[jjet1965*$]

Got new 2018 Bolt 3 weeks ago. In Carlsbad, Ca. Replaced 2005 Prius. So far so good.
Question so far, in trying to activate myChevrolet on iPhone and reading on web about using the app, it looks to me like I have to have Onstar to use app and Onstar will start costing minimum $199/year after free 3 month period ends. Is that correct? I am too cheap to want to pay that much for remote checking if locked, charge status, start charging, etc. Plus for this 74 yr old setting up and especially dealing with any glitches in such tech stuff doesn’t come easy.
Hoping to eventually be able to drive Bolt the 500 mile trip to family in N California in 1 day using public charging units along I-5 or I-99.
Used this forum for info, etc. in deciding to get Bolt, extremely helpful as was San Diego branch of EV owners association.

 

[XJ12]

Welcome. Congratulations on your new Bolt. I've never used the myChevrolet app. Let my OnStar lapse after free trial. I did use the older OnStar app called RemoteLink. They stopped supporting it a week or so ago. But before that, I could still get car stats with the free OnStar basic. Appears that some people get telemetry from myChevrolet app on the basic and some don't. I'm like you, I'm not paying for it.

 

[MDBolt]

Hello and welcome! Congratulations! Your new purchase should come with the 3-month OnStar trial as you had mentioned, and should also come with an additional 3-month extension when you set up the account using the OnStar in your vehicle. Then after that lapses, you will still have OnStar Basic for another 5 years. And yes, once all this is activated, you should be able to use your myChevrolet app properly. There’s another thread in this forum where some members continue to have access to most of the myChevy features even after the initial OnStar trial lapses.

 

[quirkySquirt]

Additionally, the extra 3 months extension is due to having your credit card on file. I avoided this trap on the Bolt since when I had a Volt they were prepared to auto-renew me and start charging my card. You'll have to remember to cancel near the 6-month mark (3 months trial + 3 months extension) and make sure to ask them to remove your CC info. Or better yet, forget about the extension.

Your first 3 months are with OnStar Guidance which is their highest tier. Visit their website for the various paid plans they offer. After your first 3 months, you will be downgraded automatically to OnStar Basic, a plan that is free for 5 years and doesn't come in a paid version. OnStar basic only provides you with keyfob functions similar to the physical keyfob on your keychain. These keyfob functions are: (un)lock, remote start (precondition) or cancel remote start, horn and lights and cancel horn and lights.

There is another function that *might* work with an OnStar Basic plan and that's Vehicle Info. It lets you see the current % charge on your Bolt, your tire pressure, state of charging (is it plugged in? Is it actively charging? When will it finish charging?), and miles travelled. I say *MIGHT* because some users lose this functionality when they're downgraded to OnStar Basic.

 

[MDBolt]

Additionally, the extra 3 months extension is due to having your credit card on file. I avoided this trap on the Bolt since when I had a Volt they were prepared to auto-renew me and start charging my card. You'll have to remember to cancel near the 6-month mark (3 months trial + 3 months extension) and make sure to ask them to remove your CC info. Or better yet, forget about the extension.

You’re right, I remember giving credit card info to the OnStar rep when we were setting it up, which is how our OnStar guidance got extended. And I automatically set up an alert on my phone to cancel 1 week before the end of the 6-month period. But thanks for the tip regarding wiping/removing CC info from the system, wouldn’t have thought of going that extra step.

 

[23393]

You’re right, I remember giving credit card info to the OnStar rep when we were setting it up, which is how our OnStar guidance got extended. And I automatically set up an alert on my phone to cancel 1 week before the end of the 6-month period. But thanks for the tip regarding wiping/removing CC info from the system, wouldn’t have thought of going that extra step.

My salesperson was awesome. He specifically told us not to give the CC number to the Onstar rep when we activated it on delivery of our Bolts. He didn't want us to have to deal with the headaches of cancelling it later since he knew we had no intention of ever using Onstar.