Subscription fees in trucks: yay or nay?

jillciminillo

jillciminillo

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Staff member
In a couple of videos I've posted lately, people seem genuinely surprised that most new cars sold in 2024 have subscription fees associated with them. So, I wrote a quick story about some of the more common things that require fees after a free trial (below). My question to you: Are you OK with subscription fees? Why or why not? And if it depends, what would you be willing to pay extra for on a monthly basis? And HOW MUCH would you be willing to pay?


pickuptrucktalk.com

Buyer beware: Subscription fees are hidden in your new car

People seemed surprised that new cars have subscription fees after spending tens of thousands of dollars on the initial purchase. But they do.
pickuptrucktalk.com pickuptrucktalk.com
 
jillciminillo said:
In a couple of videos I've posted lately, people seem genuinely surprised that most new cars sold in 2024 have subscription fees associated with them. So, I wrote a quick story about some of the more common things that require fees after a free trial (below). My question to you: Are you OK with subscription fees? Why or why not? And if it depends, what would you be willing to pay extra for on a monthly basis? And HOW MUCH would you be willing to pay?


pickuptrucktalk.com

Buyer beware: Subscription fees are hidden in your new car

People seemed surprised that new cars have subscription fees after spending tens of thousands of dollars on the initial purchase. But they do.
pickuptrucktalk.com pickuptrucktalk.com
Click to expand...
I'm not for, and never will be for, almost any sort of subscription attached to something I own. The only things I consider to be valid, recurring charges are things like a service that has ongoing expenses to the manufacturer or some other company. Satellite radio or internet access makes sense, but shouldn't be the only option. I'm already paying for my phone and it has all the apps I need. Paying a manufacturer a monthly fee to allow me to use anything on the car I purchased is not true ownership. How can someone own the vehicle if they have to pay to continue to use features? I'll never do it. I could care less about the remote start via an app. If they stop offering key fobs with remote start and lock/unlock, they are just scamming customers. I would pay more to an aftermarket company to get those features just to protest.
 
My main gripe with the subscription model is that they are not offering us anything we dont already have. Why pay for OnStar if 90% of what it offers I can already achieve through Android Auto or Carplay.

OnStar is a huge revenue source for GM. I'm guessing one of the metrics they measure success by is how many new car owners keep OnStar after the "free" part of the subscription expires. One means of achieving this goal would be to offer features that Android and iOS do not. The problem with that is there's not much they can offer that the other platforms could not. This would seem to imply their only road to success is to become increasingly restrictive with how Android Auto and CarPlay integrate into GM cars.
 
Im pretty sure BMW started this crap, why would I pay a subscription for heated seats or door locks, door locks are being pushed to use your smart phone where people are already paying a ton of money monthly, key fob is fine for me, the last smart phone I had was years ago was the iphone 5, thats when I semi retired, I currently use a pay as you go flip phone that I pay $100.00 per years on it, the flip phone is just for cases if I run into problem on the road, such as putting the truck in the ditch during winter, I may make an actual phone call on it once every two months or so, although, I would pay for unlimited data for the truck for $15 CDN per month through onstar as they offer that option, and maybe a discount if I pay a year at a time, you have to ask, whats next, subscription for you power seats to recline, as stupid as it sounds, never put it past a company trying to make money any way they can.
 
The subscription model for common features is the wrong way to go for car makers. Paying for outside connectivity like OnStar, Sirius, or Wi-Fi is understandable as there are additional costs associated with that every time you connect. But not for a common feature like heated seats and remote start. If remote start costs me $200 at time of purchase than an additional $10 per month that's $1400 for remote start over a 10-year ownership? Not to mention what the next owner adds to that. Ridiculous. I do understand having mirrored systems for phone/fob and one being a subscription but at least there you have a choice. The way Toyota is doing it where remote start is subscription based only is wrong. If so, then that should not be part of the sticker price. What's next? Gotta pay extra for high beam use?
 
duggydo said:
BMW again.
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Yeah. BMW likes to do this trial subscription crap in Europe to see how people react -- like when they tried the heated seat subscription. Then when it doesn't go well, they scrap it. This video is new, and looking at the screen, the fee is not in US dollars. So, they're trying another subscription fee to see how it goes. The only one they tried and scrapped in the US was for Apple CarPlay.
 
jillciminillo said:
Yeah. BMW likes to do this trial subscription crap in Europe to see how people react -- like when they tried the heated seat subscription. Then when it doesn't go well, they scrap it. This video is new, and looking at the screen, the fee is not in US dollars. So, they're trying another subscription fee to see how it goes. The only one they tried and scrapped in the US was for Apple CarPlay.
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Living in a remote part of NM we don’t have cell service via a tower at our house any many many other locations. So in my ‘23 GMC SIERRA we pay for ONSTAR and WiFi hotspot services which we are OK with. The other subscription fees, such as, remote start we are definitely not interested in.
 
Dusdaddy said:
The subscription model for common features is the wrong way to go for car makers. Paying for outside connectivity like OnStar, Sirius, or Wi-Fi is understandable as there are additional costs associated with that every time you connect. But not for a common feature like heated seats and remote start. If remote start costs me $200 at time of purchase than an additional $10 per month that's $1400 for remote start over a 10-year ownership? Not to mention what the next owner adds to that. Ridiculous. I do understand having mirrored systems for phone/fob and one being a subscription but at least there you have a choice. The way Toyota is doing it where remote start is subscription based only is wrong. If so, then that should not be part of the sticker price. What's next? Gotta pay extra for high beam use?
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You will need a subscription to open remotely (the only way) your fuel door to fill up your car :)
 
Einstein said:
You will need a subscription to open remotely (the only way) your fuel door to fill up your car :)
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lol...a screwdriver will fix that problem.

Just watched Jill's video on the new Ford Explorer. I was aware that to use Bluecruise would require a subscription. What I was not aware of was that the subscription will be $800 a year! That's just outrageous. $4K over 5 years? People switch brands of cars over sticker price difference of only $4k!
 
Dusdaddy said:
lol...a screwdriver will fix that problem.

Just watched Jill's video on the new Ford Explorer. I was aware that to use Bluecruise would require a subscription. What I was not aware of was that the subscription will be $800 a year! That's just outrageous. $4K over 5 years? People switch brands of cars over sticker price difference of only $4k!
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Same thing for the GM Super Cruise.

As an example, here in Canada, the option for the SC package (plus a few little bells and whistles) on an Acadia is $4055 ($4,662.24 taxes incl), and the trial should be 3 years. In the US, I found $25/month ($15/month if you already have an Onstar service), not sure in Canada, and not sure this info is still valid. Also, you are at the mercy of increases.

For the Traverse, if you wish the Bose audio system, you are forced to take the SuperCruise package at $4325 ($4,972.66 taxes incl). CRAZY!!!!

No way I would ever consider that option. Not sure what people think when buying a vehicle and if they do all the calculations? or only use their emotions while buying. If you get the package and then refuse to pay the subscription afterward, that is a BIG loss in the wallet, and won't provide any extra resale value.

All Features Included With Super Cruise Package
  • Super Cruise - a hands-free driver assistance technology for use on compatible roads1
  • Driver Attention Assist2
  • Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist2
  • May require additional optional equipment
1 Always pay attention while driving and when using Super Cruise. Do not use a hand-held device. See gmcsupercruise.ca for divided and compatible highways and more information. Requires properly equipped vehicle, active Super Cruise plan, active Wi-Fi Hotspot, working electrical system, cell reception and GPS signal. Super Cruise Terms and Conditions apply.
2 Safety or driver assistance features are no substitute for the driver's responsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe manner. Read the vehicle Owner's Manual for important feature limitations and information.
 
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Dusdaddy said:
lol...a screwdriver will fix that problem.

Just watched Jill's video on the new Ford Explorer. I was aware that to use Bluecruise would require a subscription. What I was not aware of was that the subscription will be $800 a year! That's just outrageous. $4K over 5 years? People switch brands of cars over sticker price difference of only $4k!
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CRAZY, right. When I heard that, I was like, um, people don't talk about this! I gotta mention it.
 
Einstein said:
Same thing for the GM Super Cruise.

As an example, here in Canada, the option for the SC package (plus a few little bells and whistles) on an Acadia is $4055 ($4,662.24 taxes incl), and the trial should be 3 years. In the US, I found $25/month ($15/month if you already have an Onstar service), not sure in Canada, and not sure this info is still valid. Also, you are at the mercy of increases.

For the Traverse, if you wish the Bose audio system, you are forced to take the SuperCruise package at $4325 ($4,972.66 taxes incl). CRAZY!!!!

No way I would ever consider that option. Not sure what people think when buying a vehicle and if they do all the calculations? or only use their emotions while buying. If you get the package and then refuse to pay the subscription afterward, that is a BIG loss in the wallet, and won't provide any extra resale value.

All Features Included With Super Cruise Package
  • Super Cruise - a hands-free driver assistance technology for use on compatible roads1
  • Driver Attention Assist2
  • Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist2
  • May require additional optional equipment
1 Always pay attention while driving and when using Super Cruise. Do not use a hand-held device. See gmcsupercruise.ca for divided and compatible highways and more information. Requires properly equipped vehicle, active Super Cruise plan, active Wi-Fi Hotspot, working electrical system, cell reception and GPS signal. Super Cruise Terms and Conditions apply.
2 Safety or driver assistance features are no substitute for the driver's responsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe manner. Read the vehicle Owner's Manual for important feature limitations and information.
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With re. Super Cruise and Blue Cruise, the automakers are double dipping. They make you pay extra for the hardware and then they continue to gouge you with subscription fees. I was surprised to see how much more expensive Blue Cruise was than Super Cruise.
 
They make so much money with the data they collect on us by selling it and also by training their systems, it should be free.
I'm ok with paying extra for the hardware in the car but not for a subscription.
 
jillciminillo said:
With re. Super Cruise and Blue Cruise, the automakers are double dipping. They make you pay extra for the hardware and then they continue to gouge you with subscription fees. I was surprised to see how much more expensive Blue Cruise was than Super Cruise.
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No doubt subscriptions will get bigger as it is in everything we do anymore. Sirius started it with radio, which used to be commercial free. Then TV got into it with Netflix and the like. Even food subscriptions have become common. But at least with those there is something you are receiving for the that fee. And I understand it costs for the content. But these automakers are making you pay extra for what? The privilege of using their tech? That is just straight corporate greed.
 
I currently pay for Sirius and that's it from my truck perspective. It has remote connect or whatever, data and all the other features possible through the myGMC app but I don't pay for any of it. I'm not philosophically opposed to the idea but currently I don't see the value proposition.

I don't really care where I pay for a subscription as long as I deem it worth it, I'll pay.

As far as double dipping... you buy the TV you pay for the subscription"s" to use it. Same for software. The same for many other things in life. The market will dictate what works and what doesn't. It doesn't surprise me the vehicle manufacturers are tying it. Whether it sticks or not is up to us as consumers.
 
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Fightnfire said:
I currently pay for Sirius and that's it from my truck perspective. It has remote connect or whatever, data and all the other features possible through the myGMC app but I don't pay for any of it. I'm not philosophically opposed to the idea but currently I don't see the value proposition. I don't really care where I pay for a subscription as long as I deem it worth it, I'll pay.
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Totally agree with Sirius. It's the content provided you are paying for. Same with the WiFis. And the manufacturer doesn't really "sell" that as a feature.
Fightnfire said:
As far as double dipping... you buy the TV you pay for the subscription"s" to use it. Same for software. The same for many other things in life. The market will dictate what works and what doesn't. It doesn't surprise me the vehicle manufacturers are tying it. Whether it sticks or not is up to us as consumers.
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A comparison to a TV is not really that accurate. Or a computer. Those are closer to the infotainment in a truck; you can pay for Sirius or listen to the radio or Bluetooth. Same with a TV. You don't have to subscribe to cable to use it. And I don't think any TV maker charges a subscription to be able to use the remote to adjust the volume. That's closer to what most automotive subscription complaints are based on.
 
Dusdaddy said:
Totally agree with Sirius. It's the content provided you are paying for. Same with the WiFis. And the manufacturer doesn't really "sell" that as a feature.

A comparison to a TV is not really that accurate. Or a computer. Those are closer to the infotainment in a truck; you can pay for Sirius or listen to the radio or Bluetooth. Same with a TV. You don't have to subscribe to cable to use it. And I don't think any TV maker charges a subscription to be able to use the remote to adjust the volume. That's closer to what most automotive subscription complaints are based on.
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Agree with the TV comparison. I guess in the end the consumer will set whether they work or not.
 
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