premium premium membership is it worth it?

[Alexa Dallas]

is it worth it i use to be a yearly member a year ago so im wondering if it is gotten better or worse or not worth it to be a premium??

so are you a premium member yes or no?

[Pamela Galli]

No I am not a premium member. I don’t know if it is worth it to anyone else.

Edited August 15, 2018 by Pamela Galli

[Chic Aeon]

It only cost a US dollar a month if you pay by the year and you get free tier on a 1024 lot (or a Linden home of course with new 1024s coming). And you get easier entrance into busy events if that is important to you. So it all depends on what you think is worthwhile.  

[Fionalein]

in case you wonder over Chic's named prize, the "only  a dollar" applies if you cash out your sptipend or otherwise cash in less Lindens...

[TatianaNikolay]

I am...I like that I get a free tier, a place to to set up photos. The 300L a week isn't really that much in the grand scheme of things, but a little extra shopping money lol. 

[LittleMe Jewell]

16 minutes ago, Sexy Jinn said:

is it worth it i use to be a yearly member a year ago so im wondering if it is gotten better or worse or not worth it to be a premium??

so are you a premium member yes or no?

Since LL increased the tier allowance from 512 sqm to 1024 sqm, and added a few other misc. perks (priority entering events) I'd definitely say that the benefits got better over the last year.  However, only you can determine if it is worth it or not.

Yes, I am a premium member and have been for almost my entire time in SL.  Additionally, I have numerous alt accounts that are also Premium.

The part about only costing $1 US per year only applies if you save all of the L$300 stipend paid to you throughout the year and cash it out to pay towards your yearly Premium renewal fee.  In truth, I think very few of us actually do that - at least not on our main accounts.  I do save up most of the stipends from my alt accounts.

[mikka Luik]

Yes. It is.

( I rent a fair bit but its great to have a fallback position as in a little land )

[Nalates Urriah]

I went Premium. I was buying L$ before I got Premium. So, there was a net savings for me.

I LOVE getting into crowded events.

[Chic Aeon]

1 hour ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

Since LL increased the tier allowance from 512 sqm to 1024 sqm, and added a few other misc. perks (priority entering events) I'd definitely say that the benefits got better over the last year.  However, only you can determine if it is worth it or not.

Yes, I am a premium member and have been for almost my entire time in SL.  Additionally, I have numerous alt accounts that are also Premium.

The part about only costing $1 US per year only applies if you save all of the L$300 stipend paid to you throughout the year and cash it out to pay towards your yearly Premium renewal fee.  In truth, I think very few of us actually do that - at least not on our main accounts.  I do save up most of the stipends from my alt accounts.

Ah and see they got you there.   It is STILL only costing a little bit over a dollar. If people choose to spend the money they get back, that doesn't negate that it was returned to them.  I suspect that long ago when premium came into being (and the stipend was much more) that the whole point was CASH FLOW.  I haven't any concrete info on that, it just seems like a natural reason to do it the way they did.  :D.   

 

[Janet Voxel]

It depends on what you are on SL for. If you like having your own dwelling, like creating, etc I’d say it’s worth it. You get a 1024 space included in the membership. Not enough LI to do what you want? You also get access to the premium sandboxes where you can also build and Rez and you don’t have to worry about trolls and the interesting things they tend to Rez while you’re doing something.

If you do shopping events. You pretty much bump any non premium member in a tp. Which if you have to have the newest items is a good thing.

I’d say it was worth it, it comes out to $6 a month.

[LittleMe Jewell]

12 minutes ago, Chic Aeon said:

Ah and see they got you there.   It is STILL only costing a little bit over a dollar. If people choose to spend the money they get back, that doesn't negate that it was returned to them.  I suspect that long ago when premium came into being (and the stipend was much more) that the whole point was CASH FLOW.  I haven't any concrete info on that, it just seems like a natural reason to do it the way they did.  :D.   

 

Yeah, I actually consider the money LL gives me to be money that I otherwise would have bought anyway.  So my Premium saves me the fees on said money transactions also. 

Just getting L$ does offset the cost in my eyes, but some only look at it from the actual US $ viewpoint and those folks would need to save their L$ to cash out to offset the renewal cost.

[Chaser Zaks]

I'd say yes. I have premium and haven't regretted the decision, and I don't think I ever will. Stealing my text from another post because I cannot math right now:

Quote

Annually is $6 USD a month, which if you break it down:

• L$300 a week(About L$1,300 a month, a $5.20 value)
• Linden home (provided you don't use more than 512 sqm of the other land) ($4.00 value)
• 512 sqm of extra land to use(1024 sqm if you don't use the linden home) ($4.00 value)
• Voice morphing ($8.00 value)

Those only being the things that can easily be estimated, LL technically looses $15.20 if you were able to and were to buy these individually. This doesn't include live support, the L$1,000 sign up bonus, region entry priority, group limit bonus, premium regions, etc.

 

[Phorumities]

Yes it's worth it if you are going to use the benefits.

Buying $1200 L per month..... $6.27

Renting a 1024 parcel...  $7.07 a month.

Getting  attacked as a leach on the system for getting a greater value in benefits than what you actually pay for by all the non premium members that "pay their own way" ... priceless

[Ethan Paslong]

ánd... depending on the age of your account...ánd not been premium before... your stipend cán be 300 or 400 or even 500 L$ weekly

 

[Skell Dagger]

Some other premium membership benefits that don't get mentioned as frequently include an increased number of missed IMs before they cap, 60 group slots (which, for the shoppers among us, still isn't enough! ) instead of the 42 that basic accounts have, plus access to live support chat.

[LittleMe Jewell]

5 minutes ago, Skell Dagger said:

60 group slots

This ^^.    

An increase in that number is actually one of the few things that I'd be willing to pay a higher fee for.

[Phorumities]

15 minutes ago, Ethan Paslong said:

ánd... depending on the age of your account...ánd not been premium before... your stipend cán be 300 or 400 or even 500 L$ weekly

 

If you sign up for premium today, regardless of the age of your account, your stipend will be $300 L per week

[LittleMe Jewell]

Just now, Phorumities said:

If you sign up for premium today, regardless of the age of your account, your stipend will be $300 L per week

We've actually had people state here in the forums that they experienced it differently if their account is old enough for the higher stipend.  However, what seems to be unclear - or maybe not consistent - is whether they only get the higher amount if they were premium before and left it for a while or if first time to premium gets the higher amounts.  For first-time premiums, we've heard it both ways, so not sure.

[Phorumities]

Just now, LittleMe Jewell said:

We've actually had people state here in the forums that they experienced it differently if their account is old enough for the higher stipend.  However, what seems to be unclear - or maybe not consistent - is whether they only get the higher amount if they were premium before and left it for a while or if first time to premium gets the higher amounts.  For first-time premiums, we've heard it both ways, so not sure.

Premium Accounts registered prior to 21 July, 2006 receive L$500.

Premium Accounts registered between 21 July, 2006 and 6 November, 2006 (inclusive) receive L$400.

Premium Accounts registered on or after 7 November, 2006 receive L$300.

Note, Those are the dates you became premium, not the date you signed up for second life

And, Those amounts are only if you are continuous from the date you go premium. However, if you revert to basic and then become premium again, your stipend will be $300 a week, because I read somewhere that if you become premium again you only get the premium benefits that are currently given out.

http://secondlife.wikia.com/wiki/Premium_Account

[LittleMe Jewell]

3 minutes ago, Phorumities said:

And, Those amounts are only if you are continuous from the date you go premium. However, if you revert to basic and then become premium again, your stipend will be $300 a week, because I read somewhere that if you become premium again you only get the premium benefits that are currently given out.

I actually remember reading that too, but there are forum posters that will dispute it.  There are at least 2 that I remember that have specifically said that they have downgraded and gone back to basic a few times over the years - most recently just last year - and they still get the L$500 stipend when they go back to Premium.

Edited August 15, 2018 by LittleMe Jewell

[Phorumities]

Just now, LittleMe Jewell said:

I actually remember reading that too, but there are forum posters that will dispute it.  There are at least 2 that I remember that have specifically said that they have downgraded and gone back to basic a few times over the years - most recently just last year - and they still get the L$500 stipend when they go back to Premium.

Well if they say they did, I can't argue with them. I can only comment on what I read on the LL website.

[Chic Aeon]

15 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

I actually remember reading that too, but there are forum posters that will dispute it.  There are at least 2 that I remember that have specifically said that they have downgraded and gone back to basic a few times over the years - most recently just last year - and they still get the L$500 stipend when they go back to Premium.

Yep and we have asked for clarification MANY times and "someone was looking into it" but no one got back. I "believe" the differences depend on the date of your avatar. It took quite some time before LL stated  -- when dropping down from Premium to Basic that you would NOT get that same stipend back. So they may feel that they legally have to give the higher stipend to some folks.  That is just my thought on the subject but there have been many reported cases here on the forums of old folks getting their higher than $300 back -- and others not.  So best not to plan on it. It has been over a decade since those higher rates were in effect as the official charts show. 

[Alyona Su]

Yus, the annual option is definitely the most value. As for the value of doing it at all, each person has to decide for themselves. Consider this: if you do a lot of shopping, where are all those L$ coming from? Have an SL job? Or are you buying it? If you're buying it then you're missing out: spending the RL money anyway and not getting the benefits (and there are benefits,) the most notable being rent-free land. If you're renting land you're throwing away part of the cost of a Premium upgrade right there.

There are other promised "perks" still coming. And some new features will likely see a Premium perk also, for example: when name-changing comes it will cost real money. I'm willing to wager that Premium accounts will get it at a deep discount, or even a possible "once a month for free" or something (totally guessing here, as an example of what they could do).

The thing is that people are balking at the cost, rather than carefully evaluating what you get.

[Alyona Su]

1 hour ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

I actually remember reading that too, but there are forum posters that will dispute it.  There are at least 2 that I remember that have specifically said that they have downgraded and gone back to basic a few times over the years - most recently just last year - and they still get the L$500 stipend when they go back to Premium.

Entirely accurate.

Stipend dropped from 500L a week to 400L a week (literally) the day I signed up. I kept premium for a few years then dropped to basic. Now, eight years later (when they doubled the free land) I resubscribed: got my 400L a week again.

Form Rand Linden:

Quote

Stipends for old accounts

The stipend amount for older accounts depends on what type of account you have and its age.

Premium accounts created or upgraded from basic:

• On or after November 1, 2006 receive L$300 per week.
• Between July 21, 2006 and November 1, 2006 receive L$400 per week.
• Before July 21, 2006 receive L$500 per week.

Certain old basic accounts get a stipend; basic accounts created

• Before June 6, 2006 receive a stipend of L$50 per week, if they log in that week.
• After June 6, 2006 do not receive a weekly stipend.

6

The Knowledge Base has been updated to reflect this:

Basically: as long as you have upgraded at least *once* before the rate change, even if only for a month, then you are grandfathered at that rate. Even if you created an account in 1995 (Yes, being funny) and have never upgraded to premium then, I believe, you will get the current rate. So it is the current rate at the time you upgrade the first time (and qualify for the sign-up bonus) - that is the rate you will get in perpetuity.

Edited August 15, 2018 by Alyona Su

[Marianne Little]

I think it depends upon if you buy L frequently and rent at least some months a year.

I didn't think it was worth it, before LL gave free 1024 m for premium. I think it is nice to have land, no landlord to consider and no need to plan ahead. If I am gone from SL a couple of weeks, I log in to the land, and got 300L pr week waiting for me.