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Billing, Invoice, and Charges on Annual Plans - Frequently Asked Questions

NOTICE: As of September 18th, 2024, inReach Annual subscription plans are no longer available for new inReach activations. Existing customers with inReach Annual subscription plans can remain in their current plan unless they choose to change it. There are no early cancellation fees if you choose to change to a new plan, but you will not be able to return to your previous plan once it has been changed. For more details, see - Frequently Asked Questions on inReach Consumer Subscription Plans.

Frequently Asked Questions About inReach Annual Plans

Annual Plans are contracted at a one-year minimum with the benefit of paying a lesser monthly rate than other consumer plans.

The following questions about Annual Plans are answered in this FAQ:


I Recently Signed up for an inReach Annual Plan Service Subscription. Where Is My Invoice? When Will I Be Charged?

The invoice is generated and emailed upon completion of your service activation, this includes the one-time activation fee along with the subscription fee for the first month of service.

Your credit card is charged within 24 hours of activation. 

Your bill date is based on the account creation date.

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What Day of the Month Will My Credit Card Be Charged?

After initial activation of an Annual Plan, you will be billed on the date of activation each month. The invoice is released the day before and your payment is processed based on the given due date of the invoice.

If the first bill date falls on the 29th, 30th, or 31st of the month, then the bill date will move to the first of the following month. For example, if your plan has a bill date of July 30th and is set to automatically renew, your renewal will take place on Aug 1st and you will be charged on that date.

Subsequent invoices will recur on the same date each month.

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I Canceled My Plan After the One Year Contract Ended. Do I Get a Refund?

As there will be a final bill processed after cancellation, we have to wait 30 days to ensure any usage is taken into consideration first. If there is still a credit remaining after this, you can contact our Billing team for a refund to be issued - Contact Garmin Services Billing.

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I Did Not Use All of My Messages This Month. Will Unused Messages Roll-Over to the Next Month?

If your service is active on an Annual Safety or Annual Recreation plan, unused text messages will not roll-over into the next month. Customers with the Annual Expedition or Annual Extreme1 plans have unlimited text messaging.

1 As of November 2019, Extreme subscriptions are no longer available for purchase. All features of the Extreme plan moved to the Expedition plan.

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Why Is My First Invoice So High?

Your first invoice includes the Activation Fee, first month’s service costs, plus any applicable taxes and/or fees.

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What Are the “System” or "Units" Items on My Invoice?

The System call type on your invoice represents when the inReach device is checking in with the satellite network and may also complete a Mail Check. The Units represent the number of bytes of data transmitted to the Iridium network.

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Do I Have to Pay to Change to One of the New inReach Consumer Plans?

No, there are no additional activation fees and there is no early termination fee if you choose to change to one of our new inReach consumer plan tiers (Essential, Standard, or Premium) before the end of the annual contract.

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When Changing to One of the New inReach Consumer Plans, When Does the Change Take Effect?

Any change to an annual inReach subscription plan will take effect immediately, and your account will be credited or charged on a prorated basis for any applicable monthly fee price difference within 24 hours of the plan change. A prorated plan will also have its included messages reduced by the amount of the proration.

Existing customers with inReach Annual Contract subscription plans will not be migrated into new plans automatically, and can remain in their current plan unless they choose to change it. There are no early cancellation fees if you choose to change to a new plan, and no additional activation fees for changing to a new plan, but you will not be able to return to your previous plan once it has been changed.

You may change your inReach subscription plan in either the Earthmate app or Garmin Messenger app, depending on which model of inReach satellite communicator you have. For more details, see - Managing Your inReach Subscription in the Earthmate App or Garmin Messenger App.

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Is There a Yearly Subscription Fee?

No. After the initial activation fee you are only paying the monthly service costs, plus any applicable taxes and/or fees.

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Are There Fees if I Cancel My Plan Within the First Year?

Yes, you would be responsible for any remaining month's service costs within that current contract.

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If I Switch Devices on My Annual Plan, Does the One Year Contract Reset?

No. As you are simply switching the plan from one device to another, your current contract continues as-is.

For how to switch devices, see - Transferring Existing inReach Service to Another inReach Device.

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What Happens After the One-Year Contract? Does a New Contract Begin Automatically?

Once the one-year contract has been met, your service is not terminated as these are safety devices. The plan will renew every month until you cancel. If you cancel on or after the one-year contract, there is no further obligation or cancellation fee. After completing the one-year contract, you are able to change your plan or transfer service to a new device without starting a new-one year contract.

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