There are 5 replies in this Thread which was already clicked 294 times. The last Post () by Rice.

Subscription to online newspapers

    I am a digital subscriptor of two newspapers (one Italian, one is the New York Times) and one magazine (also Italian).


    For the newspapers, I took advantage of a 12-month promotional price. After 12 months, the price would have increased automatically. So, at month 11th I tried to cancel and in both instances they "found out" I was eligible for a discount, which basically meant to repeat the same promotional rate for another 12 months.


    In the case of the NYT, this is a 520% saving.

    The original promotion I subscribed in 2021 was $1 every 4 weeks for 12 months ($52/year).

    At the end of month 11th I received this offer:


    • On December 14, 2022, your subscription will renew at the rate of $20 every 28 days for the next 364 days. <<<< 260 USD/year

    • Your payment method will then be automatically charged $40 every 28 days thereafter. <<<<<  520 USD/year


    so I chatted with their sales agent to cancel my subscription because I wasn't going to pay that money to read the NYT. The chat agent "pulled out" my details and found out I was eligible for a discount.

    The new offer is:

    • Your payment method will be automatically charged $10.00 every 364 days for the first 364 days.
    • Your payment method will then be automatically charged $40.00 every 364 days thereafter, starting on 15 December 2022.


    The same happened with the Italian newspaper. After the initial promotional price, the subscription would jump to €240/year. However, calling their customer service to cancel the subscription magically unlocked the same deal for another 2 years (paid upfront, obviously).


    I am happy for the discounts but I found it a little disgusting how NYT takes advantage of people by charging 26x the money just because they forget to cancel or think the offer is over. It is a HUGE difference.

    (In the case of the Italian newspaper, the difference was not so huge, maybe 3x less, but still a lot of money).


    Bottom line: rinse and repeat in 2023.

  • Jump to the most helpful post

    I experienced a similar situation with The Telegraph, with a twist: when I decided to terminate my subscription, I learned that it was no longer possible to manage subscriptions online; cancellations taken by telephone only.


    I made multiple phone calls to the London number, each time remaining on hold until the automatic time limit (30+ minutes) disconnected me. Eventually I called my credit card company and instructed them not to pay further invoices.


    And now? Not a week goes by without an email from the Telegraph “inviting” me back. I’d have to be crazy! While it’s not exactly the New York Times, which I consider good value even at full price, I did enjoy the rather lightweight articles in the Telegraph.

    You make a valid point, Rice . To cancel the subscription is not as easy as to subscribe. In the case of the Italian newspaper, it was by telephone, only. In the case of the NYT, it was either by telephone, email or chat.


    This is my third subscription to the NYT, with a pause between the first two because I cancelled by email (chat was not an option at the time) and then re-subscribed a few months later.

    To add on the topic: no doubt that the NYT is a great newspaper with a lot of detailed content on a multitude of topics, features pieces from writers, activists, scientists, journalists and other prominent people in their field. I just don't have time to read it fully on a daily basis. I just scroll it three times a week and I often forget to read the pieces that drew my attention! Which is why I wouldn't buy it at full price.

    Fight the milanesa:!:

    Edited once, last by serafina: Merged a post created by serafina into this post. ().

    I fully understand what you mean, serafina . I’d be embarrassed to admit what my daily screen time is, and it’s all due to reading multiple newspapers.


    One thing that could be helpful to you - - subscribing to the NYT daily or weekly newsletters on topics of particular interest to you saves time over scrolling the whole paper every day.

    • Helpful

    I currently pay to read the Guardian and have subscribed to the NYT in the past. I found them (the NYT) very prompt and efficient when I proactively wanted to cancel my subscription.


    If you want to read The Telegraph without a subscription, try turning off Javascript in your browser. Some of the pages may render incorrectly but none of their articles will be locked behind their paywall.