All's well that ends well
Dish took my son's subscription although no one even suggested that he would be sent a new card. Obviously the subscription didn't work and calls to them resulted in no help as they wanted him to be in front of the receiver and he didn't have phone service yet. All attempts to follow their direction didn't help.
About 3 days later, a purple card showed up in the mail, plugged it in, and the subscription box came to life. He took the newcomer's package, 1cent Cinemax, and the Encore pack and locals for a total of $19.99/month.
Thanks for all the great suggestion, expecially the posts that really nailed it and allowed him to get re-subscribed at a low price that he could afford.
Thanks again to all that posted in this thread!!!!