I have an opportunity to get a lifetime membership at P411. The service has been great when I've been active. Unfortunately I haven't active in over a year and don't plan on being super active in the future either (that is, less than a handful visits a year if that). However, having to contemplate paying the yearly fee sucks particularly because the fee can go up (which it has once already since I signed up).
Is it worth getting the lifetime membership? Mostly money has kept me from being more active. But I hope that changes in the future. How long has P411 been around? I figure if it's around more than 4 years then the lifetime membership pays for itself. On a similar note, in the past I've already paid with my own personal credit card. Is it worth trying to pay through other means that would be less trackable (anonymous if you will)? I've been researching and reading about pre-paid credit cards and how those don't work all the time for this particular stuff based on previous threads. Hope I'm asking this in the right place.Once the lifetime membership is paid, you no longer have to worry about forgetting to pay an annual fee or worry about the price escalating.
If your hobby activity is low, then having P411 references can help maintain your viability. Unknown if providers grant lifetime members additional credibility compared to an annual member with the same number of "okays". Perhaps a provider will chime in?
If you've already paid once by credit card then the financial link already exists. In my opinion it carries little additional risk to pay by card again. But using a prepaid card that's set up for international use is certainly a viable option - just pay cash for it so there's no link back to your credit card.
The likelihood of P411 going out of business in the next four years, or being surpassed by a competitor, are not what I'd consider very high:
a) they're located in a country that seems to understand logic of human nature, and has resisted attempts to criminalize such activity.
b) a competitor would have to develop a superior offering at a lower price point, and have it adopted by a large population of users, and assumes P411 wouldn't evolve to compete.
I agree, if a guy is going to hobby for a while, regardless of how many years, a lifetime membership in a verification site is the way to go. I paid for LT membership on DC as well as P411. Now I don't have to worry about forgetting to renew.
Swim
Yes. You have to have five provider OKs. You also have to have been a paid member for a year and then you can renew for a lifetime membership for $499. My only question about all of this is this: Are there any extra perks from p411 for getting a lifetime membership?