Spot raises subscription prices to $199.99 + $14.99 for basic plan

[iAmKrzys]

My Spot subscription renewal is coming up soon, so I got an "Important Service Plan Announcement for SPOT" e-mail:

Dear Valued SPOT Customer,
Thank you for your continued loyalty to SPOT. We hope that SPOT's award winning technology and proven reliability has helped you enjoy your adventures and provided additional peace of mind to your family and friends while you were off the grid.
As we continue to upgrade our network to ensure you the best possible and most reliable service in the industry, this email is to inform you of upcoming changes to the cost of your SPOT Gen3 service plan(s):

1. A Network Maintenance Fee of $14.99 will be charged to your account.
2. The Basic Service plan that your SPOT Gen3 device(s) are currently on has been discontinued and will be migrated over to our new enhanced Basic Service plan. As such, your current 1-year subscription price will increase to $199.99 at the time of your renewal.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact Customer Care at 866-651-7768.
As we approach the incredible benchmark of 5,000 rescues worldwide, we want to thank you for being a loyal SPOT customer and we look forward to continuing to protect you and your family and keep you connected whenever you're off the grid.
SPOT LLC

With annual cost of Spot service at nearly $215, inReach is getting to look a lot more attractive. Can anyone who owns inReach Explorer+ model (updated after Garmin bought deLorme) confirm if GPS feature works w/o paid subscription? I'm thinking here about replacing two devices with one, but would hate if my gps stopped working in the middle of a backpacking trip should my subscription somehow expire...

 

[akafuzzjones]

So the outrageous price isn't enough, we need to charge you an additional 14.95 to maintain the lines.