Why pay for radio

[harshness]

What really sucks is vehicles with SXM and you have to pay for another sub to use a portable radio.
What are you going to do? Sit in your SUV to listen to the specials in the evening?

My understanding (that may be inaccurate as I was told so as part of a salvage effort by a CSR) is that Internet-based listening is included with the common packages. If true, you could listen via your home broadband and in the rig without having to pay a second subscription.

 

[arlo]

My understanding (that may be inaccurate as I was told so as part of a salvage effort by a CSR) is that Internet-based listening is included with the common packages. If true, you could listen via your home broadband and in the rig without having to pay a second subscription.

That may be very true but shows how much they really lost me. Years ago when I did get the sub with a new car with SXM integrated in the radio, yes I did get their streaming service. Then it quit and became a pay-for addition. Things might have changed.
The audio quality was pretty crappy. As is their radio service.
I did try out a trial of Tidal on the 'net. Phenomenal selections and fidelity. Now, when I get an email notification that wee-hee we've turned on your radio for 10 days please come back (SXM). I'll listen to it. Sure.
What totally peed me off was their offer to give me a free radio with docking station.
I took it out of the box and plugged it in. It gave me the call this number to activate screen. And back in the box it went.
Some time later is where I found a nondescript auto draft for two hundred plus bucks. Called my bank. Found out it was SXM.
Called them. It wasn't a fun day. Root canal would have been a hoot compared to it.
I tell EVERYONE. Spend the five bucks. Get a prepaid Visa at the store for your SXM sub. And verify NO AUTO DRAFT.
The price will jump way up when it should only still have cost you five bucks (plus tax...jesus!) per month.
Then spend a day on the phone talking to Patel and Razhneesh....oops sorry. "James Smeeth" or "Tho-mass Mor-phee".

 

[Tampa8]

That may be very true but shows how much they really lost me. Years ago when I did get the sub with a new car with SXM integrated in the radio, yes I did get their streaming service. Then it quit and became a pay-for addition. Things might have changed.
The audio quality was pretty crappy. As is their radio service.
I did try out a trial of Tidal on the 'net. Phenomenal selections and fidelity. Now, when I get an email notification that wee-hee we've turned on your radio for 10 days please come back (SXM). I'll listen to it. Sure.
What totally peed me off was their offer to give me a free radio with docking station.
I took it out of the box and plugged it in. It gave me the call this number to activate screen. And back in the box it went.
Some time later is where I found a nondescript auto draft for two hundred plus bucks. Called my bank. Found out it was SXM.
Called them. It wasn't a fun day. Root canal would have been a hoot compared to it.
I tell EVERYONE. Spend the five bucks. Get a prepaid Visa at the store for your SXM sub. And verify NO AUTO DRAFT.
The price will jump way up when it should only still have cost you five bucks (plus tax...jesus!) per month.
Then spend a day on the phone talking to Patel and Razhneesh....oops sorry. "James Smeeth" or "Tho-mass Mor-phee".

There has been commercial after commercial on radio and TV, they tell you that when you go to their site. The online subscription is free with most subscriptions and no radio or no second radio is needed. Even better it can be used unlimited on Alexa devices. Sound is quite good. I replaced an add on car radio in one of my cars and noticed what they said is true, the newer chips make use of their newer compression code and it also sound quite good.
I pay less now with more devices to listen on then a few years ago with less devices.