Genealogy Chat

Maybe it's something to do with the WDYTA weekend? Didn't members who helped out on those threads get free credits?

"Maybe it's something to do with the WDYTA weekend? Didn't members who helped out on those threads get free credits?"

- no; I had an extra one month's membership added.
I have no extra credits.

Oh well! In that case I'll ask why I haven't had any :-|

Maybe it's an incentive they only offer periodically.

i got begger all!...AND i paid for 2 lots of 50 credits!....so unfair!

I got both Joy :-D

I was a free member when they gave me the month for WDYTYA, so it was as though I was re subscribing so I got the credits.

Should they want to take them back they are more than welcome to do so

I have never been offered 12 months membership and just checked and my sub expiries 4th April.

I haven't had any email notification that my sub is going to expire and given that
all the subs were meant to be increasing didn't GR say they would give you 28 days notice of the increase.

This is the first time I have been able to take out a yearly sub.

A month ago I was told I could have 6 months for £7.95 then a week later it had gone up to £12 (because they had given me a free month, which then looked asthough I had resubscribed)...so anyone who has paid £7.95 recently be expected to be charged £12 next time.

Anyway these two amounts total £19.95 which is the same price as a non discounted annual sub...so there was no point taking up the so called special offer.

If you look at the subscription page it says at the bottom 50 free credits

Membership Features Standard
View trees of over 13 million Genes Reunited members
Contact members who share your ancestors to discover your family history
Join the Genes Reunited community to ask for genealogy tips and advice
Non indexed Birth and Marriage records from 1837-1983 (England and Wales)
50 free credits to access all of our records

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/payments/subscription?isgift=false

well.I paid two lots of £5(£10) for two lots of 50(100) credits...think they must have forgotten me. :-(

When I look at the subscription page the only option I get is Platinum....


Membership Features Platinum
View trees of over 13 million Genes Reunited members
Contact members who share your ancestors to discover your family history
Join the Genes Reunited community to ask for genealogy tips and advice
Victorian Census Records from 1841-1901 (England, Wales and Scotland)
Birth Marriage and Deaths from 1837-2004 (England and Wales)
The complete 1911 census for England and Wales – See your ancestor's own handwriting!

No offer of credits there. Is that because I'm already a standard member?

Ah right it wont work if you are logged in......I just clicked on the link I gave and yes all I got was platinum.

So ignore that link then :-)

thats what i got too Jax...but with the Platinum costing £6-67 per month,took out in one chunk(£80.04)...i'll have to stay on the standard!

So to save money you have to have a plan.

Take Platinum (if that is what you want) - it is offered at the price of £19.95 monthly plan, so renewing each month would mean about £240 a year, compared to 6 monthly plan at £8.33 per month - paid in a lump sum equates to £99.96 per year and the 12 monthly plan at £6.67 comes to £80.04 for the year, so on the face of it Platinum 12 months is better value.

However, if you purchase credits 50 cost £5 (so each credit is 10p) - but they have to be used in 30 days. If you buy 200 credits they cost £17.95 (so just under 9p each credit) - on the face of it 200 are better value - and you have 90 days to use them.

So depending on what you want to do, how much time in a "block" you spend researching - and how quickly credits use up on each 'view' , it might, for some members be better to go for a MONTH of monthly Platinum at £19.95 rather than 200 credits. The downside is you have to use that Plantinum unlimited access in a month as opposed to having 90 days for 200 credits (or 66 and a bit for each of 3 months).

So it depends on what you want to do, want to see and when you can do the research - or a bulk of it.

This has been how it has worked for me. I joined GR in 2005 and other sites because I could. I ordered some certs from GRO. Then came to a halt. Last year I decided to get back to my research. I had joined a site with records (didn't know which was best) in January and was busily searching GR Member Trees, but could not understand why my messages were sitting as drafts. I asked Genes and found out I needed to pay, but continued searching and creating messages to other members. Then in May 2012 I paid to become a Standard Member - and sent my messages, received some and waiting for some responses. I have until May - then I will decide whether to renew, if it is worth the fee. I find the suggestions and thinking of other GR members when it comes to searching helps me to look at information from different angles - they see things I don't always consider - valuable to me.

So I have to decide where I can get / try to get my information. How much time in a specific period I can focus on my research. My sub to the other site has expired - so now I am collating what I might want to look at - and then I will see if I can rejoin, maybe when there is an offer on - or perhaps when I receive a 'please come back' email. Lots of sites let you search for free anyway.

So what am I saying? I calculate the cost, see if it is available for free, eliminate as much as possible - and try never to buy a cert that isn't one of mine!

EDIT: I don't do 'automatic' renewals - unless there is a deal in it for me

I have unchecked the automatic renewal now. ;-)

There are two - one on Subscription Details (renewal) and one on Credit Details (Credit Top Up)

Christina(Lancs) - no it's not all records - just 1901/11 censuses, Fri thru Mon (UK time).

Thanks for that mgnv. I was hoping for all the censuses (just being greedy I suppose) ;-)

Off to nudge up a thread on Find Ancestors to see if a fellow member will do another look up for me. :-)

People on here are so helpful,aren't they Christina? I have had plenty help myself.

Have also tried to help others,but by the time I find something out,I've been beaten to it,by someone with a lot more information than me!

I really don't know how they do it....I can search for something for weeks and weeks and get nothing....ask for help on here,and have even MORE info than I asked for(very helpful,too!),in a matter of minutes.

To everyone who has helped me,I can't thank you enough!

Elaine.
<3

Yes Elaine, they are very helpful. When I first started using the Community Boards I was so green I didn't have a clue what I was doing.

Others members were so helpful with look ups and advise on what other sites to use, even giving me step by step tutorials on how to use my lap top!

I also try to help a little if I can. And team work can often find what one person searching alone has missed.

So to reiterate Elaine's sentiments, thanks to everyone who has helped me. :-D :-D :-D

Ditto that

Free access only seems to be to the 1901 and 1911 censuses, for all the Bank Holiday weekend.