I am sure this has been asked many times before.

[LukasJavier]

Ok, i am sure this has been asked many times before.

i dont have a credit card and i knoticed on their website that they dont accept prepaids and i dont want to chance to get one to not go through and have the money sitting on the card. or i am alittle nervous about using a site like VirWox... so tell me i have connected my paypal account even to my bank account and it wont let me pay that way? it still wants a credit card....

confused on how someone like me can get into this game without a credit card?

 

suggestion please? 

 

Thanks

Lucian

[Staralien]

Do you have a debit card for your bank account that has the Visa or Mastercard logo on it? If so, you can use that. I have a Visa Debit card and have used that and it is the payment info they have on file. Works just like a credit card, except it takes the funds from your bank account. Hope that helps.

[LukasJavier]

yeah i tried to get one through my bank still having issues.

but debit visa or mastercards do work? 

[Orca Flotta]

Lukas, you don't necesssarily need a credit card or any payment info in order to make an SL account. Heck, I spent almost 4 years in SL as a basic, did business and everything. And I know many oldbie avies in SL who are on basic and downright refuse to become premium.

Let's face it, the perks of a premium membership aren't that great: okay, the 300 l weekly pocket money come in handy and premium sandboxes are nice, empty and free of griefers but the support still sucks and becomes less and less important since SL did indeed become much better in the last couple of years. Guess I'm gonna downgrade soon.

 

 

[LukasJavier]

but what about getting L$?

i dont really want a premium account its just getting some cash lol

[Amethyst Jetaime]

A debit Visa or Mastercard works.

You can also use them to guarantee your PayPal account which will then be accepted by LL.  They won't take a PayPal account if they charge it they have to wait on funds.  They want their money immediately.  If you don' t have a major debit or credit card on your PayPal so it can be charged if there is no cash in it, then they won't accept PayPal.  However you can keep some cash in your PayPal to prevent them from being charged if you'd rather.

And yes, if you are going to buy L's the safest way to do so in through the Lindex not a third party exchange.

[Sephina Frostbite]

Walmart Money Card has always worked for me. I have never had an issue.

[Tex Monday]

---

LukasJavier wrote:

but what about getting L$?

i dont really want a premium account its just getting some cash lol

---

There are a few ways to get Lindens without being a premium member.

Firstly, just buy them. Instead of keeping your credit card info on file, just go out and buy them. We figured out that if you don't need the house and don't care about the premium benefits, you can spend the same $10/month and buy the $300L that LL would give you.

Secondly, find a job. Depending on your skill level, you could dance or host or open a shop or build stuff. It's up to you.

And you don't have to be a premium member to be in SL. I've been here since 2009 and LL has never gotten a dime from me.

Good luck.

[Staralien]

I am going to put in my two cents at the risk of getting grieved over it. I keep hearing and seeing how people refuse to give a dime to LL, and yet you want to use their service for your own pleasure and gain. One reason I am a premium member, is I bought land, and so had to have the premium membership, but also, I feel it is important to help support a service that without any support from people who use it, would eventually have to shut down. It amazes me how many people seem to think LL owes them something for allowing them to use their services for free. I know it isn't perfect, but what is? For that matter, who of any of us is perfect?

As for support, I have always gotten support when I needed it. If people have had bad experiences with support, well that is no different than numerous other companies in the world that have employees who don't do their job. I have certainly worked with a few, and dealt with a few. Maybe I have been fortunate to have gotten a good employee the few times I have needed LL support.

I don't have to be a premium member, except for having the little plot of mainland I have. Otherwise, I have a rather large property I use for a rental business and pay fees to someone else who is a premium member so I may do so. I make enough so that I have not had to buy lindens since the very beginning, almost a year and a half ago and can pay my land fees to keep my business going. I also have a furniture business that helps support me in SL and pays my premium membership fees.

In any case, it is the premium members that help support Second Life (I am sure they have other ways of bringing in income as well, they would have to I would think) and without premium members, there may not be a Second Life for everyone else to log into. I think it is amazing that they continue to offer the service for free to the majority of users, and yet so many seem so unappreciative, are qucik to put LL down for the least little thing, and act like the "world" is owed to them. The fact that they continue to make improvements should be proof enough that they do indeed care about this virtual world we all enjoy. As long as I am able, I will always be a premium member, not for what LL can do for me, but for what I can do for LL in my small way. 

 

[Czari Zenovka]

This Premium vs Basic debate has been going on in the forums since I began SL in 2007.  Arguments have been made and counter-argued on both sides.

IMO, the bottom line is:  LL is the one who made the decision to offer basic as well as premium accounts.  Period.  It is one's personal decision which choice they make.

[Tex Monday]

---

Staralien wrote:

I am going to put in my two cents at the risk of getting grieved over it. I keep hearing and seeing how people refuse to give a dime to LL, and yet you want to use their service for your own pleasure and gain. One reason I am a premium member, is I bought land, and so had to have the premium membership, but also, I feel it is important to help support a service that without any support from people who use it, would eventually have to shut down. It amazes me how many people seem to think LL owes them something for allowing them to use their services for free. I know it isn't perfect, but what is? For that matter, who of any of us is perfect?

As for support, I have always gotten support when I needed it. If people have had bad experiences with support, well that is no different than numerous other companies in the world that have employees who don't do their job. I have certainly worked with a few, and dealt with a few. Maybe I have been fortunate to have gotten a good employee the few times I have needed LL support.

I don't have to be a premium member, except for having the little plot of mainland I have. Otherwise, I have a rather large property I use for a rental business and pay fees to someone else who is a premium member so I may do so. I make enough so that I have not had to buy lindens since the very beginning, almost a year and a half ago and can pay my land fees to keep my business going. I also have a furniture business that helps support me in SL and pays my premium membership fees.

In any case, it is the premium members that help support Second Life (I am sure they have other ways of bringing in income as well, they would have to I would think) and without premium members, there may not be a Second Life for everyone else to log into. I think it is amazing that they continue to offer the service for free to the majority of users, and yet so many seem so unappreciative, are qucik to put LL down for the least little thing, and act like the "world" is owed to them. The fact that they continue to make improvements should be proof enough that they do indeed care about this virtual world we all enjoy. As long as I am able, I will always be a premium member, not for what LL can do for me, but for what I can do for LL in my small way. 

 

---

No Grief....I probably should have phrased it better.

My point to the OP was that you don't have to be a premium member to enjoy SL or make Lindens. I don't do it because I don't want to spend the $10US/month to be one...I don't need the land and am not interested in the premium benefits. The Lindens would be nice, but I could just spend the $10 if I wanted a buy them.

IMO, if I had to pay for SL I wouldn't play it. I would have missed out on a lot of stuff, but the option wouldn't even be there. I would have passed on it immediately.

My apologies if I offended and I certainly did not mean to get off topic.

 

[Tari Landar]

---

Staralien wrote:

 

In any case, it is the premium members that help support Second Life (I am sure they have other ways of bringing in income as well, they would have to I would think) and without premium members, there may not be a Second Life for everyone else to log into. I think it is amazing that they continue to offer the service for free to the majority of users, and yet so many seem so unappreciative, are qucik to put LL down for the least little thing, and act like the "world" is owed to them. The fact that they continue to make improvements should be proof enough that they do indeed care about this virtual world we all enjoy. As long as I am able, I will always be a premium member, not for what LL can do for me, but for what I can do for LL in my small way. 

 

---

Ll has made more money off me while not being a premium member than they'd ever make off me if I did pay premium. I know I am not alone. In fact I know there are a lot more like me, who aren't premium, and pay a crap ton more than a lot of people who are premium. You don't need to pay a premium membership to, basically, pay your dues, or pay for your use of the service. Premium members are not the glue that binds, nor are they the reason there is a second life for us all to enjoy, far from it. Second life would not cease to exist if more people stopped paying premium memberships. As those fees really are a drop in the bucket compared to the profits the lab gets elsewhere.

[Perrie Juran]

---

Staralien wrote:

I am going to put in my two cents at the risk of getting grieved over it. I keep hearing and seeing how people refuse to give a dime to LL, and yet you want to use their service for your own pleasure and gain. One reason I am a premium member, is I bought land, and so had to have the premium membership, but also, I feel it is important to help support a service that without any support from people who use it, would eventually have to shut down. It amazes me how many people seem to think LL owes them something for allowing them to use their services for free. I know it isn't perfect, but what is? For that matter, who of any of us is perfect?

 

---

I am not Premium but I do still help support SL in a secondary way.

I support the Clubs I frequent by donating to them as well as donating to many of the SIMs I love to explore.  All this goes to helping these people pay tier.  And while it is not going directly into LL's coffer's, I think it is better use of my money because it helps keep the content that I enjoy active.

So actually, unless you are a Land Owner, you'd get a greater benefit by dropping Premium and supporting directly the content (SIMs/Places) that you enjoy.  We've lost too much incredible content in SL simply because the people who made it could no longer afford to do it.

It is still individual choice.  I live within a budget and I only have X number of dollars to spend on SL.  For me, I think I've made the better choice.

[Staralien]

I agree that there are other ways to support SL and LL other than paying premium fees. I too donate to places I enjoy as well as getting donations on occasion for my own property. I am also a consumer by buying clothing, products, etc from other people. I am sorry if I offended anyone and I didn't intend to reply to a particular person either and hope this post posts correctly as I intend to just be a part of the general discussion, not reply to a specific person here. I do realize that even basic members can be of support by being consumers, donating, etc. In hindsight, I think we all have something to contribute to SL in one way or another, even if it is just with our presence, and the opportunity to get to know each other. ;-)

[solstyse]

Saying that anybody owes anything to LL is like saying that someone who enjoys art owes the manufacturer of the paint and canvas.

LL gave us the grid, but it's the sim owners and the staff they choose that make it an experience. And by supporting the artist (sim owners and content creators, in this case), you do, in fact support the manufacturer.

Because an artist that can afford to will buy more paint and canvas.

[Gabby Pixelbottom]

---

solstyse wrote:

Saying that anybody owes anything to LL is like saying that someone who enjoys art owes the manufacturer of the paint and canvas.

LL gave us the grid, but it's the sim owners and the staff they choose that make it an experience. And by supporting the artist (sim owners and content creators, in this case), you do, in fact support the manufacturer.

Because an artist that can afford to will buy more paint and canvas.

---

That was very well put, thank you for sharing your insight.

[Jadeclaw Denfu]

Staralien wrote: "I keep hearing and seeing how people refuse to give a dime to LL, and yet you want to use their service for your own pleasure and gain."

That would only be true, if one does not spend a single L$ anywhere in or near SL.
I don't know, how much rebate my landlord gets, but I guess, from the 12 Euros I pay each month
in rent, atleast 10 Euros go directly to LL. Plus stuff I buy inworld and on the marketplace.
Inworld whenever possible to support those creators, that keep an inworld presence.

So could you and everybody else stop the crap about basic residents being freeloaders et al.

Btw, my reasons for being basic:
1.: Basic accounts live forever.
2.: I don't have a credit card.
3.: I don't trust PayPal. I wouldn't touch them with a ten feet barge pole.

 

[charmain92]

Agreed 

[solstyse]

---

Jadeclaw Denfu wrote:

Staralien wrote: "I keep hearing and seeing how people refuse to give a dime to LL, and yet you want to use their service for your own pleasure and gain."

That would only be true, if one does not spend a single L$ anywhere in or near SL.

I don't know, how much rebate my landlord gets, but I guess, from the 12 Euros I pay each month

in rent, atleast 10 Euros go directly to LL. Plus stuff I buy inworld and on the marketplace.

Inworld whenever possible to support those creators, that keep an inworld presence.

So could you and everybody else stop the crap about basic residents being freeloaders et al.

Btw, my reasons for being basic:

1.: Basic accounts live forever.

2.: I don't have a credit card.

3.: I don't trust PayPal. I wouldn't touch them with a ten feet barge pole.

 

---

The line that I made bold is a big point. LL themselves provide the bigest perk to basic members only. none of what they give to premium members is as good as this.

It's a big thing to give up just to get a stipend of what you pay back, which could just as easily go directly to your account. Or to have the right to own/rent mainland, when private regions are more popular. Or to get the gifts that premium members say nothing complimentary about.

What it all comes down to is you can pay a landlord, or make donations to your favorite sims, which LL gets the cut of that they deem fair, and you can buy the things you see on the marketplace or inworld that you just need to have, which again LL gets a cut of, and stay with a "free" account that never expires.

Or you can do the exact same thing while paying LL for premium membership, and then if your account goes into arrears, you can get locked out of SL until you pay for time that you weren't on.

[Hermione Lefevre]

If it wasnt for basic members like me who spend like thousands of Lindens every month for rent and clothes etc..there wouldnt be no SL.

Ten dollars a month for premium ? Thats a joke compared to what I and many others add to SL`s economy each month.

And who would choose a skimpy Linden home over luxury estate which I own...come ooooon lol

 

[161488303349]

---

solstyse wrote:

Or you can do the exact same thing while paying LL for premium membership, and then if your account goes into arrears, you can get locked out of SL until you pay for time that you weren't on.

---

have never understood why that is problem

only time can get in arrears on premium is if you don't pay your tiers. can know when is your tier due date. is same day every month. can know that have to pay the tiers in one months time

if could just keep use your accounts when in arrears then cant see how that can work for linden. can see how getting free tier pretty much forever can work tho

 

 

[solstyse]

16. if I didn't read a number of posts by people who went into arrears, I wouldn't even know that it IS a problem. But I've seen it on the forums enough taht it apparently does happen.

I often wonder when I read these forums why the happiest SL users are the ones with the basic accounts. I'm really curious about why basic members seem to have far fewer problems than premium members do.

It seems as though there are some (not all of them) premium members who are jealous of the contentment that basic members have  It also seems that some (again, not all) look at that $10/month premium fee as a much larger portion of LL's wallet than it really is. In fact, much of that premium is returned to the buyer, in the form of perks that some will use, but many wil not.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that premium or basic should be determined by the individual, based on what they want their sl experience to be. If you like the linden gifts, and you want a tiny plot on the mainland to call your very own (and the 512 plot fits your needs), and if you feel that waiting for your weekly lindens to come make a product that much more rewarding to buy (some do feel this way)  or if you need access to a sandbox, and you need customer support because you're doing something that's above the scope of whta most people do in sl, then premium might be right for you.

But if you would prefer private land over mainland, and you enjoy shopping on the marketplace for those creations that are exactly what you wanted (and don't mind using your credit card to get the lindens to buy your findings) and you don't mind searching for those areas that allow you to rezz things when you want to build or edit, then basic suits you quite well, and Linen Lab isn't truly deprived of anything. Your landlord is paying rent to LL, and a percentage of marketplaces go to LL too. For what I do, basic membership just feels like the right fit. I'm still waiting for that star salesperson to convince me otherwise.

Even those who get all their lindens by "working" in sl, are making contributions. Generally, a tip jar will give a portion to the performer, and a portion to the sim owner. the sim owner then pays rent to LL. Often, the performer will develop a following that brings new people to a sim that he'/she likes to perform at, meaning more tips, and greater likelyhood that the venue will stay open. The performer then purchases something for his/her avatar, and the content creator ends up paying a share to LL, and having more money in his/her pocket. Then someone else sees that item, and purchases lindens, which LL gets a fee for, to make the purchase, which LL gets a fee for.... It goes on.

So LL supports itself through our activities. I'm not saying that to complain. LL has both a right and a need to. I think that what the portion of premium members who feel bitter toward basic members are failing to see is that basic members partake in many of those activities that sim owners profit from, and by extension, LL profits from also.

The value of an economy is measured not by how much money is in the system, but in how that money moves. In how it changes hands. In SL, basic members pay sim owners and content creators. Sim owners content creators, and premium members pay LL. LL pays premium members. Premium members then pay rent to sim owners and content creators, and the cycle begins again, with LL making some profit not just when new lindens come in from outside, but every time lindens change hands within their system (the only exception being direct person to person payments.) I can definitely see how it's to LL's benefit to have both kinds of accounts.

[Kenbro Utu]

Just to add, I have not seen mentioned yet that you don't have to be a premium member to own estate sims.  While I have no idea how many estate owners are premium members or not, there are likely to be quite a few who are not, simply because I don't beieve there is any added value from a premium membership above what estate owners have.  The few estate owners I have known personally were not ever premium members. 

[Jadeclaw Denfu]

Solstyse wrote: "if I didn't read a number of posts by people who went into arrears, I wouldn't even know that it IS a problem. But I've seen it on the forums enough that it apparently does happen."

True.
If I ever need a premium account to own land, I would setup a second account especially for that
purpose only and then do the group thing with that account as group owner and my primary account
as group officer with admin rights. If anything would go wrong with payments, my primary account
would be safe from deletion.

 

[161488303349]

i don't think basic accounts are more or less happy than premium accounts

+

the main advantage of Premium is that is cheaper than any other way to own/rent a same size land and get 300L a week combined. like if get the annual premium sub then cost about 50c a month to own a 512m land for a permanent homeplace that you not going to lose ever until linden close the door

if rent private then pay at least 1L per prim/sqm a week. and then buy the 300L on top of that to get same comparison. so about $120 vs $72 pa

some people also like bc of the Premium sandboxes. they quieter and less hassle most days

+

the main advantage of Basic is that you not need to be tied to any financial term commitments if you don't want. can just pay as you go. which suits some people better