Unfortunately we no longer accept lump sum prepayments

gj15 · 13 Jul 2023, 04:29 PM

A change since 11-May when I last topped up, it seems Fastmail no longer take lump sum prepayments against your account. Being a non-USD subscriber I had been watching exchange rates and prepaying an amount when favourable, but it seems I can do this no more.

The suggestion is to switch to a multi-year subscription but the longest I’m offered on my plan is 12 months.

This also removes one idea (discussed elsewhere on this board) for prolonging the existence of your account while others deal with your effects after your demise.

Avion · 13 Jul 2023, 07:44 PM

Personally, I could never see the point of just adding funds to the account.

I have the Standard account, and I'm offered up to and including 3 years (1 month, 1 year, 2 years, or 3 years) if I change the plan length.

However, I don't wait for my subscription to approach expiration. Every 6 months or so, I will change the plan to take effect NOW, and make up the difference with accrued referral fees and the balance on a card payment.

The idea is to have a long-ish subscription, should Fastmail decide to increase their prices, although to be fair they haven't done so in a long time.

Fenman · 14 Jul 2023, 12:22 AM

I agree with the OP. I'm at an age when planning for eventual death has become more of a necessity than a vague intention.

I have an account jointly with my wife, who is not especially tech-savvy. I would want her to have continued access to both accounts when I cough and roll over and to have the least possible hassle. I have paid our domains for 10 years and would happily do the same with Fastmail if it allowed her to continue unhindered.

gj15 · 14 Jul 2023, 06:13 AM

On the gross values I paid, the gain was only a couple of coffees a year, but they tasted good and with interest rates having been so low for such a long time, holding the money elsewhere wouldn’t have gained as much.

However with interest rates in this part of the western world shooting up, perhaps Fastmail are giving me some discrete investment advice…

SideshowBob · 15 Jul 2023, 05:36 AM

I thought they had stopped this years ago. Did they not stop something involving credit to avoid coming under banking regulations?

steveha · 28 Jul 2023, 06:03 AM

> Personally, I could never see the point of just adding funds to the account.

I just HAD to use it! My bank Halifax in UK now declines all authorisation attempts for less than one euro. So, when I update my payment method, FM attempts to authorise US$1 which is less than one euro so it gets declined. So I HAVE to pay the whole subscription rather being able to set up a payment method and wait for FM to collect.

Unless my bank/FM change policy, I won't be able to continue as a customer when the next payment is due :-(

SideshowBob · 29 Jul 2023, 01:39 AM

You should make sure FM understands that.

jdtaylor · 30 Jul 2023, 09:32 PM

This might help from the fastmail support payments page:
We currently accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and PayPal. Payments will appear on your bank statement as "FastMail Pty Ltd."

We are unable to accept cash, checks, bank transfers, money orders, or cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

Prepaid-only cards usually do not work. You are welcome to try, but unfortunately, despite advertising themselves as Visa or Mastercard, they often behave differently.

If you wish to pay using PayPal, you can do so by clicking Add billing details (or Change billing details), choosing More payment options, and then selecting Pay with PayPal. From there, you can add your billing address and follow the onscreen instructions.

So you could use paypal to pay for your subscription which would get around the problem with card payment issues. Also, your bank might have blocked the transaction as it looked fraudulent and to save you paying to a fraudster for example.

You would also be facing international charge for foreign transactions and more. So I think paypal is the best option for you.

DumbGuy · 3 Aug 2023, 02:34 PM

They used to accept Bitcoin a few years ago. I even remember chatting with Bron (in person at a conference FM attended) and he said they liked how Bitcoin payments weren't susceptible to chargebacks. Easy-peasy.

I wonder why they ceased to accept Bitcoin. Maybe pressure from Australian authorities?

hadaso · 3 Aug 2023, 07:50 PM

Maybe spammers also like how Bitcoin payments are not susceptible to chargebacks, unlike stolen credit card charges.

SideshowBob · 8 Aug 2023, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DumbGuy

I wonder why they ceased to accept Bitcoin. Maybe pressure from Australian authorities?

I would hope that responsible companies would stop accepting it on ethical grounds given its ridiculous carbon footprint.

13 Jul 2023, 04:29 PM	#1
gj15 Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Just west of the Greenwich meridian Posts: 59	Unfortunately we no longer accept lump sum prepayments A change since 11-May when I last topped up, it seems Fastmail no longer take lump sum prepayments against your account. Being a non-USD subscriber I had been watching exchange rates and prepaying an amount when favourable, but it seems I can do this no more. The suggestion is to switch to a multi-year subscription but the longest I’m offered on my plan is 12 months. This also removes one idea (discussed elsewhere on this board) for prolonging the existence of your account while others deal with your effects after your demise.

13 Jul 2023, 07:44 PM	#2
Avion Member Join Date: Sep 2022 Posts: 79	Personally, I could never see the point of just adding funds to the account. I have the Standard account, and I'm offered up to and including 3 years (1 month, 1 year, 2 years, or 3 years) if I change the plan length. However, I don't wait for my subscription to approach expiration. Every 6 months or so, I will change the plan to take effect NOW, and make up the difference with accrued referral fees and the balance on a card payment. The idea is to have a long-ish subscription, should Fastmail decide to increase their prices, although to be fair they haven't done so in a long time.

14 Jul 2023, 12:22 AM	#3
Fenman Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: UK (East Anglia) Posts: 737	I agree with the OP. I'm at an age when planning for eventual death has become more of a necessity than a vague intention. I have an account jointly with my wife, who is not especially tech-savvy. I would want her to have continued access to both accounts when I cough and roll over and to have the least possible hassle. I have paid our domains for 10 years and would happily do the same with Fastmail if it allowed her to continue unhindered.

14 Jul 2023, 06:13 AM	#4
gj15 Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Just west of the Greenwich meridian Posts: 59	On the gross values I paid, the gain was only a couple of coffees a year, but they tasted good and with interest rates having been so low for such a long time, holding the money elsewhere wouldn’t have gained as much. However with interest rates in this part of the western world shooting up, perhaps Fastmail are giving me some discrete investment advice…

15 Jul 2023, 05:36 AM	#5
SideshowBob Essential Contributor Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 278	I thought they had stopped this years ago. Did they not stop something involving credit to avoid coming under banking regulations?

28 Jul 2023, 06:03 AM	#6
steveha Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 5	> Personally, I could never see the point of just adding funds to the account. I just HAD to use it! My bank Halifax in UK now declines all authorisation attempts for less than one euro. So, when I update my payment method, FM attempts to authorise US$1 which is less than one euro so it gets declined. So I HAVE to pay the whole subscription rather being able to set up a payment method and wait for FM to collect. Unless my bank/FM change policy, I won't be able to continue as a customer when the next payment is due :-(

29 Jul 2023, 01:39 AM	#7
SideshowBob Essential Contributor Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 278	You should make sure FM understands that.

30 Jul 2023, 09:32 PM	#8
jdtaylor Master of the @ Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,693	This might help from the fastmail support payments page: We currently accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and PayPal. Payments will appear on your bank statement as "FastMail Pty Ltd." We are unable to accept cash, checks, bank transfers, money orders, or cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Prepaid-only cards usually do not work. You are welcome to try, but unfortunately, despite advertising themselves as Visa or Mastercard, they often behave differently. If you wish to pay using PayPal, you can do so by clicking Add billing details (or Change billing details), choosing More payment options, and then selecting Pay with PayPal. From there, you can add your billing address and follow the onscreen instructions. So you could use paypal to pay for your subscription which would get around the problem with card payment issues. Also, your bank might have blocked the transaction as it looked fraudulent and to save you paying to a fraudster for example. You would also be facing international charge for foreign transactions and more. So I think paypal is the best option for you.

3 Aug 2023, 02:34 PM	#9
DumbGuy Essential Contributor Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 212	They used to accept Bitcoin a few years ago. I even remember chatting with Bron (in person at a conference FM attended) and he said they liked how Bitcoin payments weren't susceptible to chargebacks. Easy-peasy. I wonder why they ceased to accept Bitcoin. Maybe pressure from Australian authorities?

3 Aug 2023, 07:50 PM	#10
hadaso The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Holon, Israel. Posts: 4,853	Maybe spammers also like how Bitcoin payments are not susceptible to chargebacks, unlike stolen credit card charges.