# renewal **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 17, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686 "2011-04-17T02:10:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/1 "2011-04-17T02:10:09Z")
I thought I was automatically renewed but cannot find anything about it, and now I’m getting ads so it looks like my membership has lapsed. How do I check? What happened to it going automatically? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/2 "2011-04-17T02:18:08Z")
It says guest under your user name. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/3 "2011-04-17T02:21:00Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It says guest under your user name. Yeah, I saw that, which means my subscription expired since 4/12, which is when I got the email about it. Perhaps the PTB no longer want me… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/4 "2011-04-17T02:30:46Z")
I don’t believe subscriptions ever were automatic. You may get a reminder that your subscription is about to expire, but you do have to pay for another year manually. It isn’t just automatically deducted from your credit card or bank account, or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/5 "2011-04-17T02:38:03Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I don’t believe subscriptions ever were automatic. You may get a reminder that your subscription is about to expire, but you do have to pay for another year manually. It isn’t just automatically deducted from your credit card or bank account, or whatever. It says right in the email "If you have selected a recurring subscription you will be automatically billed for the renewal, ", which I was sure I had. Still seems odd that there was only a few days warning as well. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/6 "2011-04-17T04:45:18Z")
OK, I see. I hadn’t noticed you could have a recurring subscription. I withdraw my comment, then. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/7 "2011-04-17T05:39:57Z")
Am you’re around, curlcoat. You’re an interesting person. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/8 "2011-04-17T12:30:57Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > Am you’re around, curlcoat. You’re an interesting person. Just couldn’t bring yourself to say you are _happy_? [sub]I keed, I keed[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/9 "2011-04-17T12:51:50Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > Am you’re around, curlcoat. What does this even mean? I would like to claim someone had hacked my account. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/10 "2011-04-17T14:37:27Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I don’t believe subscriptions ever were automatic. You may get a reminder that your subscription is about to expire, but you do have to pay for another year manually. It isn’t just automatically deducted from your credit card or bank account, or whatever. According to my account, I’m good through May 2013. How’d I do that then? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/11 "2011-04-17T15:03:24Z")
I thought you could pay for one or for two years. I just checked, and those are my two options. No “recurring subscription”. I suspect that reference is boilerplate that didn’t get changed, even though they don’t have the recurring option enabled. ETA: if you _had_ a recurring subscription, wouldn’t they bill you once a year, for a year? ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/12 "2011-04-17T15:06:57Z")
The line at the bottom of the subscription page says this: > [@](#): > > Validity periods marked \* indicate that purchasing this subscription is recurring, this means after the period is complete it will automatically be renewed. Since there are no subscription options marked with an asterisk, nothing is automatically renewed. Also, I just checked the subscription set-up in the Admin section of the board and none of the subscriptions are set to recur. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/13 "2011-04-17T15:08:30Z")
Thanks for this thread, **curlcoat** , it served as a gentle reminder that my due date was just a fortnight or so hence. All done and dusted now till 2012. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/14 "2011-04-17T17:02:00Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > According to my account, I’m good through May 2013. How’d I do that then? Like I said, I hadn’t been aware of that. I had already stood corrected by **curlcoat**. > [@cochrane](#): > > OK, I see. I hadn’t noticed you could have a recurring subscription. I withdraw my comment, then. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/15 "2011-04-17T18:08:43Z")
I don’t seem to be getting any answers as to why I’m no longer on recurring, nor why I was dropped in only a few days. How/who should I contact about this? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/16 "2011-04-17T18:25:11Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > I don’t seem to be getting any answers as to why I’m no longer on recurring Your membership is not recurring because there is no option for recurring renewals. > [@curlcoat](#): > > nor why I was dropped in only a few days. Membership ends on the day your subscription expires. There is no grace period. > [@curlcoat](#): > > How/who should I contact about this? Go to UserCP. Click on Paid subscriptions. Choose 1 year or 2 years. Click on Order. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/17 "2011-04-17T20:13:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Your membership is not recurring because there is no option for recurring renewals. There was, and so far no one in the know has dropped in to say anything about it. > [@](#): > > Membership ends on the day your subscription expires. There is no grace period. I have no idea when my subscription was to expire since the email I got didn’t give a date. All it said was “Your access to the paid subscription “Straight Dope Board Membership” is about to expire” then it went on about recurring subscriptions. So I didn’t do anything. > [@](#): > > Go to UserCP. Click on Paid subscriptions. Choose 1 year or 2 years. Click on Order. Do I start over then? Post counts, etc? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/18 "2011-04-17T20:21:00Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > There was, and so far no one in the know has dropped in to say anything about it. > > Do I start over then? Post counts, etc? Do you remember setting up any sort of recurring renewal? To the best of my knowledge, the dope has never done that. As far as the email text goes, big whoop. There’s strictures in the rules about avatars despite the board never enabling them. The email is autogenerated based on the board software. And no, your post count continues to increase. In fact, you still have it, it’s just relegated to your profile page. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/19 "2011-04-17T20:21:12Z")
**SkipMagic** wrote: ‘Since there are no subscription options marked with an asterisk, nothing is automatically renewed.’ I haven’t received a renewal email\*, since I re-up early, but I don’t remember ever reading anything on the last one I got mentioning automatic renewal. I would have opted for that. You don’t ‘start over’. You’ll keep your post count. - If I did receive any, I deleted them because I’d already renewed. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686/20 "2011-04-17T20:25:04Z")
There are no automatic renewals. There have never been automatic renewals. If you reup, your ongoing post count will be displayed, there’s no reset button, no matter how short or long the lapse in active membership. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renewal/578686.md?page=2)