# Paying for Membership **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 5, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329 "2015-05-05T17:58:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/1 "2015-05-05T17:58:19Z")
I’m trying to pay my membership, but I don’t have nor want a PayPal account. It used to be that I could pay through PayPal, but without creating an account, but when I followed the link this time, there was no option given for paying without having a PayPal account. Is that the only option now? And, are you going to put up a subscription reminder this year? Don’t they all normally come due in May? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/2 "2015-05-05T18:06:06Z")
You don’t get the option to “Pay with a debit or credit card, or PayPal Credit”? ---
**Author:** ![AHarris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@AHarris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHarris)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/3 "2015-05-05T18:19:52Z")
I have the same issue (connecting from Canada as well). The same thing happened last year and I ended up creating a paypal account. I seem to recall that it was a USA vs rest of the world thing. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/4 "2015-05-05T18:29:05Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > And, are you going to put up a subscription reminder this year? Don’t they all normally come due in May? Speaking of which, is there any way to check to see how long one is paid up for? It doesn’t seem to be on your member page. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/5 "2015-05-05T18:32:40Z")
This page … [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/payments.php](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/payments.php) tells me how much I paid up. In this case, May 2016. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/6 "2015-05-05T18:32:50Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Speaking of which, is there any way to check to see how long one is paid up for? It doesn’t seem to be on your member page. Go to User CP and click on Paid Subscriptions. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/7 "2015-05-05T18:42:09Z")
> [@AHarris](#): > > I have the same issue (connecting from Canada as well). > > The same thing happened last year and I ended up creating a paypal account. I seem to recall that it was a USA vs rest of the world thing. Except I’ve bought stuff on eBay and paid with my credit card through PayPal, without needing a PayPal account, so it is possible. ---
**Author:** ![AHarris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@AHarris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHarris)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/8 "2015-05-05T19:26:30Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Except I’ve bought stuff on eBay and paid with my credit card through PayPal, without needing a PayPal account, so it is possible. Here’s the thread I was thinking about (from 2 years ago): [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=687136&highlight=paypal](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=687136&highlight=paypal) For some reason, the SDMB doesn’t get the same service level as eBay with respect to international payments. It may have something to do with the fact that eBay owns PayPal (for a few more months). ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/9 "2015-05-05T19:38:56Z")
It is my understanding that you can pay for your subscription with a credit card (or debit card) without needing to set up a Paypal account, although PayPal keeps making it harder and harder to figure out how to do exactly that. ETA: Ok, I tried it (as far as I could get), and I don’t see any way to submit a payment without entering all of your personal info. I’ll check into this. ---
**Author:** ![LionelHutz405](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lionelhutz405/32/536_2.png) [@LionelHutz405](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LionelHutz405)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/10 "2015-05-05T20:28:23Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Except I’ve bought stuff on eBay and paid with my credit card through PayPal, without needing a PayPal account, so it is possible. It’s not possible on the Dope anymore. It changed last year. You now must have a Paypal account if you are outside the U.S. I just let my membership lapse. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/11 "2015-05-05T20:53:38Z")
See the attached image which implies a credit card option. I live in the US. Is there a similar screen abroad? [http://wm40.inbox.com/thumbs/84\_130b3a\_fd899dc\_oG.gif.thumb](http://wm40.inbox.com/thumbs/84_130b3a_fd899dc_oG.gif.thumb) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/12 "2015-05-05T21:12:10Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > See the attached image which implies a credit card option. I live in the US. Is there a similar screen abroad? > > [http://wm40.inbox.com/thumbs/84\_130b3a\_fd899dc\_oG.gif.thumb](http://wm40.inbox.com/thumbs/84_130b3a_fd899dc_oG.gif.thumb) I’m in the U.S. and that’s not the screen that I got. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/13 "2015-05-05T21:25:51Z")
Any chance this can get kicked up to Ed? There is some concern that Dopers do not like using PayPal. I know there are other systems available. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/14 "2015-05-05T21:38:06Z")
I’m U.S., and I see the same as **Measure for Measure** with a slight difference between Chrome and Firefox. When I expand the “pay with a credit card” in Firefox, I have options for debit, credit, and PayPal Credit. In Chrome, I have a fourth option for Bank Account. I can believe there’s a difference for non-U.S. users. Not sure why **ECG** gets something different. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/15 "2015-05-05T21:53:50Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Any chance this can get kicked up to Ed? There is some concern that Dopers do not like using PayPal. I know there are other systems available. I sent this around the mod loop and copied Ed on it after my first reply above. I don’t have time to look at it further right now. When I get home I’ll try to see if there’s a browser setting or something that is causing the difference in screens. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/16 "2015-05-05T22:08:22Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > See the attached image which implies a credit card option. I live in the US. Is there a similar screen abroad? > > [http://wm40.inbox.com/thumbs/84\_130b3a\_fd899dc\_oG.gif.thumb](http://wm40.inbox.com/thumbs/84_130b3a_fd899dc_oG.gif.thumb) This is how I did it when I last re-upped, and it wasn’t that long ago. Strange. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/17 "2015-05-06T00:32:39Z")
Here’s my screen in Chrome: [http://wm40.inbox.com/thumbs/85\_130b39\_15295\_oG.gif.thumb](http://wm40.inbox.com/thumbs/85_130b39_15295_oG.gif.thumb) Chrome doesn’t know that I have a Paypal account, so the screen is a little different. I’m still in the US. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/18 "2015-05-06T01:31:25Z")
I’m Canadian, and I see both options - pretty sure nothing has changed since I re-subscribed last July. I am not going to complete the process (since it’s not time to resub yet), but on the right of the payment screen I see “Choose a way to pay”. Under that is “Pay with my Paypal account”, and under that is “Don’t have a Paypal account?” with all the information one typically gets asked for a credit card transaction (Country, Card Number, Payment type, etc.) and a “Pay” button at the bottom (you have to scroll down to see it). I’ll let you know in July (when I’ll need to resub) if it doesn’t work, but everything looks kosher as far as I’ve let it proceed. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/19 "2015-05-06T03:50:02Z")
Aha! it’s a browser issue. I have an old version of Safari, and it wouldn’t give me the “Pay without an Paypal” option. I tried it on Firefox, and it did give me that option. I’m all paid up for another year. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329/20 "2015-05-06T14:21:42Z")
I’m US with no PayPal account and I had two options once I left the SDMB’s page and got to PayPal’s first screen: “Pay with PayPal” or “pay as a guest and create a PayPal account later.” Choosing the second option has you enter name, address, phone, & email, then on the next screen provide credit card details. Then at the end you can either click “yes, create a PayPal account” or “no, just process my payment”. I chose “no” and the charge went though just fine. So the bastards still got my info, but with any luck they’re not holding on to it. (Yeah, yeah, I also believe the tooth fairy will delivery my winning Powerball ticket this afternoon in time for tonight’s $80M drawing). This info may or may not be helpful to the non-US folks, but here it is. I did all this using IE11 on Windows 8.1. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-for-membership/719329.md?page=2)