Why the Starlink map says available but checkout says sold out

When Starlink’s map says service is available but checkout says sold out, offers only a deposit, or offers only Roam, it’s usually because the two tools answer different questions. The map describes availability for an area. Checkout evaluates your exact service address, on the plan you picked, at that moment. Starlink documents several ways those can differ, and when they disagree, checkout is the one that counts.

Below: what each tool is answering, the reasons for a mismatch with how well each is documented, a short troubleshooting sequence, and what to do if checkout really does say an area is full.

Two tools, two questions

The map at Starlink’s availability map is where Starlink’s own articles send people to check availability and capacity. Its sold-out article describes regions that “show as ‘sold out’ on our availability map.” Its deposit article recommends the map “to review when the service will be available” and adds, “service availability is subject to change.”

Checkout is where an order is actually accepted. It’s where you choose a plan, where any demand surcharge appears, and where a deposit is offered instead of an order if Residential is full at your location.

One limit on our side: the map page is rendered in the browser, and we couldn’t extract its legend or labels as text when we checked it. So we describe it from Starlink’s help articles, not from the map’s own wording.

Why they can disagree

“Available” for which plan?

This is the most common mismatch. A general “service is available here” doesn’t mean every plan is. If Residential is at capacity, Starlink’s articles describe checkout offering a deposit for Residential, or Roam (and Priority, for reactivations) instead. If your checkout only shows Roam, that’s the capacity-limited case, and Starlink says you “will be unable to switch from a Roam service plan to a Standard or Priority service plan until your area has available capacity.”

Sorting it out, step by step

1. Re-check both on the same day. Map, then checkout, back to back. If the mismatch disappears, it was timing.
2. Confirm the address. Make sure checkout has the exact service address where the dish will sit, the same one you searched on the map. For rural or new addresses, check that the location it resolves to is your property.
3. Note which plans checkout offers. Residential with a deposit, Roam only, or nothing at all? Each points to a different cause (table above).
4. Read the wording. “Sold out” or a deposit offer means Residential capacity. A failed address change that says the location is “not yet active” is different; see sold out vs waitlist vs not available.
5. Decide. Deposit and wait, accept a plan that’s offered if it suits you, or use another provider. We don’t advise on plan choice.
6. Write it down and report it. Date, plan, what checkout said, and your county. A sold-out checkout is notable right now, because Starlink says the US currently has no sold-out regions.

Worked example (hypothetical)

A household in a fast-growing exurb checks the map on a Sunday. It shows service at their address. On Wednesday they go to checkout and choose Residential. Checkout offers a deposit, not an order.

• Timing? They re-check the map Wednesday evening. If it now shows the area as sold out, capacity changed between Sunday and Wednesday. If it still shows service, keep going.
• Plan? They look at what else checkout offers. If Roam is offered, that fits Starlink’s description of a capacity-limited area for Residential.
• Address? They confirm the checkout address is the house, not a nearby road segment.
• Decision. They have DSL that works for now, so they place a deposit at their real address and keep DSL. When the 7-day email arrives, they’ll read checkout again, including any surcharge line.

What not to do

• Don’t use a different address that the map likes better. Service “is only guaranteed at the service address listed on your account.” See why a friend’s address backfires.
• Don’t place a deposit at an address where the dish won’t live. The waitlist is per service location.

When it happens to existing owners

Mismatches aren’t only a new-buyer problem. Starlink’s articles describe two owner situations where the account flow can refuse what the map seems to allow:

• Changing your service address. If the change fails, Starlink says “the requested location may be at capacity or not yet active for service,” and suggests checking the map or switching to Roam if you need service outside your designated address.
• Resuming after Standby. “The ability to reactivate Residential service after cancelling or using Standby Mode is dependent on capacity in the area.” If there’s no Residential capacity, Roam or Priority is offered. Starlink currently says US customers can resume Residential “without delay.”

What to write down when they disagree

A mismatch is useful information if you record it well:

That’s exactly the information our report form asks for (choose “Sold out, at capacity, or a waitlist”). Dated reports like this are the only way to see whether mismatches cluster in particular counties or months.

Which to trust for what

What we don’t know

• Exactly what the map’s colors and labels mean today. It’s client-rendered, and Starlink’s help articles describe it only in general terms.
• How quickly the map updates after capacity changes. Starlink doesn’t say. That’s why checkout wins.
• How common map-checkout mismatches are. No public data exists. Our form records “sold out, at capacity, or a waitlist” as a checkout result by county and month, but as of October 5, 2026 we had 0 such reports.

Common mistakes

• Trusting a screenshot of the map from weeks ago. Availability changes.
• Assuming “available” means Residential. Check which plans checkout offers.
• Taking a deposit offer as an error. It’s Starlink’s documented process for a full area.
• Forgetting the surcharge. Even when checkout accepts an order, read it for a demand surcharge line.

What to do next

1. Read how to read the availability map for what the map does and doesn’t show, and our short coverage guide.
2. If checkout says sold out, see what “sold out” means and how the waitlist works.
3. Report what checkout showed, with the month and plan. We ask for your county, never your address.