Free Sirius Radio?

[BVSt.Paul]

Yesterday I bought a 2020 Honda CR-V from a local dealership. In trying to figure things out I discovered that I’m getting Sirius radio. 12 of the channels have been preset. I can look for channels and use all of the features.

In looking at the Carfax report, the prior owner hasn’t had the car since April or May. I was not offered Sirius by the dealer.

What do you think is going on? My guess is that the prior owner is paying for it and either hasn’t noticed or can’t get Sirius to cancel.

I’m driving to a friend’s lake place up north (Minnesota speak) next week and hope I’m still getting Sirius then as it’s a radio wasteland up there.

 

[Bwifan]

Yesterday I bought a 2020 Honda CR-V from a local dealership. In trying to figure things out I discovered that I’m getting Sirius radio. 12 of the channels have been preset. I can look for channels and use all of the features.

In looking at the Carfax report, the prior owner hasn’t had the car since April or May. I was not offered Sirius by the dealer.

What do you think is going on? My guess is that the prior owner is paying for it and either hasn’t noticed or can’t get Sirius to cancel.

I’m driving to a friend’s lake place up north (Minnesota speak) next week and hope I’m still getting Sirius then as it’s a radio wasteland up there.

My guess is its a free trial that will expire at some point or yes you get it free as long as you have the car, assuming the previous owner bought a lifetime contract(don't believe they are offered anymore). Good friend of mine lives on the Chesapeake. Bought a repo'd Formula boat 33' absolute rocket but also great for cruising and sleeping in overnight on the bay. Previous boat owner must have bought a lifetime contract with Sirius. Being repo'd doesn't cancel the contract he had already paid in full. Friend has had free satellite radio for 3 years now on that boat.

 

[ClarkstonMark]

Probably a free trial. I bought a 2020 Audi Q7 earlier this year and I got 3 free months - there was no notification at all.

However, in 2010 I bought a 2006 S4 Cabriolet, and it is still getting free Sirius. I assume that vehicle must have had a lifetime sub, but who knows

 

[JWB389]

My guess is its a free trial that will expire at some point or yes you get it free as long as you have the car, assuming the previous owner bought a lifetime contract(don't believe they are offered anymore). Good friend of mine lives on the Chesapeake. Bought a repo'd Formula boat 33' absolute rocket but also great for cruising and sleeping in overnight on the bay. Previous boat owner must have bought a lifetime contract with Sirius. Being repo'd doesn't cancel the contract he had already paid in full. Friend has had free satellite radio for 3 years now on that boat.

I bought the lifetime subscription in about 2004. Still have access. They tried to tell me at one time that it was for the”lifetime” of the radio not me. Fought with them and they gave in. Now you pay $75 fee to change radios. Comes with free access to the app. It’s possible the previous owner didn’t care about the radio subscription because he has it for life on the app.

 

[massimoManca II]

Three month trial subscriptions are commonly activated by car dealers who participate in the Sirius network…. Dealers do not broadcast that they participate and receive a commission should you choose to activate beyond the trial period ….
My trial on my recently purchased pre-owned car ended a few weeks ago , and like a needy psycho ex girlfriend Sirius simply won’t let go … incessantly badgering for a subscription - usually bettering the previous offers. Alas, the compression of the satellite signal is still bad and leads to tepid fidelity , hardly worth it unless you do a TON of windshield time

 

[Nittering Nabob]

Three month trial subscriptions are commonly activated by car dealers who participate in the Sirius network…. Dealers do not broadcast that they participate and receive a commission should you choose to activate beyond the trial period ….
My trial on my recently purchased pre-owned car ended a few weeks ago , and like a needy psycho ex girlfriend Sirius simply won’t let go … incessantly badgering for a subscription - usually bettering the previous offers. Alas, the compression of the satellite signal is still bad and leads to tepid fidelity , hardly worth it unless you do a TON of windshield time

But you can call, and if sufficiently patient, demand your own terms.

They are so desperate for subscriptions you can register every vehicle with Sirius / XM access for $2 month. You just need to wear them down and repeatedly ask for a Supervisor and threaten to walk away.

The agents are incentivized on new account/vehicle sign-ups. It's kind of fun to mess with people trying to sell you something.

Oh, and no auto-renewal to a credit card.

 

[Bwifan]

Three month trial subscriptions are commonly activated by car dealers who participate in the Sirius network…. Dealers do not broadcast that they participate and receive a commission should you choose to activate beyond the trial period ….
My trial on my recently purchased pre-owned car ended a few weeks ago , and like a needy psycho ex girlfriend Sirius simply won’t let go … incessantly badgering for a subscription - usually bettering the previous offers. Alas, the compression of the satellite signal is still bad and leads to tepid fidelity , hardly worth it unless you do a TON of windshield time

I love Sirius cruising across alligator alley to Naples and Ft Myers ... Put the cruise control on and seat back and chill ... I do admit when I try terrestrial radio the commercials drive me insane ... For $12 a month it's well worth it for me

 

[OaktonDave]

I love Sirius cruising across alligator alley to Naples and Ft Myers ... Put the cruise control on and seat back and chill ... I do admit when I try terrestrial radio the commercials drive me insane ... For $12 a month it's well worth it for me

My music tastes are all over the map, so I love Sirus for the wide variety of music options. I also love the availability of live sports. I didn't think it would be worth it after I retired and didn't have a commute anymore, but a few weeks of trying to live with terrestrial radio convinced me otherwise.

 

[BVSt.Paul]

Three month trial subscriptions are commonly activated by car dealers who participate in the Sirius network…. Dealers do not broadcast that they participate and receive a commission should you choose to activate beyond the trial period ….
My trial on my recently purchased pre-owned car ended a few weeks ago , and like a needy psycho ex girlfriend Sirius simply won’t let go … incessantly badgering for a subscription - usually bettering the previous offers. Alas, the compression of the satellite signal is still bad and leads to tepid fidelity , hardly worth it unless you do a TON of windshield time

That’s it. Got an email yesterday saying it’s free for 3 months. They’re then offering $2/month for a couple of months, then $25/month. I’ll follow the advice of the board and friends and see how low they’ll go. I only drive about 10k/year so not worth a big expense.

 

[SleepyLion]

That’s it. Got an email yesterday saying it’s free for 3 months. They’re then offering $2/month for a couple of months, then $25/month. I’ll follow the advice of the board and friends and see how low they’ll go. I only drive about 10k/year so not worth a big expense.

Don't pay more than $10. It is not difficult to just tell them you are done with it and hold out for whatever you think it is worth below that.

 

[bbrown]

Three month trial subscriptions are commonly activated by car dealers who participate in the Sirius network…. Dealers do not broadcast that they participate and receive a commission should you choose to activate beyond the trial period ….
My trial on my recently purchased pre-owned car ended a few weeks ago , and like a needy psycho ex girlfriend Sirius simply won’t let go … incessantly badgering for a subscription - usually bettering the previous offers. Alas, the compression of the satellite signal is still bad and leads to tepid fidelity , hardly worth it unless you do a TON of windshield time

With all the apps available, Spotify, Pandora, I tune, SOMA FM. I found about the only thing Sirius is good for is finding a talk show to your liking or sports broadcasts.

 

[bbrown]

My music tastes are all over the map, so I love Sirus for the wide variety of music options. I also love the availability of live sports. I didn't think it would be worth it after I retired and didn't have a commute anymore, but a few weeks of trying to live with terrestrial radio convinced me otherwise.

There is a station out of Towson, MD I love. WTMD. It's terrestrial but also available with an app. It's public radio so not sure what will happen to it. But they usually do a huge fundraising drive 2x a year. Not many commercials. The music is right in my wheelhouse. It's pretty diverse. Pretty much anything from the 60's-2025. Lots of new music, alternative, punk, country and some R&B.