Billing Plans

Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
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Sooo... upon review of current plans:
Howard is only in the most-expensive plan at $20.99/mo
There is no benefit to signing up for a year at a time. In the past, a year would be "pay 11 months, get 1 free" or "pay 22 months, get 2 free."

I can see why people are restoring to other options, but I'm not that dedicated. I suppose I should call and see what they can offer.

Right now, I only listen on my phone. I shouldn't have to pay crazy prices for limited access.
 

Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
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Soooo...

At first, they had no promotions other than ones that gave "free" radios. I told them that I was paying too much and I wanted Howard.

It went something like this:

"We have a SiriusXM select package at ....dollars per month plus taxes and fees."
"Does it include Howard?"
"It absolutely does not include the Howard Stern channels."
"I need those Howard channels."
"We have a Mostly Music package for $9.99 per month plus taxes and fees."
"Does it include the Howard Stern channels?"
"Oh no...if you want the Howard Stern channels, you need the All Access package at $20.99/mo plus taxes and fees."

After I hung up and called another number, I was able to get someone who spoke slightly better English and was able to recognize my subscription since 2005 and gave me the All-Access for half off.

I'm supposedly getting the money refunded to my card instead of credit.
 

geosync

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2008
2,471
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Portland, Or
It's getting to be too much. I canceled for all of 2016 because of the free month went away. I felt like they were giving up better deals for new subs. 21 bucks plus fees is a lot of dough. I pay for my grandma's select and use my mom's full package on the phone.
 

blueneon36

Active Member
Mar 10, 2009
880
156
43
Pittsburgh
I wish I would have jumped back when lifetime was $399 per radio with no royalty fees or taxes. What a bargain compared to today's yearly cost: $273.40 + Tax for one radio... :(
 
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Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
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I wish I would have jumped back when lifetime was $399 per radio with no royalty fees or taxes. What a bargain compared to today's yearly cost: $273.40 + Tax for one radio... :(


Yet, you were only allowed three transfers at $75 each and with as terrible as those radios were... I remember hearing a lot of stories how people would be on their last lifetime radio and they'd be running newer ones on a $6.99/mo "additional radio" plans so as not to use up their lifetime.

I don't know how many stilettos I lost via faulty clickwheels or other radios I lost via other reasons.
 
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blueneon36

Active Member
Mar 10, 2009
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Pittsburgh
I would have done 2 transfers on the radio that's active in my signature... It started with a Stratus 4 and is now an XM Onyx Plus. The Lifetime sub would have been completely worth it, as I've had those radios for 7-8 years now. Lifetime would have paid for itself in 2 years now at normal pricing. :(

I've had many Sirius radios... some were stolen out of my car, others broke on their own... but all were pretty terrible. Especially that Stiletto 2 and its reset procedure that you had to perform time to time on a Windows XP based computer just to keep its memory from crapping out.

I pay for the Onyx Plus now on a yearly promo rate (1/2 off all access). If I don't get some kind of promo for that radio, I'll cancel altogether. Service costs have gone up significantly YOY for the past few years and the Royalty Fees are scheduled to keep going up.
 

Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
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I didn't think lifetime could be transferred to car radios....hmmm...

I don't believe I had to do that reset procedure. Maybe I got lucky or they all died before I had to do that. One thing I miss about them...before the 90-minute timeout was implemented, I would keep it on from when I went to bed until I left for work. I finally remembered I was on "internet radio" when it got too far from the router.

My promo rate is above. If you don't need internet access, I hear you can go less. And actually, my rate is similar to "Mostly Music" and I end up getting Howard for free. :)
 
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IdRatherBeSkiing

Sherbet is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Oct 11, 2008
27,227
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Toronto, ON
I didn't think lifetime could be transferred to car radios....hmmm...

I don't believe I had to do that reset procedure. Maybe I got lucky or they all died before I had to do that. One thing I miss about them...before the 90-minute timeout was implemented, I would keep it on from when I went to bed until I left for work. I finally remembered I was on "internet radio" when it got too far from the router.

My promo rate is above. If you don't need internet access, I hear you can go less. And actually, my rate is similar to "Mostly Music" and I end up getting Howard for free. :)
I think the clause is if it was a car radio you bought it on, it cannot be transferred.
 

Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
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I think the clause is if it was a car radio you bought it on, it cannot be transferred.

You may be right. You may be able to transfer a lifetime *to* a car radio, but if you bought a lifetime *for* a car radio, I'm sure those can't be transferred *from* the car.
 

blueneon36

Active Member
Mar 10, 2009
880
156
43
Pittsburgh
That is correct (from what I remember).... No Vehicle-Based Radio could have been lifetimed... YMMV if you try to switch your current lifetime sub to one.

The best thing to do, Kryptonite, is call the retentions line and ask for a promo rate... if you want Howard, radio, and online listening capabilities, the All Access 1 year at 50% off deal is for you. It will probably come out to ~$140+ tax after US Music Royalty Fee per radio. 6 months for $30 is another promo they can offer.. but its for XM Select only and online listening is not included. If you have a Sirius Radio, Sirius Select at 6 months for $30 will include Howard I believe, but not online listening.

After you sign up, make a note in your phones calendar for a few days before you are scheduled to renew and call back for another promo rate. I've been doing it for years. Its highly inconvenient, but its the only thing that keeps me as a sub.
 

Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
11,666
1,836
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That is correct (from what I remember).... No Vehicle-Based Radio could have been lifetimed... YMMV if you try to switch your current lifetime sub to one.

The best thing to do, Kryptonite, is call the retentions line and ask for a promo rate... if you want Howard, radio, and online listening capabilities, the All Access 1 year at 50% off deal is for you. It will probably come out to ~$140+ tax after US Music Royalty Fee per radio. 6 months for $30 is another promo they can offer.. but its for XM Select only and online listening is not included. If you have a Sirius Radio, Sirius Select at 6 months for $30 will include Howard I believe, but not online listening.

After you sign up, make a note in your phones calendar for a few days before you are scheduled to renew and call back for another promo rate. I've been doing it for years. Its highly inconvenient, but its the only thing that keeps me as a sub.

I used to do a year of Sirius Select and then add on the additional $5 or so for internet listening, but a few years ago they convinced me All-Access was lower priced.

The website seems a little misleading. It talks about XM Select, but I don't see Sirius Select. Did they mean that to mean the same package?

And I'm all about those notes for the phone. It also works for TV services.
 

blueneon36

Active Member
Mar 10, 2009
880
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Pittsburgh
XM Select and Sirius Select are based upon what type of radio you have. If you have a Sirius Radio, then XM Select is actually called Sirius Select. They are the same package. Sirius tuners have access to NFL, Nascar, and Howard. XM has MLB/NHL/NBA and Faction Talk (used to be O&A's Channel). If you have an XM tuner and want NFL/Nascar/Howard, you have to get the All Access plan now, as the old XM and Sirius Premier plans without internet radio no longer exist (thats what the retentions rep told me last time I renewed).

All new plug n play radios out there with the exception of the Starmate 8 are XM based, so you probably have an XM Radio.
 

Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
11,666
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XM Select and Sirius Select are based upon what type of radio you have. If you have a Sirius Radio, then XM Select is actually called Sirius Select. They are the same package. Sirius tuners have access to NFL, Nascar, and Howard. XM has MLB/NHL/NBA and Faction Talk (used to be O&A's Channel). If you have an XM tuner and want NFL/Nascar/Howard, you have to get the All Access plan now, as the old XM and Sirius Premier plans without internet radio no longer exist (thats what the retentions rep told me last time I renewed).

All new plug n play radios out there with the exception of the Starmate 8 are XM based, so you probably have an XM Radio.


I have the Onyx Plus or whatever the "fancy" model is. Somehow, the website probably knows that... if I had the newer Starmate, I probably would be eligible for my old "Sirius Select at half-off plus internet" option, but it probably is a much better deal for the Onyx with All-Access half-off even if I don't take full advantage of it.

It just stinks I can't rig my boombox for a Onyx, like how I rigged my SL100 adapter for a SL2. My new car (any day now...I hope) will definitely have it built-in, so I'm actually stuck with more old Sirius stuff than I care to remember. (I still have my Sportster Replay boombox.)

Actually, I wonder if I could rig something up hypothetically speaking. If I had a way to conduct the electricity to/from the plug to the ports on the radio. I'm sure any electrical engineer could figure out how. There was the "aluminum foil in the battery holder of the CD player" trick...
 

Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
11,666
1,836
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I just got off the phone with Nova Scotia (yay!) and the guy was able to explain my history.

I had various Sirius radios. These still have Howard on the basic "select" plans. However, when I started getting half-off promotions, I would add the internet on for a year at regular price. It eventually became that the "All-Access" was lower cost AND gave me various other channels on the app.

When I got my new/current radio, it flipped me to the XM platform.

Because of this, Howard is only on the All-Access (higher) tiers... but, because I'm in a promotion, I'm still coming out a winner.

I'm kind of getting hosed compared to some deals because I need the app. However, it's still a good deal.

And this comes from me seeing an online bill where a guy got a five-year XM deal for just under $200! The Canadian guy figured out it was probably because he has a really old radio like a MyFi or Roady.

Edit... It's a 2008 Acura.
 
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