Sirius/XM Satellite Radio

[iggyformayor]

Not sure if there is another thread on this topic, did a quick search but couldn't find anything.

Looking at their website, the regular price for a month to month subscription is $14.99 a month.

Last christmas I received a promo in the mail for 5 months for $20. At $4 a month its worth every penny so I went with it. Called after the 5 months to cancel and make sure I didn't end up paying the regular price. Rather than let me cancel, they re-upped me for another 5 months at $20. This morning I called to cancel again, and lo and behold, the re-upped me for another 5 months for $20 to keep me from cancelling.

Quick math:
15 months @ 14.99/month + tax= $236.09
15 months cost me= $63

Long story short, don't pay full price. Call to cancel and tell them that $15/month is just way too much to be paying for satellite radio. Most likely they'll offer you something on the spot just to keep your subscription. If not, cancel anyways and I can guarantee you'll get a promo offer in the mail for way less than you would pay normally.

Hope this helps anyone who might currently have a subscription.

[bomba]

Sage advice. Also, people have to monitor their subscriptions because XM is very sneaky and "auto-renews" you for another year if you don't call in advance.

[ken0042]

Last time I called in to extend a deal they wouldn't give me the promo price again. I even went through the process of cancelling.

We just bought a new vehicle with XM, and went with the lifetime subscription. At ~ $500 I pretty much factored it into the cost of the vehicle, and never have to worry about it again.

[Bill Bumface]

I really hope they don't go out of business. I really like Satellite radio. I'm surprised its not more popular, especially considering the number of hours the average American/Canadian spends in there car. Its fantastic for long highway trips when you finally hit the wall with your own familiar music.

[Calgaryborn]

Im upset with XM's reception in the mountains. It doesn't cut out for long but, it does cut out quite often. I understand that Sirius utilizes a more northern satellite and has less problems. The reason I picked XM over Sirius was the hockey coverage. Been hoping that now that they are one company that XM would get access to Sirius' satellite.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I really hope they don't go out of business. I really like Satellite radio. I'm surprised its not more popular, especially considering the number of hours the average American/Canadian spends in there car. Its fantastic for long highway trips when you finally hit the wall with your own familiar music.

I like it, and all, but the internet will kill them soon or later. Pandora is probably a better service for free. Easy to stream via bluetooth to my car from my phone. Only a matter of time before Pandora and the like are in the dashes of cars too. I would have kept paying for Sirius if their sound quality was just a little better. It sounds awful when I switch to Sirius from anything else.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Calgaryborn

Im upset with XM's reception in the mountains. It doesn't cut out for long but, it does cut out quite often. I understand that Sirius utilizes a more northern satellite and has less problems. The reason I picked XM over Sirius was the hockey coverage. Been hoping that now that they are one company that XM would get access to Sirius' satellite.

I think XM uses geosynchronous satellites, and Sirius uses orbiting satellites, which do come quite a bit further North. I've found a big mountain reception difference between Sirius and XM.

Originally Posted by nfotiu

I like it, and all, but the internet will kill them soon or later. Pandora is probably a better service for free. Easy to stream via bluetooth to my car from my phone. Only a matter of time before Pandora and the like are in the dashes of cars too. I would have kept paying for Sirius if their sound quality was just a little better. It sounds awful when I switch to Sirius from anything else.

In Canada we don't have cell service everywhere When you're in the middle of nowhere, Satellite is your only option.

[Jimmy Stang]

I was an early adopter of Sirius as soon as I could sign up. I have enjoyed it immensely and I liked the fact that I didn't have to rely on commercial radio. For discovering new music, it was fantastic.

But the reason that I am referring to it in the past tense is because I cancelled my subscription a couple of weeks ago. I recently upgraded my phone, negotiated a 6 gig data plan, and realized that I simply wasn't using it anymore. The Tunein Radio app is phenomenal and I can stream loads of radio stations (including CBC Radio 3, which was my primary station on Sirius). Plus there are so many good podcasts available as well. And I have also been learning a second language in the car on my commute, which further contributed to my cancellation.

I called Sirius, and to their credit, offered me some free months to convince me to stay. I thanked the lady for their offer, but I said that I simply don't use it anymore. It is a strange feeling because a few years ago I never would have imagined cancelling my service. If you count my savings on my phone plan (getting more data for less cost!), and my Sirius subscription, I'm saving about $35/month.

All of that being said, I do hope that Sirius and XM stick around. They provide a lot of content for good value. it just doesn't fit with my current habits.