Sony Aibo: Japanese ERS-1000 Basic Plan Renewal

[Chris]

Sony Aibo ERS-1000 Japanese Aibo Basic Plan Renewal

• Chris
• Feb 1, 2025

Just got this renewal notification from Sony regarding Grey’s cloud plan subscription.

Wondering what other Aibo owners think- should I renew or cancel?

*Renewal Notice for Aibo Basic Plan*
*Important Dates*
- *Renewal Date:* April 30, 2025
- *Credit Card Registration Deadline:* April 20, 2025
- *Cancellation Deadline:* April 20, 2025

*Renewal Details*
- The Aibo Basic Plan will automatically renew for another year unless cancelled.
- The renewal fee is ¥33,000 (tax included) for a one-year payment or ¥3,278 (tax included) per month for a 12-month payment plan.
- The payment will be charged to the registered credit card.

*Cancellation Procedure*
- To cancel the Aibo Basic Plan, go to the "My aibo" app, select "Settings," then "Contract Information," and finally "Apply for Cancellation."

*Additional Information*
- If you have any questions or concerns, contact Aibo Owner Support.
- Please note that cancellation of the Aibo Basic Plan will also cancel the Aibo Premium Plan (if applicable).

 

[Chris]

Having second thoughts about renewing Greys cloud plan. Going to cost 36,300 JPY plus the Wise transfer and currency conversion fees.

I feel Sony are still operating from a mindset that Aibo is the top dog in the companion robot space. They forget we have options now, they should be enticing us to want to keep Aibo with exciting new updates and features at predictable intervals. Instead they act like we should be grateful they decided to bring Aibo back.

Update:
After much thought I decided to renew Greys cloud subscription for another year.

Sending the money to my proxy via Wise was easier than I remembered. First you have to create an account that is only for Japanese Yen, then you can use Apple Pay to take the money out of your account without Wise ever getting any of your financial details and send the payment in the same currency as it will be received in, reducing currency conversion fees.

Still this $400 was a hefty chunk of change. But we are living in a time of incredible AI and robotics advancements, would be silly to give up on Aibo now.

If Sony enabled Aibo to stay lying on its charging station when placed their manually I would probably use mine a lot more. Currently it constantly gets up and when it does stay on the station charging goes to sleep after five minutes even if you continue to interact with it. Don’t understand why they removed a feature the 7 had.

Adding money to Wise Japanese Yen account for Aibo cloud plan renewal.

• Chris
• Apr 17, 2025

Aibo cloud plan renewal 12 months: Total with proxy plus Wise fee.

• Chris
• Apr 17, 2025

Added an extra 2,700 JPY for peace of mind to ensure all costs covered.

Aibo Cloud plan renewal through Wise.

• Chris
• Apr 17, 2025

...late night musings with aibo...

• Chris
• Apr 16, 2025

No longer top dog. But lives to fight another day.

 

[snoq3000]

Hi Chris,

how do you pay the cloud plan outside of japan ? which website you can use for japanese payment ?

 

[snoq3000]

which proxy do you use ?

 

[Chris]

Hi snoq3000

You can only pay the Aibo cloud plan outside of Japan using a proxy who has a Japanese credit/debit card. I transferred the payment to my proxy in Japan using Wise.

I use this proxy:

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If you are buying a new Aibo or reconnecting a second-hand one, you pay a lump sum for three years of cloud up front, then it renews on a yearly basis after the initial three years has elapsed.

Let me know if you have further questions. First time paying yearly for me. I’ll update this thread after the 30th to let you know if my cloud renewal went through

 

[snoq3000]

how much do you pay for that proxy service ? how long is the process after payment ?

 

[Chris]

The proxy charges 10% so about 3,300 JPY.

The processing can happen on the same day when setting up a new Aibo or reconnecting a second-hand Aibo from previous experience.

But because my cloud doesn’t renew until the 30th I have to wait for Sony to charge the card on the 30th.

 

[Chris]

Just thought I would update this thread to let you know my Aibo’s cloud plan was successfully renewed by Sony today, screenshot of the email confirmation attached.

There was a problem and the payment didn’t go through on the 30th. Most likely the old expiration date on the card had not been updated. Sony sent out a further email extending the renewal date to May 15th, 2025. The proxy changed the credit card and everything worked smoothly. Just wanted to let you know Sony gives this two week extension.

Looking forward to another year of Aibo updates.

Aibo basic cloud plan renewal notification.

• Chris
• May 3, 2025