At the beginning of the pandemic Sirius gave us a free Google smart speaker. Now that I’m retired we listen to it mostly in the kitchen while preparing dinner or cleaning up. Though it was a lifesaver when we drove around the country with it, no more searching for NPR stations in the wilds of Wyoming.
Probably worth it due to the range of stations and for road trips.
Is it worth it — No
Are there any other options — No (not as far as radio, that I’m aware of)
= They’ve got you. Just as every other monopoly has got you.
As a long time SiriusXM subscriber, I have a hack to share. When your free / cheap subscription is about to transition to the more expensive subscription, you will call to cancel. Tell them you like the service, it’s not worth the full price amount. Ask them if they have a better deal. They are motivated to keep you. I have never paid full price, and I’ve gotten 3 or 4 free Echo devices. YMMV
Just to note that probably half of the other respondents in this thread have shared the same advice.
Asking if they have a better deal probably won’t cut it. Just say you want to cancel, and Ginger from Kazakhstan will propose an alternative.
I’ve done this. Just about everyone with Sirius has probably done this - as kenobi has pointed out.
Worked well for the first 2-3 years. Almost 1/2 off. Following year they called my bluff. They actually allowed me to cancel. Even then I was sure I’d get an email at some point begging my return to the fold. Couple weeks went by. This was prior to car manufacturers deciding we didn’t want to listen to CD’s in the car so I had those and wasn’t too bothered.
I finally turned on commercial radio one day. I HATE commercial radio because well, commercials. And annoying dick jockeys. And what little music they do play is on a loop of the same shit over & over & over. I don’t even have a radio in my home.
Anyway, I clocked over 10 minutes of commercials and still counting when I slammed off the radio in disgust. When I got home I grovelled my way back to Sirius.
I subscribe to the minimum, music only, or whatever it’s called. I generally flip between 3 stations. It’s really too expensive for 3 stations considering the amount of time I spend in the car. If there was an alternative I’d probably go there. But like many or most things these days, moving to an alternative would likely just be a sideways move. Monopolies rule the planet and as long as governments permit monopolies to flourish we as consumers will have little choice but to decide who we want to get screwed by.
IMHO, the OP is the only one who can answer his own question. If YOU are enjoying the Sirius XM service, you’re the only one who can decide if it’s “worth it” or not. I have had the full XM service on the last two vehicles we’ve owned. I listen to '60s and '70s primarily, and if it’s on, Billy Joel, Beach Boys, etc. “Canada Talks” has Canadian Football League radio broadcasts on if I’m not at home to watch the games.
My wife prefers not to drive so if she’s “going shopping” or we’re doing other errands, I can wait in the car and listen.