Comments on: I Don’t Think The Wall Street Journal Gets It!

By: VG

VG — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 00:45:07 +0000

A lot of airline mileage programs allow you to redeem miles for magazine subscriptions. I recently subscribed to the WSJ using Delta’s program. I don’t fly that often, so my miles were expiring. So if you have extra miles that might expire before you can use them to buy plane tickets, just buy subscriptions.

By: sam

sam — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 19:42:40 +0000

I haven’t subscribed to a paper paper for at least a decade. I get my news on the internet from a variety of sources, including this blog. That way I can pick and choose what I read. I don’t watch network or cable news on TV either, for the same reason, although I do watch the local news. Works good for me, and saves a tree or two.

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 17:20:30 +0000

15.8% is a decent return on their investment. It allows them to easily improve profits and they probably charge more for advertising too. Lucky for me, I get to read it free at school everyday in the library.

By: Nagel

Nagel — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 16:09:57 +0000

If you can have only one I would go with IBD.

By: Trent

Trent — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 14:25:28 +0000

Jim is completely correct, and this is a new trend in the newspaper and magazine business. They send out a renewal notice five to six months in advance of the end of your subscription, detailing a very expensive renewal offer. Of course, if you resubscribe at that price, they’re overjoyed, but the real reason for that first offer is to convince you that the newspaper/magazine is actually worth that much. Then, as the end of your subscription nears, they send you “slashed” renewal notices, which use their original valuation as a psychological tool to convince you that this “slashed” rate is really a stellar deal, when it’s actually not all that great.

My advice is to just wait for a while and see what else they send you. If it gets close and they’ve not sent you a low offer, then give them a call.

By: MoneyFwd

MoneyFwd — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 14:18:04 +0000

Magazines and newspapers seem to be trying to get you to renew earlier and earlier. My mom once kept receving renewal notices for Reader’s Digest about every 2 months no matter what. The sad part is, some people keep paying and don’t even realize it.

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 13:54:42 +0000

Hang tough. I only paid a little over a hundred dollars. $249 is their opening bid, not their final offer.

By: jim

jim — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 13:28:22 +0000

WSJ is just employing a smart pricing strategy… they’ll probably send you a letter a couple months beforehand offering you a much lower rate that you’ll likely sign up for becuase it’s under the going rate in your mind of $249.

By: Carlin

Carlin — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 05:21:50 +0000

The new subscriber rate is like $99 for more than a year with the free weeks they throw in. I’d bet if you called them they’d drop it. Or just let it run out, and resubscribe under your wife’s name or something. Work the system.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 23:31:40 +0000

Call their customer service line and tell them you won’t renew @ that rate. I’m sure they will come down in price instead of losing a loyal customer. I did this with Money Magazine and they gave me the lower rate.

Good Luck!!