Payment Options -- Gaming Card

[Idony 697]

Perhaps this is not exactly what is looked for when improvements to wurm are suggested but I would implore the following to be very seriously considered by those who are in the position to actually act on such a matter.

It is my belief that one of the single best things that could be done for the games' well-being would be for wurm to work out a deal for their own pre-paid card or to become part of some other existing gaming pre-pay card (needless to say, one that is widely distributed/obtainable).

I will say I have *no* idea what sort of financial investment would be required to do this. But it might be worth the returns. But you say, why would we do this when we already have pay-pal/credit cards? Or, if someone wished they could go buy a prepay debit card or somesuch?

Well, I will start with the most obvious argument- that one can go to Walmart and buy a prepay debit. At least in the United States any of these prepay cards are going to require personal information in order to activate. Not everyone wants to, or feels safe providing personal information to such entities. I am not trying to start a debate on whether or not people *should* be "justified" in this - for example "Such and such card *only* wants such and such info and you *should* be ok providing that". The fact of the mater is that it is personal choice, and it is not the individual that is necessarily loosing out in this scenario -- there is certainly more money to be made if such people had what was an acceptably (to THEM) safe/anonymous method.

As for credit/debit cards issued by a bank- yes your bank already has your info. However as above, there are people who DO NOT use these online for security reasons (maybe this is "old fashioned" but it is the case). Also, in order to use a credit card in the wurm shop it is necessary to give personal info to Pay Pal.

Thirdly- Pay Pal. I'm not sure this point needs much of a counter given the above - there are people who DO NOT use it for whatever their reasons may be.

There are people who very much do want to support wurm financially to a larger extent than they already do/have via purchasing membership/silver- but at present dont have much way of doing that. Often the last resort amounts to trying to find a friend with pay pal to act as a middle-man.

I know many will think this is silly because the modern culture is one that does not think twice about most of these privacy/online/security issues.

Consider though also that Wurm has players of all ages -- one might say, a wider/more equally distributed age range of individuals (aka older types) play wurm than other games --one could also make the assumption that it is the "older" people who are least likely to feel comfortable with the current pay options.. these are also the people who would have their own money to spend.

*Additonally* think of how much easier it might be for parents to be talked into buying into wurm for their children/grandkids.. what-have-yous -if there were a (safe, anonoymous) prepay game card just hanging on their local store shelf... The parent would likely view it as a small commitment, a safe/no risk,reasonable gift-- and option for wholesome (wouldn't you agree wurm is pretty wholesome?) entertainment for their child.

Or at least in general consider the earning potential of the impulse buy -- more likely to happen on a store shelf (even if it is just that someone saw an ad for wurm and mention of a gaming card associated with it available to them in stores) -- whereas the impulse factor present in the current system is probably quite low.

Maybe this is odd to come from a CM - but I know personally I would be contributing more financially to wurm where it not for the limited nature of the current pay options. I however will willingly out myself and air my "dirty launtry" on this- *because* I really do care very much for wurm and it's wellbeing. It is only the really good friends or family that will tell you things you don't want to hear, or that there is something stuck in your teeth, or you sat on something, or have bad breath....

This is meant to be a serious suggestion and discussion for increasing wurm's "success", not a whine or rant based on some personal issue with the game.

If anyone wishes to comment please let's try to keep it friendly,and give rationale to things instead of replying only with +1/-1. Please also respect other's opinions and choices - there is no need to tell someone how they should or should not personally feel/act on any of these financial/privacy issues.

This thread is not started to change minds on the matter of using the current pay methods- but to explore the posiblity and practicality of implementing an idea such as is above.

[Hussars 511]

After some of the account issues I had with Pay Pal specifically related to Wurm and Pay Pal's account system (if you ever had an account and closed it, Pay Pal continues to track your card/transactions if they use the same card or email, and if they change policy which requires you to confirm, it locks your card with their system), I'll support almost any idea that gives another way to purchase time/silver.

[Kegan 3,926]

The one option that comes to my mind is the Pay by Cash/Ultimate Game Card people not sure what that evolves or if there anywhere other then the US but many games use it i know.

[Dralor 9]

I definatly support this, I actualy stopped playing wurm because it is nearly impossible for me to reasonaly buy premium.

And spending countless hours each month trying to sell enough things to get premium gets old very quickly.

Add on top of that the fact i would love to be able to setup a deed, and the time investment needed is huge for me considering I do have a real life family.

I personaly would love to see Money Bookers added onto the main payment options. "I do believe there is a round about way to use money bookers currently but in the end it will end up costing me about 3-4x the normal costs."

I dont use credit cards, im american but currently live in south korea, so it is litteraly impossible for me to get a paypal account that will work for my bank.

If I had a way to pay that wouldnt cost me 30euro for one months prem i would still be playing wurm, had a nice large deed, and be paying others to work for me!

[Huserx 189]

I didn't read all that. But giving buyers more flexibility is usually a good thing.

[Miner 41]

paysafe card maybe?

[Lolabelle 597]

Here is a thought I had. Why not buy a prepaid Visa card. Most stores have them. My bank actaully gives them for free. You just put money in your account and then they issue the Visa gift card to you right there.

[Hussars 511]

Here is a thought I had. Why not buy a prepaid Visa card. Most stores have them. My bank actaully gives them for free. You just put money in your account and then they issue the Visa gift card to you right there.

They don't work/or aren't available in all countries...and some places require you to "register" them using real identification which some people are still uncomfortable with.

For those who feel this way, sure, if you buy a game card with a credit card, it can be tracked back eventually, but in most countries this takes a lot of legal footwork to do.

For me, even using a pre-paid card, we're still forced to use Pay-Pal to make the purchase to buy silver/premium time. I dislike Pay-Pal and a lot of their business practices (such as keeping track of current/previous member data used to purchase via the "guest" links). I use it, but if we had another cash purchase option, I know which I would lean towards...

Honestly, with the number of online resources/services that offer direct Point of Sale options for credit card and other forms of payment, curious as to what the reason is for not exploring options. A decade ago Pay-Pal was pretty much it, but now...

Edited August 29, 2012 by Hussars

[Dralor 9]

Well I can say without a doubt that if a payment method was put in that I could access without having to transfer money through several different companies I would still be playing Wurm.

As of current options Paypal is simply impossible for me. Using some of the other "semi supported" options I would end up paying 3X for prem, and well thats not very appealing.

[Braz 0]

Would be good for new players have others payments method, since paypal are not perfect and some people don't like it.

I would like have the option of Pay By Cash, used many times for others games.

Edited October 23, 2012 by Braz

[krinos78 573]

Alternative ways of paying could be nice for people having a thing vs paypal. Im fine with it however.

[Sklo:D 2,210]

Paysafecard would be the perfect solution. It is available in almost every european country....

[leopolddtwo 3]

paysafecard yes its the onely solution o:

for younger people that cant ahve paypal or somthing or dont have bankcard paysafe cards are great

i lookd for prepaid visa but i cant seem to find it

Edited December 12, 2012 by leopolddtwo

[guitarxe 50]

The more payment options available the better. Relying solely on paypal is a very bad idea. Many people either simply cannot use paypal or refuse to use it, so you cut off a number of potential payees.

[Brattygirl 919]

Its nice because not every player is able to get a paypal due to the age difference so it would help everyone. +1

[Farmerbob 369]

Why not bitcoins? Rolf already promotes them by allowing the bitcoin mining to happen, and they are international, I think?

[xhairy 0]

Perhaps this is not exactly what is looked for when improvements to wurm are suggested but I would implore the following to be very seriously considered by those who are in the position to actually act on such a matter.

It is my belief that one of the single best things that could be done for the games' well-being would be for wurm to work out a deal for their own pre-paid card or to become part of some other existing gaming pre-pay card (needless to say, one that is widely distributed/obtainable).

I will say I have *no* idea what sort of financial investment would be required to do this. But it might be worth the returns. But you say, why would we do this when we already have pay-pal/credit cards? Or, if someone wished they could go buy a prepay debit card or somesuch?

Well, I will start with the most obvious argument- that one can go to Walmart and buy a prepay debit. At least in the United States any of these prepay cards are going to require personal information in order to activate. Not everyone wants to, or feels safe providing personal information to such entities. I am not trying to start a debate on whether or not people *should* be "justified" in this - for example "Such and such card *only* wants such and such info and you *should* be ok providing that". The fact of the mater is that it is personal choice, and it is not the individual that is necessarily loosing out in this scenario -- there is certainly more money to be made if such people had what was an acceptably (to THEM) safe/anonymous method.

As for credit/debit cards issued by a bank- yes your bank already has your info. However as above, there are people who DO NOT use these online for security reasons (maybe this is "old fashioned" but it is the case). Also, in order to use a credit card in the wurm shop it is necessary to give personal info to Pay Pal.

Thirdly- Pay Pal. I'm not sure this point needs much of a counter given the above - there are people who DO NOT use it for whatever their reasons may be.

There are people who very much do want to support wurm financially to a larger extent than they already do/have via purchasing membership/silver- but at present dont have much way of doing that. Often the last resort amounts to trying to find a friend with pay pal to act as a middle-man.

I know many will think this is silly because the modern culture is one that does not think twice about most of these privacy/online/security issues.

Consider though also that Wurm has players of all ages -- one might say, a wider/more equally distributed age range of individuals (aka older types) play wurm than other games --one could also make the assumption that it is the "older" people who are least likely to feel comfortable with the current pay options.. these are also the people who would have their own money to spend.

*Additonally* think of how much easier it might be for parents to be talked into buying into wurm for their children/grandkids.. what-have-yous -if there were a (safe, anonoymous) prepay game card just hanging on their local store shelf... The parent would likely view it as a small commitment, a safe/no risk,reasonable gift-- and option for wholesome (wouldn't you agree wurm is pretty wholesome?) entertainment for their child.

Or at least in general consider the earning potential of the impulse buy -- more likely to happen on a store shelf (even if it is just that someone saw an ad for wurm and mention of a gaming card associated with it available to them in stores) -- whereas the impulse factor present in the current system is probably quite low.

Maybe this is odd to come from a CM - but I know personally I would be contributing more financially to wurm where it not for the limited nature of the current pay options. I however will willingly out myself and air my "dirty launtry" on this- *because* I really do care very much for wurm and it's wellbeing. It is only the really good friends or family that will tell you things you don't want to hear, or that there is something stuck in your teeth, or you sat on something, or have bad breath....

This is meant to be a serious suggestion and discussion for increasing wurm's "success", not a whine or rant based on some personal issue with the game.

If anyone wishes to comment please let's try to keep it friendly,and give rationale to things instead of replying only with +1/-1. Please also respect other's opinions and choices - there is no need to tell someone how they should or should not personally feel/act on any of these financial/privacy issues.

This thread is not started to change minds on the matter of using the current pay methods- but to explore the posiblity and practicality of implementing an idea such as is above.

i to support this idea and mention im one of them older players that dislikes the payment options even when paypal blocks purchases from wurm and only allows premium buys for toons ..................................................................

i do want to add minecraft has a prepaid card on the shelves at walmart...

as for bitcoin in my opinion i'd rather not have to pay the 300 dollar a month electric bills that this option states will most likly happen in the use of thier product ....

i must also note that the information gathered by paypal is used in bid sales to companys that exploit that information ie such as spam mail telemarketers snail mail junk mail direct sales companys major corporate companys in the retail sales and advertizeing

Edited December 27, 2012 by xhairy

[raimian 29]

i would love to be able to go to my local game shop or supermarket and pickup a wurm premium card, i cant use paypal and have to have a friend topup my prem when needed.

game time cards work for alot of other games and would be a great addition to wurm.

+1

[Lostone 93]

I would like to just be able to use my debit card.

Same way you can pay bills online.

Buying visa gift cards are a pain , theres always some coin left on them.

Now if Rolf had the 1 month 5 Euro option that would help alot.

That way the theifs at visa or master card would not get to keep the extra ontop of the small prebuy fey when geting the card.

I live in Canada and its a pain often.

[Farmerbob 369]

I would like to just be able to use my debit card.

Same way you can pay bills online.

Buying visa gift cards are a pain , theres always some coin left on them.

Now if Rolf had the 1 month 5 Euro option that would help alot.

That way the theifs at visa or master card would not get to keep the extra ontop of the small prebuy fey when geting the card.

I live in Canada and its a pain often.

I'm confused as to why you cannot purchase with your debit card? Attach it to a paypal account. Paypal, to the best of my knowledge, is no worse than any other bank, and if you have a debit card, you're already associated with one bank. Some banks offer internet purchase extension cards for accounts, small limit cards that you reload when you want, which are directly linked to your bank account, but must have money shifted to them manually.

Or you can have two Paypal accounts. You own both. You shift money from one account attached to your bank account into another account that is NOT connected to your bank account, then pay internet stuff from the second account.

If you have two Paypal accounts, nobody can get to your main account without completely compromising every bit of security you have on your money.

[Domhnall 69]

For me, even using a pre-paid card, we're still forced to use Pay-Pal to make the purchase to buy silver/premium time. I dislike Pay-Pal and a lot of their business practices (such as keeping track of current/previous member data used to purchase via the "guest" links). I use it, but if we had another cash purchase option, I know which I would lean towards...

Honestly, with the number of online resources/services that offer direct Point of Sale options for credit card and other forms of payment, curious as to what the reason is for not exploring options. A decade ago Pay-Pal was pretty much it, but now...

There's always the Super Rewards system on the store page too, accepts payment by phone, bank, Google Checkout and other methods.

i must also note that the information gathered by paypal is used in bid sales to companys that exploit that information ie such as spam mail telemarketers snail mail junk mail direct sales companys major corporate companys in the retail sales and advertizeing

EVERY website on the internet is tracking you in one way or another, for their own metrics or to aggregate and sell on to advertisers. PayPal is not special there.

With your IP number I can pin your physical address down, your web browser shares enough information to identify you, etc etc.

One thing a lot of you don't consider when proposing other payment methods is costs. These methods aren't free and it's usually the vendor (Rolf) who has to pay to use them. PayPal is actually very cheap in that regard. There's also tying the various API's together in the store, customer service when something goes horribly, inevitably wrong... keeping it down to one or two payment methods reduces a lot of work on Rolf's side.

[Hussars 511]

There's always the Super Rewards system on the store page too, accepts payment by phone, bank, Google Checkout and other methods.

EVERY website on the internet is tracking you in one way or another, for their own metrics or to aggregate and sell on to advertisers. PayPal is not special there.

With your IP number I can pin your physical address down, your web browser shares enough information to identify you, etc etc.

One thing a lot of you don't consider when proposing other payment methods is costs. These methods aren't free and it's usually the vendor (Rolf) who has to pay to use them. PayPal is actually very cheap in that regard. There's also tying the various API's together in the store, customer service when something goes horribly, inevitably wrong... keeping it down to one or two payment methods reduces a lot of work on Rolf's side.

This is true, but given the number of transactions processed per month, supporting say a single point of sale system API used by any major credit processor, he could pay a flat monthly fee for the service. These companies also perform a transaction handlers so Rolf and company do not need to directly comply with international credit security requirements, and in times of conflict/fraud, they do the leg work and take the risks.

As to the super rewards, if it was offered at the same value per dollar/euro, it would actually be useful. At $5 per 3.5 silver, I'll still use Paypal even if i don't like their service or practices.

[TorakTu 1]

It is easier to just copy and paste this from the other post.

---------

Please read this thread, I too had a problem with Paypal, and you will see the nasty responses I have recived. The moderators who watch these forums are not doing a good job. I am glad I left wurm.

If you want to know more about what happened, read this thread. All of it please.

/>http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/72489-please-delete-my-account-thank-you/

[thenewcndo 528]

Why not bitcoins? Rolf already promotes them by allowing the bitcoin mining to happen, and they are international, I think?

How bout no, energy bills are not worth the expense.

[Kyoshiro 1]

As a non US or EU member, I'm definitely rooting for more payment options.

Paypal is an absolute nightmare in my country. Limited guest logins, fun credit validations and just 1 bank (naturally not mine) that is allowed to use a debit card with paypal. So here I am stuck, unable to play Wurm. I've used up my guest logins on all my cards (which was rather a pathetic few times) and yes I know it's easy to get your account setup if you're in the USA or EU, but unfortunately it is not that easy over here.

So now my only other choice is to spend a heap of money each month through super rewards to pay for prem and the upkeep for a deed. O and heaven forbids I would like to buy a nice enchanted tool from someone... So if WURM does plan to have an ever expanding reach, paypal will just not suffice, not because I don't trust it, but because it's just not worth the hassle in some countries.

Surprisingly though, google wallet works like a charm here.