I had six months free Sirius with my Ford Fusion and was trying to hold out for a good deal. However, got one call and one letter and "zap" turned off. I kind of miss it now that I don't have. So, is there a trick to get a great deal?

This ought to keep you busy for a while. And this one too.

Good timing! My second year ends in a month.

For the last 2 years now I called Sirius to cancel just before my subscription ran out and they offered me 50% off. In your case call them and tell them your friend got a half off deal and if you can get the same you'll stay. Be sure you talk to the retention department.

Beware though - their policy is that you have to unsubscribe by calling them, even when your trial period runs out. They like to claim you owe them money even when the radio is "turned off" - I believe in most cases, the trial is 3 months and if you didn't call to have it disabled and it ran 6 months, they'll fight tooth and nail to make you pay for the "extra" 3 months - speaking from experience, I know.
OTOH, after long telephone stints, they may waive the "unpaid service fees" and give you a reduced rate if you continue the service.
Buyer Beware!

---

We had a 12 month 'trial' period with my wife's minivan. We let it lapse, and they called for several months. Every now and then I get an offer from them, usually it's 3 months for the price of one, and that sort of thing. I may take them up on it. Or maybe not. Wife doesn't miss it.

I let my xm lapse some time back. I missed it. I got a card in the mail about a special offer. Called and talked about the $77 deal and ended up signing up two cars for a year for $178. I thought that was a ok price.

I like xm, but they need to figure out their pricing model. I think a lot more people would get it or keep it if their pricing was a little better. $12.95/ month is insane. It should be 5 or 6 bucks a month period.

JPK

I have XM's lifetime subsccription. My wife got XM free for a few months when she got her new vehicle back in 2004. I liked it so much, I signed up for 5 years at a reduced rate. When it expired, they offered me a "lifetime" subscription for around $500. i also got a new radio really cheap as part of the deal. "lifetime" means the life of the radio, although I can transfer it up to two times to other radios. My original radio was still working fine after 5 years, and I figure the new one I got should last at least that long. Assuming XM is still around, I should get 15+ years or more out of my subscription.