I know this can be a controversial topic but I was just able to get a year of OnStar’s lowest level service (all I want is remote start via the app) for $86. This was a low enough amount of money to make it worth keeping for me.
Remote Start from the App for $86/Year
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@The_Dragon
So, is this the "Remote Access" plan?
So, is this the "Remote Access" plan?
Yes. I looked at the invoice and it says, “Remote Access - Annual”
I goofed the price. The invoice says $83.94. That’s after all taxes/fees (although it says $0.00 for tax).
Supposedly they had a 20% and a 30% discount available (both applied). I dialed in through the “cancel service” on the automated customer service line.
I was given a similar offer late last week but stuck with monthly for now.....I don't really need remote start in the summer but it is really nice now to get the snow melted off without having to go for a long walk at work.
Correct....and sounding or stopping the alarm.
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Not a chance I'll get a car w monthly fees. I'd sooner look for a car that includes the features I want, since I already paid for it. Though, unfortunately, there will be enough people willing to pay "just a little bit", that this will undoubtedly grow over time. Can't wait till I have to pay $0.25 every time I want to roll down my window. Iirc, bmw was trying to charge a monthly fee for heated seats..
I certainly understand your point of view. I do see a difference between BMW’s approach and GM’s. I could still start the car with the fob without any fees. However, I view the cellular connection on the car to be similar to adding something like an Apple Watch to my phone plan. Unfortunately for the customer, the utility of this feature is very limited. You know a service is poor when you have to force people to use it (mandatory 3-year plans on some new GM cars). I’m just glad I had the option of using the service or not and also having the ability to get the price down.
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Oh, ya I'm not against the pay-to-use for a phone connection. Requires data.. makes sense. I was merely meaning I doubt it will stop there, and features that have no logical reason to have a subscription will likely end up that way.
I don't mind monthly fees if it involves an ongoing service that requires elements external to the car. The OnStar advisor who responded instantly, and sent help instantly when my wife was in a crash that totalled our Volt, would be one example. Yes, I know there are now automated alternatives, but my wife appreciated the human connection at the time.
Anyway, our money, our choice. I guess we are contributing to the endemic of companies charging for such stuff though.
We all willingly pay for cellular service. Nobody buys the phone expecting a free lifetime connection.
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I don't mind monthly fees if it involves an ongoing service that requires elements external to the car. The OnStar advisor who responded instantly, and sent help instantly when my wife was in a crash that totalled our Volt, would be one example. Yes, I know there are now automated alternatives, but my wife appreciated the human connection at the time.
Anyway, our money, our choice. I guess we are contributing to the endemic of companies charging for such stuff though.
We all willingly pay for cellular service. Nobody buys the phone expecting a free lifetime connection.
quite true, though I clarified in previous postI don't mind monthly fees if it involves an ongoing service that requires elements external to the car. The OnStar advisor who responded instantly, and sent help instantly when my wife was in a crash that totalled our Volt, would be one example. Yes, I know there are now automated alternatives, but my wife appreciated the human connection at the time.
Anyway, our money, our choice. I guess we are contributing to the endemic of companies charging for such stuff though.
We all willingly pay for cellular service. Nobody buys the phone expecting a free lifetime connection.
I have the remote access plan on my bolt. I added it later. It's 15 dollars a month I believe. I use it almost every day. I charge at work so I like monitoring it and I've had to change it to 12 amps from the app because I forgot when I got to work. Plus I start the vehicle and warm or cool it every day about 15 minutes before I leave work to walk to my car which is at least a 5 minute walk or more. Plus I've been at stores and restaurants and started it prior to leaving. When I stop using it I'll cancel it.
That's a better price you got than what I'm paying. But no worries.
And plus I've set a delayed charge a couple times from the app.
That's a better price you got than what I'm paying. But no worries.
And plus I've set a delayed charge a couple times from the app.
They've just been tempting to get me back on board. I cancelled last summer and in the fall they gave me 3 months free then hit me up with the $80 a year or whatever it was.
Most people will forget about the recurring monthly charge once it gets on the credit card so I understand their marketing.
If you can afford to be without it for part of the year then cancel for a bit and see what offers they send you......perhaps in the spring between needing too much heat and too much AC!
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If the car connects to my wifi, why would I pay a monthly fee? I get if I want it to remote start out in a desert somewhere, but when it's at home and on my own wifi? Come on GM.
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price aside -- even if it was $5 a month, it's only useful maybe 3 months out of the year for me for cold weather. Main problem is their app is hot garbage, has been since I started using it on my Volt in 2016. Even with perfect wifi signal, perfect 4G/5G signal, getting the app to successfully update or send a command is 50/50 at best.
The fact that GM just kind of waves a wand and applies wildly different "included" packages with new cars using no rhyme or reason. "If you buy a 22' premier loaded, you only get 1 month, if you buy a 23' before XYZ date you only get one month, if you buy a 23' after XYZ date you get 3 years". My 2017 Volt came with something like 6 or 7 years of full remote access for free, and buying a fully loaded EUV all they can spare is 1 month of access? It's a joke, and why OnStar will continue to lose money and circle the drain.
The fact that GM just kind of waves a wand and applies wildly different "included" packages with new cars using no rhyme or reason. "If you buy a 22' premier loaded, you only get 1 month, if you buy a 23' before XYZ date you only get one month, if you buy a 23' after XYZ date you get 3 years". My 2017 Volt came with something like 6 or 7 years of full remote access for free, and buying a fully loaded EUV all they can spare is 1 month of access? It's a joke, and why OnStar will continue to lose money and circle the drain.
Ah -- that must be why Onstar is blowing up my phone the past couple of days -- my free month is over. While I find the app useful during Winter, it is still seems like it is running a little clunky on a UAT Beta. I can start the car, and sometimes it stays stuck on sent. Walk outside, it is preconditioning fine. I do not like having to password in every time. Often stats will not update at all. It is not ready for a price premium
Unlike Toyota's subscription only remote start option, at least we still have the standard handheld version. Consumers basically want everything for free, so I cannot figure out how manufacturers think Nickle-dime subscriptions will work. I think Onstar in general only has about a 15% enrollment rate for every equipped GM vehicle still on the road -- for the past 25 years. A lot of GM Marketing Directors have come and gone trying to get that take-rate up, and barely moved the needle, if any.
I have a car wash subscription for the first time and really like it. I go twice a week but can go daily if I want. For $25/mo, that is $4 per wash, good value added in salty Michigan. It is hard to find a $8/per-use wash now days.
I will go forward hand starting from the house, hopefully I can hear clicks & whirrs acknowledging it is on.
Unlike Toyota's subscription only remote start option, at least we still have the standard handheld version. Consumers basically want everything for free, so I cannot figure out how manufacturers think Nickle-dime subscriptions will work. I think Onstar in general only has about a 15% enrollment rate for every equipped GM vehicle still on the road -- for the past 25 years. A lot of GM Marketing Directors have come and gone trying to get that take-rate up, and barely moved the needle, if any.
I have a car wash subscription for the first time and really like it. I go twice a week but can go daily if I want. For $25/mo, that is $4 per wash, good value added in salty Michigan. It is hard to find a $8/per-use wash now days.
I will go forward hand starting from the house, hopefully I can hear clicks & whirrs acknowledging it is on.
2022 EUV Premier. 2021 VW id.4 FE. Former owner of 2020 EV Premier.
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We recently replaced our sole ICE with a VW id.4 and now have 2 EV’s. I was curious to see how VW’s app compared to the MyChevrolet app. Here’s a news flash, it’s even worse. While it does allow you to set the actual car climate temp from the app, it does not let you lock/unlock remotely or locate car. It also does not activate seat heat or steering wheel heat when it turns on the heat in the car…
Seems that both VW and GM need some work in this area, but from what I can see so far, the GM offering is more comprehensive for remote control. At least on the VW one I’m not paying for it separately, yet.
Seems that both VW and GM need some work in this area, but from what I can see so far, the GM offering is more comprehensive for remote control. At least on the VW one I’m not paying for it separately, yet.
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