SiriusXM: What am I missing? (Pricing)

[Fingolfin269]

I hear all about people getting 5 or 6 months for $20-$30 but as a new customer all I can see is that it's going to cost me almost $40 to sign up for a single month. This is for XM Select + Traffic. I tried calling yesterday and got the same sales pitch (if you want to call it that) from the rep.

So what's the secret here? Pay the ridiculous cost up front and then play the cancel/renew game to get good deals going forward?

To be honest I'm shocked by their business model. The pricing is outrageous considering there are so many streaming options for radio stations, Spotify, Pandora, etc.

 

[BoomerD]

I dunno...we got a free 6-month trial with the C-Max we just bought...then $14.99/month if we decide to keep Sirius after that.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I dunno...we got a free 6-month trial with the C-Max we just bought...then $14.99/month if we decide to keep Sirius after that.

Right, it's $14.99 for Select. And another $3.99 more if you want traffic. The extra I'm seeing is the $15 activation fee which could of course mean I'm doing it wrong but even then $20/mo for one month seems pretty crazy for that service.

 

[lxskllr]

I wouldn't pay it. Sinking the money into more data for your phone would be a better value.

 

[OutHouse]

I wouldn't pay it. Sinking the money into more data for your phone would be a better value.

phone wont work without a cell signal. Sirius is far superior to streaming over cell.

 

[mnewsham]

Sirius is far superior to streaming over cell

That's going to depend heavily upon where you live, in the midwest maybe you're right. If you live on east or west coast, you're better off spending that money on phone data.

 

[zerocool84]

I got it free for 3 months when I bought my new car, it wasn't bad and I could see if you have long commutes it could definitely be worth it but I didn't use it much at all. I listen to AM talk radio most of the time.

 

[OutHouse]

That's going to depend heavily upon where you live, in the midwest maybe you're right. If you live on east or west coast, you're better off spending that money on phone data.

why?

 

[ControlD]

why?

I'm gonna guess it's because there is actually radio worth listening to there.

I got the six month free trial to Sirius with my new car last week and I am already trying to figure out how to extend the service cheaply as well. Radio here in Ohio pretty much sucks.

 

[mnewsham]

why?

Because if you're on one of the coasts you likely have tons of regular radio and 4g LTE data networks literally everywhere for streaming music if you want.

You likely already have a smartphone with a data plan, add $10 a month for streaming music and you're $10 cheaper than Sirius and have just as much music, if not more, at your disposal. Sirius makes sense if you dont have constant LTE access, but I haven't been without data in over 2 years, I just don't leave the 4G coverage ever.

 

[OutHouse]

Because if you're on one of the coasts you likely have tons of regular radio and 4g LTE data networks literally everywhere for streaming music if you want.

You likely already have a smartphone with a data plan, add $10 a month for streaming music and you're $10 cheaper than Sirius and have just as much music, if not more, at your disposal. Sirius makes sense if you dont have constant LTE access, but I haven't been without data in over 2 years, I just don't leave the 4G coverage ever.

Ill admit im biased since i have had Sirius for 10 years. there are many channels i like on Sirusthat you cant stream plus commercial free. also i learned the hard way that using google maps on your phone chews up a lot of data. Garmin For the WIn!

 

[DrPizza]

Sirius is integrated into my vehicle. I just have to flick my thumb and the station changes. That seems pretty superior to having to fiddle with your cell phone if a crappy song comes on.

 

[ultimatebob]

If you're paying for SiriusXM just to try it out, you're doing it wrong. They give free 3 month demos to basically anyone with an existing radio who asks for one.

 

[Fingolfin269]

If you're paying for SiriusXM just to try it out, you're doing it wrong. They give free 3 month demos to basically anyone with an existing radio who asks for one.

Already went through the trial phase. Are you saying they will just continue to give 3 month trials?

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I started with a promo, then got the 3 month bundle for 50% off, then let one month go at regular price. I called to cancel, and they offered 1 year of Sirius Select, Traffic, and Travel Link for $150. About $12.50 a month for all 3 services.

 

[SSSnail]

I got it free with the new car for a few months, then after which they gave promotional rate of $5/mo, which will automatically renew at regular rate of $14.99/mo after 6 months. Well, after 6 months, I called them and told them I want to cancel, they offered another 6 months at $5/mo. I guess I'll call them again when the 6 months is up...

Moral of the story is call to cancel if you want good rates.

 

[Viper GTS]

Sirius is integrated into my vehicle. I just have to flick my thumb and the station changes. That seems pretty superior to having to fiddle with your cell phone if a crappy song comes on.

Pretty much this. I have both, and basically don't use streaming media on my phone. Way too much hassle.

What it comes down to is this: satellite covers 95% of the gap between terrestrial radio and streaming (no geographical variance, no commercials, and stations that are granular enough that I can listen to exactly what I want) for 0% of the hassle. It's just there. All the time. There's no stopping halfway down the block to figure out why my phone is skipping or not playing audio through the car. There's no album finishes and no more music until you reach your destination. Plus I appreciate that satellite introduces me to stuff I would unlikely have encountered otherwise.

Viper GTS

 

[gorcorps]

Sirius is integrated into my vehicle. I just have to flick my thumb and the station changes. That seems pretty superior to having to fiddle with your cell phone if a crappy song comes on.

Slacker radio and pandora are integrated into my head unit, so all the controls come from my car. The only reason satellite would have an edge here are for cars with dated technology. Plus I believe most phones these days have pretty advanced voice controls, so you shouldn't have to touch it.

Satellite is only worth $5/month at most to me, and they won't give me more than 6 months at that price. I got sick of playing that game so now they get nothing.

 

[Pardus]

They gave me 6 mos for $20 after i told them to cancel after my trial period was over.

 

[Crono]

Sirius is integrated into my vehicle. I just have to flick my thumb and the station changes. That seems pretty superior to having to fiddle with your cell phone if a crappy song comes on.

I can do the same with anything on Spotify or any other media player app (at least over bluetooth, aux is a different story). I'll take streaming music and podcasts over satellite even if satellite radio were free. Much more customization to preferences than flipping through channels.

For people with older vehicles or live in an area with spotty data, I can understand using satellite.

 

[JackBurton]

Sirius is integrated into my vehicle. I just have to flick my thumb and the station changes. That seems pretty superior to having to fiddle with your cell phone if a crappy song comes on.

I walk into my car, it auto syncs to my phone over Bluetooth and radio controls become my phone controls (steering wheel and all). I can even tell Siri to play exactly what I want to hear, or have her play an Apple Radio Station. Absolutely commercial free, and full control over the songs I want to listen to. If I don't like the song, I can skip to the next song on the radio from my steering wheel.

Compared to shit Sirius radio where i have to listen to what they decide to play, and if I don't like the song, the only option I have is to switch stations or just listen to the shit song.

I had Sirius for years (over 10 years, whenever Howard Stern moved from terrestrial radio to satellite), however this year was the last straw. I got tired of playing the bullshit haggle/cancel game at the end of the year. They send me a renewal for freakin over $200/yr at the end of each year and I tell them I'm going to cancel, which they then offer me a rate of ~$80/yr. Freakin every year! I don't listen to Howard Stern anymore after he sold out, so I refuse to pay for their inflated service fees because they signed Howard to some ridiculous contract again. If they want to pay him that, great. I'm definitely not paying for it. So the only thing I was left with was music, and Apple Music was a better product for me. Exactly what I wanted, WHEN I wanted it.

Anyway, the $30/month is an offer made to people that canceled and Sirius wants them to come back. You pay the $30 and you get to play the cancel game with them. If you don't want to play that game, it will be $200/yr+ and that is WITHOUT streaming service. You want to stream Sirius, well that's extra. F them.

Their business model is HORRIBLE and it is a matter of time before they go under.

 

[John Connor]

phone wont work without a cell signal. Sirius is far superior to streaming over cell.

Yeah, the signal is very reliable. My Bro and I went to North Dakota in a rented mini van that had Sirius/XM and I was listening to FoxNews all the way there without interruption. No cut outs under overpasses either. I assume that's due to buffering.

Would love to see what happens through the Eisenhower tunnel.

I had a Sirius Stiletto, but sold it last year on ebay. It had what seemed to be free lifetime Internet radio and that's all I used it for. If I allowed the unit to get a Sat link the radio would tell me it wasn't activated and I had to reflash the firmware to get Internet streaming back.

I was thinking about getting a subscription just for streaming on my phone, but I don't know if I want to spend the $20/month or not.

 

[John Connor]

That's going to depend heavily upon where you live, in the midwest maybe you're right. If you live on east or west coast, you're better off spending that money on phone data.

Do you have experience with this? I've read that there are terrestrial repeaters in large cities were buildings and what not could obscure the Sat signal.

 

[John Connor]

I got it free for 3 months when I bought my new car, it wasn't bad and I could see if you have long commutes it could definitely be worth it but I didn't use it much at all. I listen to AM talk radio most of the time.

Careful, you're considered an idiot on this forum apparently if you listen to AM.

 

[John Connor]

I'm gonna guess it's because there is actually radio worth listening to there.

I got the six month free trial to Sirius with my new car last week and I am already trying to figure out how to extend the service cheaply as well. Radio here in Ohio pretty much sucks.

Get a FM transmitter for your smartphone and listen to IheartRadio.