoice and send in a check. Old school? maybe, but they can’t auto-renew either. Costs $2 extra for paper billing, but its worth it.
Bebe Enteo says
May 15, 2019 at 5:02 pmBuy Sirius XM Gift Cards and load them into your online account, then call 10 months into the contract to re-negotiate a lower rate. It avoids the $2.00 charge, and you don’t have to write a check.
Bebe Enteo says
May 15, 2019 at 5:01 pmSome things I’ve done:
1. I call the number and ask for the “Retention Department”, and I get a representative in North America (on previous times, I’ve gotten people in Canada, and Nebraska)
2. Never, ever, pay with a credit or debit card. I have always used the Sirius XM Gift Cards you can get from Best Buy (online or in person). I load them into my Sirius XM online account, THEN I call to negotiate. Just like people who wrote, I always get the All-Access for about $145.00 for the year, including all state sales tax and Royalty fee. I make sure that I have at least $150 in the account. The remainder is used for the next time.
3. About 10 months into the contract I call up and renegotiate.
Trent says
May 22, 2019 at 1:13 amThis is probably what I’m going to do. I’m sure I can probably get a better rate doing a 6 month deal but I only want to do this once a year. And using the card the only thing they can do is turn off the service. Much better then billing the CC. This seems the most painless way to deal with XM.
Lee says
May 15, 2019 at 8:48 pmWhy can’t Sirius make deal with Google so stations can be streamed thru Google home minis?
mamaof3 says
May 22, 2019 at 9:07 amThanks so much for the tip…I just called and got the one year for $60 (she asked me why I wanted that promotional rate and I said I couldn’t afford the $20/month). I then asked her for a credit for the month they just billed ($20.70) and she granted that as well, bringing my total for the year to $56.97! Couldn’t have done it without your help, thank you Jim!
Giles says
May 22, 2019 at 11:47 pmCurrent offer is $50 for 6 months with an Echo Dot, which retails for $50. If you forget to cancel and see the charge on your credit card, just call and they will apply it to your next negotiated rate.
Billy Zane says
May 25, 2019 at 2:00 pmeasy and effortless. Called up saying I want to cancel. “too spendy for me”.
They immediately responded with a 11.99+fees per month.
Asked if that was the best they could do and if I paid ffor 6/12 months if they could make a better deal.
They responded by saying some words I didn’t understand much, but came to the conclusion that they’ll offer 7.99+royalty fees(a combined total of 9.70$usd) per month for XM Select.
I agreed to this fair price.
Alfonso Solis says
May 28, 2019 at 5:01 pmGreat article! Just negotiated 6 months for $29 + fees ($36 combined) for Select with Streaming.
Angela says
May 28, 2019 at 5:05 pmIs it better to wait until subscription ends or before. Mine runs out on June 1. They can’t auto renew since the card on file is closed. Just wondering your thoughts? Through my work I can get a year subscription for $99 but not sure what package. Right now it says I am not eligible for it since I have an active subscription.
Edd says
June 1, 2019 at 10:48 pmThe Sirius gift card payment is probably the best way to painlessly get service and end it. I always require them to send a paper invoice and send them a check. Occasionally, I let the service simply run out and then call to start it again when I find a good deal.
Scott says
June 6, 2019 at 1:44 pmJust renewed my ALL ACCESS for one year at $99.00. Taxes $18.91. Totall for one year is $117.91. Did this today, which is also my renewal date. Also I have never given my credit card. They asked me for a credit card and I said no. She put me on hold and came back and said they will bill me and send in mail. This will be my third time paying by check. Woman I spoke to was in the Philippines. She was very nice and spoke perfect english. FYI, I was very nice and respectful and never had to threaten to cancel.
Eric says
June 10, 2019 at 8:54 amThanks. Was reading your note while on the phone declining each offer she was giving me. Finally I said, I’ll pay $120 (including tax’s and fees) for the All Access. She put me on hold, came back and approved it for 1-yr. I did give them my cc but have a reminder set to call back 3 days before my next renewal.
The All Access give me 1-streaming line too so I use my phone in my car to stream. The wife’s car has the subscription (2018 Nissan).
Miss K says
June 13, 2019 at 3:07 pmHad Select for $99/yr and they wanted to charge $247 now. Called to cancel – too expensive and we only listen to a handful of channels. It’s a 2008 vehicle that we’re not in much – mostly in husband’s vehicle. Was offered $29.94 + fees totaling $38.89 for 6 months of All Access. Still not comfortable with it. She then offered $30 total for 6 months, no fees, basically $5/mo. No. She then offered $25 for 5 months. Really? Same thing. No thank you. She transferred me to someone that could offer a better deal. A guy came on and offered me what I was paying last year – $99. No. Then $60/yr. No. Then $30/yr. Been down this road already with her. No. He came back with $2 + fees for 3 mo. Ok. I hate to call back in 3 months, but will have to. Reminder set.
Joni says
July 9, 2019 at 2:23 pmI got this deal 3 months ago and just called to cancel. She started going through the offers and I said if I could get the same deal I would do it, if not cancel. She put me on hold to see of the promotion was ‘still available ‘. Came back, gave for the $2 per month. I had a different renewal date on one vehicle so with taxes and fees I paid $2.06 for my husband’s car and $1.83 for mine. That price I don’t mind at all.
Phillip Dampier says
June 17, 2019 at 2:24 pmBeware of believing a Privacy.com card or an expired or one-use card will save you from a surprise renewal. Banks offer vendors courtesy approvals of these transactions for renewals with companies you have an established relationship with. You can still find charges reauthorized even on one-use cards. A prepaid debit card with a zero balance is safe, as are Sirius XM gift cards, but be aware they will mail you a bill if they can’t renew with a card and expect it to be paid, or face collections. You can call and negotiate down the charge, or possibly even waive it, but do not ignore those bills.
Never believe them if they tell you they can’t do a deal for you. Just hang up and call back. I have been playing this game for over a decade. If you do cancel, you should start getting winback offers in 7-10 days in email, followed by a barrage of mail offers almost weekly.
If you can’t live without, cancel you your existing account and then sign up for a new free trial for 30-60 days and then cancel that before it ends and retentions will play along.
I dropped the satellite service several years ago and use streaming entirely because it is more versatile. You can easily stream the lineup through Bluetooth to your car speakers or use a basic patch cord from the phone to the audio-in jack on your radio. I can then use Waze for free GPS and traffic alerts while streaming XM at the same time and they co-exist well. Also, no dropouts if the satellite signal is blocked. The streaming has a negligible impact on data plans and you can adjust the bit rate/quality in the settings if you are worried about chewing up your data allowance.
Keep in mind, Spotify, Pandora, Google Play Music, Apple Music, and others also offer premade playlists if you want to retire XM. But you may miss the news/sports/other channels. The best alternative if you want to save even more is exploring TuneIn, which has lots of news and sports options and is free.
scott says
June 18, 2019 at 6:28 pmcan you still negotiate after you miss your 6-month date with autopay by 2 weeks or am i out of luck till november.
Jim Wang says
June 18, 2019 at 7:26 pmIt may be tough if you’re under contract until November.
KP says
June 20, 2019 at 3:30 pmAfter reading all the advice, I called Sirius just a few minutes ago. I needed to upgrade from select to all access so I knew I was in for a runaround. I politely but firmly told the first gentleman what I wanted. When he refused to budge on the price, I said fine, cancel, I’ll go to iHeart radio. I was promptly sent to the retention team. They started with all sorts of prices at six month intervals and I interrupted and said nope, one year thank you. So they offered me 147.21 (includes fees and taxes. After a bit of back and forth I said I want even lower and I ended up with 130$ all in. Plus no VISA number–they bill me once a year.
Could I have gotten a better deal? Perhaps. But this was a number I was comfortable with considering I paid 117 last year for select and they can’t do anything next year except bill me again. 🙂
Susan Franklin says
June 28, 2019 at 5:17 pmI’m so glad I read this. I have Sirius select, for some reason, and I rarely listen to any channel but 148, which has a lot of commercials. Very irritating. I decided to cancel, seriously, but of course they started slinging all these deals at me. I caved and renewed for a year, but instead of paying $232.94, I’m paying $46. Ha! Thank you all!
Dave says
June 30, 2019 at 8:02 amI just called and got 12 months for 48 total. No taxes or fees. Tell them you have unlimited data on cell phone and sirius is just a convenient alternative to linking phone to vehicle.
Jodie says
July 5, 2019 at 7:17 pmi was just offered $ 72.72 ($6.06mo) for 1 yr including fees & taxes via chat. there’s no penalty to cancel. if you’re without your car you can call to have the service suspended. they’ll refund or issue credit for that time or from the date you cancel.
Kate says
July 23, 2019 at 4:27 pmI just called and they aren’t budging, all they are offering me is the Select plan 6 months for $30 or 1 year for $60…I can get that by just signing up online….ugh!
Mel says
July 29, 2019 at 12:47 pmI just called and got Select package for $99 for 12 months! I’ve been paying $27/mo for All-Access and only listening to 5 or so channels. Took 12 minutes on the phone and saved $242+ a year!
Debbie says
August 4, 2019 at 11:35 amWe have four cars with Sirius. We have the primo service on our C7 Corvette and then I told them the other cars need to be right around $100 a year for each of the other cars or it’s not worth it. They came back and I got the other cars for $107 a year. I used to work for AT&T and am a negotiation genius. I have a “method” I use for buying cars. It always works and I am in and out of any car dealership in around 30 minutes. Of course I know what I want, I know what I am willing to pay, and I know what they WILL give me for my trade in. So Sirius is a piece of cake and I have never had to cancel. Also, I NEVER EVER EVER use a credit card with them. I tell them email me the invoice and I will pay it immediately. That way they HAVE TO send me a bill before it expires. If you give them a credit card they almost never take it out of their system.