Ancestry and FindmyPast subs

[raven]

Today I went into my a/c to cancel my (monthly, world) subscription so that it wouldn't renew automatically, and they offered me 3 months at the 1 month price!

This was ancestry.co.uk, so I don't know if the offer is across the board, or any other details but I thought it was a wonderful bargain. If anyone else has a subscription due to end, you might like to see if you're offered the same deal.

The only slight niggle was that my sub wasn't due to run out until the 1st of June, and because I took up this offer it began today, so basically I've lost a week off my current sub. So if you are thinking of trying this offer, do it closer to the end of your current sub...just a thought.

 

[Alexander Bisset]

I seem to recall Peter making a similar suggestion in his newsletter. ie: instead of renewing automatically at full price, with a day or so to go on your sub try to cancel it and you will get an offer to keep the subscription at a reduced rate!! They are trying to keep people of course and an offer of an extension at a cheaper price can do the trick. However you can use this to your advantage if you intended to renew anyway.

 

[raven]

I've never been offered something this good before.

Although, on FMP I've often grabbed a 1 pound month sub....mostly for their British Newspaper Archive records.

 

[peter]

Ancestry doesn't offer a loyalty discount so there's nothing to lose and everything to gain by unticking the renewal box.

 

[Gillian]

I seem to recall Peter making a similar suggestion in his newsletter. ie: instead of renewing automatically at full price, with a day or so to go on your sub try to cancel it and you will get an offer to keep the subscription at a reduced rate!! They are trying to keep people of course and an offer of an extension at a cheaper price can do the trick. However you can use this to your advantage if you intended to renew anyway.

I've finally put my tree onto ancestry. My ancestry sub comes up for automatic renewal on 6 June. If I cancel it on, say, 4 June, what will happen to my tree? Will it still be there when I renew my sub at the vastly reduced price I'm apparently going to be offered?

 

[peter]

If I cancel it on, say, 4 June, what will happen to my tree?

Your tree should always be there - but you always have a copy on your own computer anyway.

No need to wait until 4th June - you'll get what you've paid for even if you cancel now.

 

[Gillian]

OK, thanks a lot, Peter. Yes, of course, I have my tree on my computer. Silly of me.

 

[Alexander Bisset]

Your tree should always be there - but you always have a copy on your own computer anyway.

No need to wait until 4th June - you'll get what you've paid for even if you cancel now.

The suggestion to wait until nearer the renewal data was because of Raven's experience. Her new subscription after the offer was curtailed by a week as she cancelled then renewed under offer, a week before the original expiry date.

 

[Gillian]

Well, I've done it. I've cancelled my subscription to Ancestry and am now waiting for the offer to renew at a reduced price. Fingers crossed.

 

[emjay]

Well, I've done it. I've cancelled my subscription to Ancestry and am now waiting for the offer to renew at a reduced price. Fingers crossed.

I hope that works out for you. I managed to take advantage of offers with both Ancestry and FTM last year, which effectively gave me 2 for the price of one!
I would'nt normally be able to afford subscriptions to both.

 

[Gillian]

Here's a warning about findmypast. I'm pasting the whole letter, which was forwarded to me and other members of the Kent Family History Society last October by Malcolm Austen, who spotted FMP's little ruse. Here it is:

" My annual World subscription with FMP recently came due for renewal. I was pleased to receive an email reminder from them with the information that as an existing subscriber I would receive a 10% discount. Great, so I left it to renew automatically. On the date I duly received an invoice for GBP143.96, and the same amount deducted from my credit card. However, I was just slightly concerned by two things, so posed these questions to FMP:

1 - Nothing in this invoice indicates if the amount includes the 10% discount or not. Please confirm.

2 - If I go to this page: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/payments it tells me that a 12 month World subscription will cost me GBP129.50. This seems to confirm that the GBP143.96 charged for renewal is NOT discounted, surely?

Today I received a reply which while satisfying me should raise alarm bells for anyone else due to renew their subscription. They said:

Like most companies, to remain competitive and to ensure that our business grows, we operate different pricing at different times. You may be aware that we are the only major genealogy website to offer all renewing subscribers a loyalty discount of 10% . We also offer our existing customers occasional offers and deals across the year. Having said all of that, we don’t want you to feel that you have been short-changed in any way so I have now refunded the difference of £27.41 from the price that you paid to the lower current subscription price of £116.55. I have also ensured that you will be renewed at the lower price next year.

So be aware - these wonderful loyalty discounts are only 10% off the standard price (GBP160), and that while applauding your loyalty they are happily tempting others with even lower prices! They claim it is common practice, and that may be true, but don't feel you must accept it!​

Their claim to be "the only major genealogy website to offer all renewing subscribers a loyalty discount of 10%" is also marketing hype. All the others make similar offers from time to time. They just don't use the term "loyalty". So FMPs strict wording is true - but in reality it is just deceptive wordsmithing."​

I was one of the many rewarded for my loyalty by being charged more than the 12 month world subscription and, thanks to Malcolm, complained. I then received the same reply as Malcolm plus the same refund of £27.41. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when I renew this year.

 

[Tim]

I'm happy to say that I used Peter's links from his Newsletters, paid a lot less and supported Lost Cousins.

 

[NicolaP]

It looks like from Gillian's experience that anyone with an existing subscription is probably being charged the discount on the previous full price paid, rather than a discount on the current subscription price (unless you paid the lower price previously).

As Tim's post shows, but for anyone not aware, you can "stack" subscriptions on Findmypast to start when your existing one expires.

 

[Tim]

As Tim's post shows, but for anyone not aware, you can "stack" subscriptions on Findmypast to start when your existing one expires.

That was from one of Peter's special offers, so just be careful.

 

[NicolaP]

That was from one of Peter's special offers, so just be careful.

I extended my subscription last year using a different offer and it stacked OK and I know others who have also done this using offers advertised elsewhere. Obviously FMP could change the rules at any time but so far it seems to work. In any case, when you extend it normally tells you what the date of expiry of the subscription would be prior to paying, or that's what happened in my case.

 

[Gillian]

I'm happy to say that I used Peter's links from his Newsletters, paid a lot less and supported Lost Cousins.

View attachment 851

Yes, but I've a feeling - though I may be wrong - that Peter's link leading to a big reduction in the price of a sub was for taking out new subscriptions, not for renewing existing ones.

As Tim's post shows, but for anyone not aware, you can "stack" subscriptions on Findmypast to start when your existing one expires.

Please, what does to "stack" a subscription mean? Surely if you renew automatically your new sub will always start as soon as the old one expires. That's what I was doing when I was charged the high price, which they then reduced. I felt particularly bad about it because I've subscribed to findmypast and its predecessor, 1837online, since it was founded. So much for loyalty.

 

[peter]

I did notify Findmypast about the problem that Gillian and some others faced - it is clearly a very rare problem, because otherwise I would have had more complaints from members. A rather more common problem occurs where subscribers have a subscription which is no longer sold, and chose not to upgrade when the new subscription levels came in - but it's still rare.

 

[NicolaP]

Please, what does to "stack" a subscription mean? Surely if you renew automatically your new sub will always start as soon as the old one expires. That's what I was doing when I was charged the high price, which they then reduced. I felt particularly bad about it because I've subscribed to findmypast and its predecessor, 1837online, since it was founded. So much for loyalty.

It means that the new subscription queues on your account until your existing subscription expires. If you click on the image against Tim's last but one post (#12), you'll see what happens.

I agree Peter I think it is the exception to the rule but I have seen it mentioned previously on other forums. That said, I think quite a few people have taken up the half price offers over recent months to extend their existing subscriptions so the chances are any subsequent renewals will be at the newer lower price.

 

[Tim]

Yes, but I've a feeling - though I may be wrong - that Peter's link leading to a big reduction in the price of a sub was for taking out new subscriptions, not for renewing existing ones.

It was for existing ones as well.

 

[Bryman]

The offer 6 months ago was for new subscriptions only. I took it up and lost a month of the existing period but the savings more than compensated. I don't know about the most recent (half price?) offer as it did not seem to be relevant to me.