Anonymous cards for online membership at Seeking Arrangements

[cabot]

All,

Are there any remaining truly anonymous options to purchase things online like an SA membership?

Green dot is currently requiring a whole lot of verification information. I haven't yet tried the option of lying on all elements, but I suspect that it won't work due to Patriot Act implications; if they're part of a broader network, they'll likely have the KYC protections in place.

Anyone have any recommendations?

C

[sharkdog]

Maybe try Visa vanilla gift card it did work for me!

[fireman190]

Originally Posted by cabot

All,

Are there any remaining truly anonymous options to purchase things online like an SA membership?

Green dot is currently requiring a whole lot of verification information. I haven't yet tried the option of lying on all elements, but I suspect that it won't work due to Patriot Act implications; if they're part of a broader network, they'll likely have the KYC protections in place.

Anyone have any recommendations?

C

Get a Gmail account. Buy a Google play card and load it on to your Gmail account. Download SA app and make sure your Gmail account is logged on on your phone. Renew or subscribe using the Sa app.

[tyrion]

Originally Posted by fireman190

Get a Gmail account. Buy a Google play card and load it on to your Gmail account. Download SA app and make sure your Gmail account is logged on on your phone. Renew or subscribe using the Sa app.

This. If you’re extra paranoid get a cheap prepaid android phone for $20-30. Just use it on WiFi without activating it.

[laserface]

I have done the Google Play method a couple of times. When you buy your Google Play card (for cash), you will need to factor in that the Play Store does charge sales tax (presumably based on where it thinks you're located), so what you'll be charged is actually 7% more than the "sticker price" of the membership, and if you haven't bought enough Play Store credit to account for that, the membership won't go through.

[cabot]

OK-so to pay the Googleplay card, it would have to be at a store so I can pay cash, correct?

Does Giant Eagle/other stores sell Googleplay? When I activate it online (I assume I have to), there's no ID requirement or verification? That seems at odds with the entire industry.

Thanks all...

[laserface]

Giant Eagle and various other stores do sell Google Play cards, but you may have a problem trying to pay for them with cash specifically at Giant Eagle (or GetGo) - others have had no issues, but when I tried I was specifically told that Google Play cards (and other cards for various online services) can only be purchased with a credit or debit card. I had no issues getting them to take my cash at Rite Aid, though. Look for Google Play cards on the display with the various other prepaid gift cards.

There is no activation or anything like that. The cards have a scratch-off panel on the back - scratch it off to reveal the card number. In the Google Play app on the phone that you're using (which you should have logged into the Google account you've set up specifically for this purpose), go into the menu and select "Payment Methods -> Redeem Code". Enter the number from the card. The card's value is credited to your Google Play account. You can then destroy the card. This isn't like a prepaid credit card (which does require giving up a bunch of info to activate), and the card's value can be spent only in the Google Play Store (and within apps like SA that know how to charge your Google Play account).

You'll need a total of $107 in Google Play credit to get a month of SA paid membership, unless you can somehow figure out how to reliably fool Google Play into not charging you sales tax without otherwise messing up your account - for the $7 difference in price between the "sticker price" and the price with sales tax, it's really not worth trying. Last time, I bought a $100 card and a $10 card, added them both to my account, bought membership via the app, and had a little bit left over for next time.

[biggjj12]

Thanks-- This is really good info.
I tried to sign up last year. When they had a sale.

I already had a "regular" membership and was gonna pay and upgrade to the "premium" membership. I used my real CC and they suspended my account. Then they wanted me to send them copies of my ID. Well, that wasn't gonna happen. I have several e-mail addresses and the one that I used may/ or may not have been attached to the existing membership. Either way the e-mail name did not match my CC. Or it could have been my VPN. Either way they said there was a fraud alert on my card. Which really pissed me off because I called my CC and there wasn't a fraud alert. All in all they didn't want my money with out me sending then a photo ID.


But this seems good. I have never used google play for anything that cost me. but it seems simple enough.
So, thanks alot. And wish me luck. It may take a few months to implement.

[onawbtngr546]

Originally Posted by sharkdog

Maybe try Visa vanilla gift card it did work for me!

When you use a onevanilla card, did you register to activate it on the onevanilla site? And what name/address did you put in to seeking?

[sharkdog]

No I didn’t register it! I used a fictitious name and address but I did use the same zip code where I purchased the card at! Good luck and Happy Hobbying!