# Can't renew membership --- button missing **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 7, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214 "2009-01-07T12:28:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/1 "2009-01-07T12:28:51Z")
I received notice today that I need to review (in the next two days, it turns out). Following the link to the payments page, and selecting 1 year of charter membership, I’m taken to a page where I’m to select my method of payment. To pay for your subscription, please click the order button next to your preferred payment method and follow the instructions on the following page. Subscription: Straight Dope Board Charter Membership Duration: 1 Year Cost: US$7.48Only problem is, there’s no button for credit card, which is how I’ve always paid. The only button is for PayPal, and I have no PayPal account. Have you stopped taking credit cards? Can I mail someone a check or something? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/2 "2009-01-07T12:47:43Z")
You don’t need a Pay Pal account, you just enter your visa number when you go to the Pay Pal site. Unless you think that PP is some sort of Illuminati front or something. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/3 "2009-01-07T12:55:50Z")
The snark is completely unnecessary. I didn’t realize PayPal processed credit card payments. When the text (which I quoted) said to select the method of payment, I took it to mean what it has meant at every site I’ve ever purchased from. But thanks anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/4 "2009-01-07T12:58:15Z")
Didn’t mean any snark, next time I’ll add a 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/5 "2009-01-07T13:00:23Z")
My fault for assuming the worst. I apologize. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/6 "2009-01-07T15:08:47Z")
Admins: Is there any way to put text on the subscription page indicating that credit card payments can be processed by PayPal? I have a feeling you’re going to be seeing a lot of these posts in the next few months otherwise! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/7 "2009-01-07T15:43:39Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Unless you think that PP is some sort of Illuminati front or something. Not an Illuminati front, just a horribly run company with laughable data security that would make a Nigerian banker cringe. I for one am very disappointed it’s now the sole renewal option. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/8 "2009-01-07T16:21:26Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Not an Illuminati front, just a horribly run company with laughable data security that would make a Nigerian banker cringe. I for one am very disappointed it’s now the sole renewal option. Ditto. After the PayPal fiasco I dealt with this past summer the less info I give to PayPal the happier I will be. ---
**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/9 "2009-01-07T18:11:12Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I received notice today that I need to **review** (in the next two days, it turns out). This isn’t intended as snarky, but I’assuming you mean “renew” not “review”. The reason I ask for the clarification is because I’m wondering why a Charter Member needs to renew in January. Shouldn’t your subscription end in May? Mine goes until 5/19/09. Why would it differ for any other Charter Member? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/10 "2009-01-07T18:21:05Z")
I meant “renew”, as in the title. Why mine ends when it does, I have no idea. I didn’t know yours ended differently from mine. ---
**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/11 "2009-01-07T21:44:55Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I meant “renew”, **as in the title**. Sorry, I should have caught that part. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/12 "2009-01-08T02:40:27Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I meant “renew”, as in the title. Why mine ends when it does, I have no idea. I didn’t know yours ended differently from mine. Phishing scam? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/13 "2009-01-08T02:58:03Z")
I again wish to express my extreme displeasure and concern that PayPal is the only option. I want to give them my credit card number even less than I want to give them other ways to make my information available to thieves. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-renew-membership-button-missing/480214/14 "2009-01-08T20:21:13Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I again wish to express my extreme displeasure and concern that PayPal is the only option. I want to give them my credit card number even less than I want to give them other ways to make my information available to thieves. I regret that’s the case, but giving your credit card number to us would be no safer. Jerry explains why: “PayPal purchased the largest (and most trusted) Internet credit card processing company in existence, Verisign, on November 18, 2005. The Reader always used Verisign for credit card processing and continues to use the rebranded PayPal equivalent of the same service today for all our in house credit card transactions (including SD merchandise transactions). That means every single SD credit card transaction since the fall of 2005 has gone through the dreaded monolith PayPal.” By and by I’ll post a sticky explaining the situation.