SL Accounts going live

i don't know if anyone has addressed this issue or not or if this is really the catagory i need to be putting this in but here goes since SL is going live in a few weeks this issue needs to be discussed because i know it effects me and my abilitie to stay in the game come live time.. Credit cards.. i know just about everyone has one but what about those of us who don't and can't get one .. my bank doesn't even offer vise check cards so on this i'm kinda screwed... what do those of us who don't have access to a credit card do if we want to stay or ppl who want to play game do as well... is there a way to offer us a substitute way of keeping or getting an account like maybe giving a bank account number. i really want to stay with SL but if a credit card is the only way i can then when live time comes i'm not going to beable too

I don't mean to sound arrogant or anything but if you knew the game would only accept credit cards a few months back, why didn't you try applying for one? I don't mean for that to sounds negative but almost all online games require you to have a cc. I used to not believe in using a cc till I saw what little you can do, almost anywhere u go without it. Now I probably have too many cc, LOL anyways they might in the future allow other forms of payment but as for business on the net, cc is the quickest way to pay, and that's most likely why Linden Lab doesen't accept anything else.

We'll take a look at what else we can accept as payment, and post something.

This is a good point - our goal is ultimately to accept as broad a set of forms of payment as possible. Credit cards have many inconveniences to them (beyond not having one!). But each additional payment method requires time and money to set up, so you'll have to wait for us to get to them.

There are gift cards that you pay in advance and the recipient uses them just like a regular Mastercard or Visa. You mail them a check, and they send you the card. I think you could just put yourself as the recipient of the gift card, but you might have to call them to see.

Here is a company I found on the net where you can mail a check to get one:
icardgiftcard.com

Here is Google directory that lists other places you could get them.
http://directory.google.com/Top/Shopping/Gifts/Gift_Certificates/

One disadvantage though is that there is a fee. I looked at 2 web sites and the fee on one was $5.95 and on the other it was $10.95 so you might want to shop around for a low fee.

Hope this helps.

Candie

They have some issues I kow, but paypal allows people to setup accounts without a CC I believe (just a checking account needed).

Also I like the gift card idea. 6mo of my EQ time was on 2, 3mo gift cards I had gotten for gifts. Also these can be sold in retail outlets so that people can pay cash etc. Of course that involves production, packaging, shiping etc of the cards.

A friend of mine uses a gift card for his AC2 account. When it runs low he adds more money to it. Even if credit cards are the only available payment method when it goes live it will still be possible to play If you want me to find out the details from him I'd be happy to.

I would like to know if we will HAVE to use the CC we signed up with, I had to use my friends moms CC to get the account knowing she wouldn't get charged, but now when we finnally do get the pricing offers, will i have to pay with her CC or can i pay with another?

actually Neo you have a piont there are alot of things i can't do because i don't have a credit card and when i signed on for beta you didn't need a credit card to get an account.. my roommate started playing SL and it looked interesting to me so i thought i would play and see if i liked it and to be honest i didn't think i would like it as much i have most games bore me within a week... and the credit card issue honestly didn't cross my mind until today...*shrugs*.. as for applying for one , i used to have lots of credit cards at one piont in my life and well i don't want them anymore.. if i don;t have the money for what i need right then .. then i don't need it and i learned that the hard way. and thanks Candie for the site i'll check it outu and see if it is a way i can stay in the game

Darque - You can use a different credit card when you sign up.

I suppose you could do what I did and switch banks, so you can get a proper check card instead of an ATM card.

Then again, I wanted to switch banks anyway because my old bank was screwing me over on fees, so your mileage may vary.

you could also go with PayPal, and get a PayPal debit card.. i think that would work as a credit card, all you would need is your bank account number to sign up, and the debit card would take the money straight from your acct like a check card, but the debit card might be used like an atm card, not sure, lol. something to look into though.

B

For me personally, who don't (and won't ever again hehe) own a credit card, games/online communities have always been a problem to pay for. Not to mention the fact i live in Canada, which doesn't have cheque cards, annnnnd paypal doesn't offer their debit cards to canadians.

The only game i have seen online that lets Canadian's pay for its subscription online (without a CC), is Ragnarok, who uses CertaPay .

I hope *crosses fingers* that more then just credit card payment will be allowed, otherwise bye bye to SL (and withdrawl symtoms beginning! lol) teehee

few weeks?!!!NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...looks like my days are numberd. I also do not have a credit card.......oh woe is me...why now! i just got done with my lab..my club.....im going to lose it all!!!!!!!! unless you lindens can keep if for me until i can get a credit card..(which may be a good while) PLEASE!! PLEASE!! dEAR LORD NO!!

lol.. aurelie that's kind of funny.. i just stopped playing Ragnarok because it went pay, not because i don't have a credit card, but because i'm about to go into the army, but still funny nonetheless.

B

Well...there are some other options than credit cards, and we're taking a look at what we can offer. One easy option is an ATM/debit card (an ATM card with a MasterCard or Visa icon). For students there are also "cash" cards. Take a look at https://www.cashcard.citicards.com/index.cfm?s=BAHP2&AID=8829033&PID=492926.

Another possibility, which I'm still investigating, could be to accept checks for longer term (annual or lifetime) memberships.

Hang on...we're working on it!

Robin

hehe, well its the ONLY game that i have found that offers canadians the ability to play without using a credit card (can play directly from my bank account), its pretty neat

I only played Ragnarok in beta

Well I know about signing without using a cc to sign up cause I was in the close beta, but I also knew that once the game finally did launch I would need to use my cc to be charged. I just wonder have you ever played an pnline game in Beta before? If not no biggie, lotta new people trying out new games. But if you have then you shoulda known already about cc being the best form of pay. I was in a similiar situation with cradit cards I know just where you're coming from, I goofed big time. So I just learned how to make them work better. Lots of people will put down credit cards and yeah they're a general pain in the butt but they are kinda convienient. Reason I don't like them is cause I know someone is getting rich off me and that just urks me. Oh well, just be quiet and stay happy and make them think they are in control, that's what the government wants you to do anyways LOL. You might wanna chack out I think the site is paybycash.com or something like that. I used to use it for my old Ultima account. They have a fee too I just can't remember what it is. Now if only some nice rich person would be nice enough to Us little people to start a non profit organazation for a no fee way to pay. It's restore my faith in humanity I think cause is seemingly like it's not there anymore LOL.

For me personally, i've always known and expected to 'have' to pay with a CC for online games/communties. I just wish there were more options. For people who can't have one, or don't want one, i think the companies involved need to take a look at more options.

*crosses fingers and toes for more options*!

That is all well and good Phil but another benifit of just accepting credit cards is that it curbs underage (under 1 kiddiesfrom playing this game. If I wanted a kiddie game I would go play !@#$% agian. /-(. Sorry if ya dont have a credit card folks. This is how things work these days if you dont need it here you will be needing one somewhere and soon.

Cat

If i could have a credit card right now i would, but its not reasonable for me right now. However i agree with the underage thing, it DOES curb it to the extent of keeping 'some' of them out. One of the reasons i came to SL was because it was 18+.

I'll figure out how to pay somehow, i just wish more options for age verification were available.

Ah yes, but checks, cash cards, etc all provide this level. There are many forms of payment outside of credit cards which still require legally binding contracts, all of which limit age groups. While I don't know if this is a 'goal' for SL, I would think it's other required terms limit this.

just as a little note.. just because a credit card is used does not mean the person is 18 yrs old.. a person can use a parent's credit card and just lie about the age.. it's not really that hard, so there's really no good way of carrying out the age limit, so just using credit cards won't solve anything.

B

Actually a credit card does curb use by minors, yes they can lie and get online but what happens when mommy and daddy find out that there credit card was used? Uh Oh, someones in trouble, also someone said that checking accoutn provide age verification too, this is absolutely not true, I've had a checking account since I was 15 or 16 (just need a parents name on it too).


JV

"Yo mom.. if i give you this much in cash can you pay for this with your credit card?" 'sure honey, no prob'
that's all i have to say

B

Absolutely, you can have a credit card at 15 or 16 as well, but it requires a legal guardian's authorization to open. It's purely a legal thing.