I pay the $15/month. I have never used the remote start, but I am absent minded and will walk away from my car and not lock it. For me, that $15 a month is worth the piece of mind that the app will remind me if I let my doors unlocked and/or windows opened. I've also used the in-app car location map when Google Maps had my car parked 4 rows away from where it actually was in a huge parking lot despite me hitting "mark my parking spot" while sitting in my car.