Sling TV is now a live TV streaming service that accepts cryptocurrency as a payment method. The move is quite forward-thinking and might make the service more appealing to those already invested in the crypto space. For everyone else, this is simply another payment option that’s now available.
Sling TV has always been about the price. While the service has encountered a number of price increases over the years, it still remains one of the cheapest live TV services in general. At present, signing up to either the Sling Blue or the Sling Orange plan will set the subscriber back $35 per month. If they want a more robust selection of channels, they can always add to the base plan, albeit at a higher cost each month.
However much an individual Sling TV subscriber is paying per month, they now have the option to pay for their subscription with cryptocurrency. To make this possible, Sling TV explains that it’s using BitPay as the payment service provider. Therefore, subscribers will also need to have a BitPay account, a crypto wallet, and cryptocurrency uploaded to the wallet. For those that already do, they can use their cryptocurrency of choice to pay for their Sling TV monthly subscription.
It is worth noting that Sling TV currently only allows existing subscribers to pay with crypto. This does mean that anyone signing up to the service for the first time will need to start their subscription and pay for the first month with a traditional payment method. After the first payment, however, they will then be able to switch the payment option to BitPay and pay with their preferred cryptocurrency.
Another limitation is that there is no recurring payment option available. In other words, payments to Sling TV through BitPay need to be manually made each month. The alternative here is to prepay one larger sum that covers multiple months in advance. At present, up to 6 months can be prepaid for a Sling TV subscription through BitPay. At the end of the period, the payment option will then revert back to the method on file unless another prepaid amount is manually sent. For those considering pre-paying for months in advance, there is no refund option available.
Overall, Sling TV is positioning this as a forward-thinking and future-proof move, as well as one that might appeal to existing Sling TV subscribers that are already invested in crypto. However, with the inability to set the payment method up and forget about it, many subscribers might be best just sticking with their existing Sling TV payment method.
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