Why can't I subscribe using a credit card? YOU CAN!

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It’s still possible to use a credit card to pay for an SDMB subscription. However, we no longer offer a separate option for this. Instead, you must go through PayPal. Paying with credit card via PayPal does not require you to have a PayPal account.

We realize some people don’t trust PayPal, but please understand that paying with a credit card through us was no safer. PayPal purchased the largest (and most trusted) Internet credit card processing company in existence, Verisign, on November 18, 2005. We always used Verisign for credit card processing and continue to use the rebranded PayPal equivalent of the same service today for all our in house credit card transactions (including SD merchandise transactions). In other words, every SD credit card transaction since the fall of 2005 has gone through PayPal.

Most of the complaints we have seen about PayPal have to do with accounts. To repeat, you are not required to have an account to pay via credit card using PayPal.

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You do not have to have a PayPal account to pay your subscription.

If you do have a PayPal account you don’t have to sign in and use it to pay your subscription.

You can use most any credit card or even your bank account.

Here’s what you do:

Hit the PayPal button and that will take you to a page with two options on it:

  1. Sign in to your PayPal account. (large and prominently on the right)

  2. A block of type on the left (not so prominent) that says:

Don’t have a PayPal account?
Use your credit card or bank account (where available). Continue

To use your credit card click on the “Continue” hyperlink. Follow the prompts.

That should do it.

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I have been told people are having trouble figuring out how to pay their subscriptions through the new system.

Try this:

  1. Click on the “User CP” hyperlink in the blue band at the top of the page.

  2. Click on the “Paid Subscriptions” hyperlink in the column of hyperlinks on the left hand side.

  3. You will see a box that says Straight Dope Board Membership with a little drop down box to the right of it. When you click on that box, a price will appear. Click on the “Order” button to the right of that.

  4. You will see this box:

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 Membership
Duration: 1 Year
Cost: US$whateveryourrateis
Order Using PayPal

To pay for your subscription using PayPal click the button below and follow the onscreen instructions.

Click on the button that says “Order using PayPal.” (It’s the only choice you have.) But relax, you’ll be able to use your credit card or bank account if you don’t want to use PayPal itself to pay for your subscription.

A new window will open. You will have two choices

Sign in using PayPal. (Fill in the box on the right hand side.)

Use your credit card or bank account. (Click on the hyperlink on the left hand side where it says “Don’t have a PayPal account?
Use your credit card or bank account (where available). Continue”

Be sure that the credit card you want to use is not linked to PayPal; see note below.

Choose either PayPal or the “Continue” option to make your payment.

DSYoungEsq has mentioned something that may be meaningful:

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