# SDMB Subscriptions **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 3, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812 "2017-05-03T20:05:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [May 3, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/1 "2017-05-03T20:05:10Z")
Just a reminder that it’s getting to be around renewal time for paid members. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/2 "2017-05-03T20:10:16Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Just a reminder that it’s getting to be around renewal time for paid members. for **charter** members. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/3 "2017-05-03T20:19:10Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > for **charter** members. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/4 "2017-05-04T15:31:02Z")
Thanks for the reminder. I always keep an extra year on mine (so up to 2019 now) to avoid accidentally falling off the wagon. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/5 "2017-05-05T14:42:29Z")
I renewed, but I was getting an email every single day. Is that supposed to happen? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/6 "2017-05-06T03:22:30Z")
Thanks. Good to '19. ---
**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 6, 2017, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/7 "2017-05-06T06:25:13Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I renewed, but I was getting an email every single day. Is that supposed to happen? We used to only send out one e-mail. Some folks complained that they didn’t see the e-mail. Maybe they changed it in response to that. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/8 "2017-05-06T13:45:39Z")
Re-upped to’19. Tripler I’m riding this pony 'till it dies. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/9 "2017-05-06T14:48:46Z")
Thanks for the reminder! (My charter member status would have expired in two weeks! ) ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/10 "2017-05-08T14:54:25Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > (My charter member status would have expired in two weeks! ) And then you’d have to walk in the muck with the rest of the hoi polloi. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/11 "2017-05-08T16:11:23Z")
Just FYI: when this subject has come up in the past, some people have said they don’t subscribe because they don’t have (and don’t want) PayPal. When you go to the “Paid Subscriptions” link on your User Profile page and choose your length of subscription, you will indeed get a PayPal link. But if you click it, you will have the option to bypass PayPal and simply enter a credit card number and be charged directly. In conclusion, you can subscribe to the SDMB without using PayPal. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/12 "2017-05-08T16:38:34Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Thanks for the reminder. I always keep an extra year on mine (so up to 2019 now) to avoid accidentally falling off the wagon. ^^This. Suspenders AND belt. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/13 "2017-05-09T12:34:13Z")
Thanks for the reminder **Johnny**. I went ahead and re-upped for another two years. I was good through the middle of June, but figured I’d better get it taken care of now, before I forgot. (For some reason I don’t always get the reminder emails, which is why my membership lapsed last time around.) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/14 "2017-05-12T01:16:52Z")
Something weird. I just got an email to my email address of record for the Dope telling me that my subscription was going to expire on May 17 of this year. I know I renewed it for two years on May 8, because I posted a comment in this thread just after I renewed. When I followed the link in the email, it took me to the User Control Panel, and sure enough, it said that my subscription was going to expire on May 17. I clicked into some other threads and they were not updated as of today; they were only current as of a month ago. 😕 Then I went to my bookmarks and accessed the board the way I normally do, went to the User Control Panel, and it showed that my subscription had indeed been renewed until May of 2019. Current threads were current. The return address on the “please renew” email was [webmaster@straightdope.com](mailto:webmaster@straightdope.com), which is correct. I’m confused. I’m going to post this and then also send a mod note containing the text of the email. Very strange. ---
**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 12, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/15 "2017-05-12T03:24:47Z")
That’s weird. I’ve forwarded everything to our admins. Hopefully they can sort it out. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/16 "2017-05-12T14:27:29Z")
I’m glad I saw this thread. As far as I can tell, I never got the reminder email thread. I’ve upped for another _4_ years now. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/17 "2017-05-12T16:39:56Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > That’s weird. I’ve forwarded everything to our admins. Hopefully they can sort it out. Thanks. I got the same email again today and forwarded it to “[webmaster@straightdope.com](mailto:webmaster@straightdope.com).” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/18 "2017-05-15T16:53:50Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Thanks. I got the same email again today and forwarded it to “[webmaster@straightdope.com](mailto:webmaster@straightdope.com).” I got the same email. My Paid Subscriptions says Subscription Title Start Date Expiry Date Straight Dope Board Charter Membership 03-22-2004 05-20- **2018** Y’all are scaring me. I will also forward it to [webmaster@straightdope.com](mailto:webmaster@straightdope.com), if that is appropriate. Regards, Shodan ---
**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:** [May 15, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/19 "2017-05-15T20:06:09Z")
I received an email too. > [@](#): > > Dear Johnny L.A., > > Your access to the paid subscription “Straight Dope Board Charter Membership” is about to expire. > > To renew this subscription you must visit [http://tsdmb.avolatech.com/sdmb/payments.php](http://tsdmb.avolatech.com/sdmb/payments.php) > > If you do not extend your subscription you will revert to Guest status. As a Guest you’ll be shown banner advertising and will lose some of the privileges of your current membership status. > > All the best, > > Straight Dope Message Board Of course, I re-upped to 2019 before I started this thread. 😉 Incidentally, the link in the email is not accepting my username/password. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812/20 "2017-05-15T20:09:33Z")
Woah I also got the same spam, a few days after the real email. It’s definitely phishing! I will forward mine too. There’s a link in the email to go to [http://tsdmb](http://tsdmb) avolatech com/sdmb/payments php If you click through it’s set up to look like the SDMB only you’re not logged in. Don’t try to log in! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-subscriptions/785812.md?page=2)