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Sling Blue & Orange: You Can Switch Between Plans At Any Time for Free

John Finn Avatar
Sling TV switch plans

Sling TV subscribers can switch from their Blue or Orange plan at any time and for free. This is one of those features that’s not so well advertised, but one that can be extremely useful in deciding which plan is best for the individual user or household. Here’s how it works and what you need to know, including things to be aware of before switching plans.

Sling offers two main live TV plans for new customers to choose from when signing up, Sling Blue and Sling Orange. Considering both plans cost exactly the same, the main choice comes down to the channels. Even then, most of the channels are the same with a few notable exceptions. For example, if you want ESPN channels then Orange is the plan to go for, while Fox viewers will want to subscribe to Blue. Of course, there is also the Sling Orange & Blue plan which combines the two channel lineups together, albeit at a higher monthly cost.

While consumers will likely take the time to study the channel differences between the two plans before signing up, they don’t actually have to study them too much. The reason is, Sling allows subscribers to quickly and easily switch from one plan to the other at any time during their current billing cycle, without having to pay anything extra.

How to switch Sling TV plans

The option to switch from one Sling plan to another can be found within the account’s settings and under the ‘Edit subscription’ section.

Changing Sling TV plan instructions:

  1. Head to the Sling website
  2. Log in
  3. Click on Settings (top right corner)
  4. Click on “Manage Account”
  5. Sign in again, if asked
  6. Click on “Edit Subscription”
  7. Scroll down
  8. Choose plan (under US Entertainment Base Services)
  9. Click Review (bottom of the page)
  10. Click Confirm

Once confirmed, the change only takes a few minutes to complete and then the subscriber will be able to watch the channels they didn’t have access to before. In addition, as Sling Blue provides more streams at the same time than Orange, this could also be a good way to quickly allow a couple of extra devices to access the service at the same time when needed.

Of course, the same Edit subscription section can also be used to make other changes to the current plan. For example, upgrading from either Blue or Orange to the combined Orange & Blue plan, or simply adding any of the additional channel packs and premium networks. However, the ability to quickly change from one Sling base plan to another is arguably the most useful, and most likely, the one many existing subscribers are unaware of.

Things to keep in mind before switching

Again, this change is free to subscribers, so there will be no cost to switch from one plan to the other and it does not affect the subscriber’s current billing cycle either. As the plans are exactly the same price, subscribers can simply switch plan and their billing won’t change – just the channel lineups. However, that is providing the subscriber is paying the current amount without any discounts. Which highlights the first point to keep in mind.

Sling registers a plan switch as an order and updates the subscriber’s account each time. In principle, it is not much different from canceling a Sling TV plan and starting a new one. Due to this, the change could affect certain benefits a subscriber already gets, such as grandfathered features or pricing.

Technically, there’s nothing stopping Sling TV subscribers from switching from one plan to the other as many times as they like during the month. While Sling does not appear to have placed a firm cap on the feature, some may end up encountering issues if switching too often. In addition, Sling TV users should also keep in mind that some settings, such as their favorited channels, are directly tied to their current plan. In other words, they may need to set some things back up again after making the switch. Likewise, switching plans does not seem to affect recordings, but your miles may vary, depending on the channels and content recorded.

Read more: Sling TV DVR Recording Cost, Upgrades & Limits Explained

John Finn

Comments

10 responses

  1. Keep trying to switch from blue to orange. It appears it does confirm but nothing changes. Bummer trying to watch Thursday night football

  2. This was a very useful article. Thanks for posting it.

    I just switched from Orange to Blue in order to watch a game on FS1 next weekend. I was able to watch watch FS1 immediately. There was no charge for switching. And my introductory half-off first month rate stayed intact.

    The final test will come on Sunday when I want to switch back to Orange and the ESPN universe of channels. I’ll post an update if there are any hitches when I do that.

  3. I tried switching from Orange to Blue and nothing happens 🙁

    1. Sling must have changed their policy on switching plans. Mine shows won’t be effective until end of billing cycle

  4. I just upgraded . Is it available immediately ? Im trying to watch Thurs night game

    1. Yes, it should only take a few minutes to switch between channel lists. If you have issues seeing the change, maybe try closing the app and relaunching it again.

  5. the change is NOT instantaneous. it will not happen until next bill issued according to sling.

    1. Hey Sally, did you actually try to switch?

      Last time I checked I was able to switch immediately. In fact, I was able to switch back and forth multiple times within the same billing period.

      I will check again over the weekend to see if anything has changed and update this reply.

      Update (Sept. 17, 2022): Can confirm the switch is still immediate. There is no need to wait for the next billing cycle and the billing period remains unchanged.

    2. That’s what I am seeing too. Bummer

  6. Hey if I switch would my month start over like if my bill is due tomorrow and I switch tonight would I still have to pay tomorrow

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