For those of you that use Ultimate Game Cards

[Raist]

2000 Crysta via MOL points option = $23.35, vs. the $20.00 I was paying for doing it via UGC cards before they switched to $25 cards.
2500 Crysta via MOL points option = $29.43, vs.the newer $25 UGC cards.

Even if not using the cards and purchasing the exact amounts via UGC, two 30 day periods at $12.99 each would cost $25.98. With the MOL Points option it will cost 30.62, or get the time cards for $29.99. If you were to go month-to month via the MOL points option, it would run $14.19 to cover that same $12.99 that was available for the flat $12.99 via UGC.

|Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass.|

Edit:
and no, those weren't numbers where I was calculating fees myself. I was adding some UGC codes I picked up on the way home today (4000 Crysta for $40 via UGC) and plugged those Crysta amounts in and clicked the MOL Points option to see what it was going to charge me to add those amounts of Crysta.

[BobbinT]

for regular subscription price, that might be. But those for us legacies, do we have any choice left?

[Wildsprite]

2000 Crysta via MOL points option = $23.35, vs. the $20.00 I was paying for doing it via UGC cards before they switched to $25 cards.
2500 Crysta via MOL points option = $29.43, vs.the newer $25 UGC cards.

Even if not using the cards and purchasing the exact amounts via UGC, two 30 day periods at $12.99 each would cost $25.98. With the MOL Points option it will cost 30.62, or get the time cards for $29.99. If you were to go month-to month via the MOL points option, it would run $14.19 to cover that same $12.99 that was available for the flat $12.99 via UGC.

|Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass.|

Edit:
and no, those weren't numbers where I was calculating fees myself. I was adding some UGC codes I picked up on the way home today (4000 Crysta for $40 via UGC) and plugged those Crysta amounts in and clicked the MOL Points option to see what it was going to charge me to add those amounts of Crysta.

to be fair MOL Points isn't owned by Playspan/UltimatePay so I sorta understand why they charge more for accepting those cards/points.

they way they are retiring UGC just feels really badly planned and I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they dropped the bomb on their merchants at the same time they did their users.
still it would be nice if SE would speak up and let us know if they are going to be having Square-Enix Crysta Cards made, I'm sure Playspan/UltimatePay would be happy to oblige them as I said before.

[Raist]

yeah. but there in lies the big problem... the Crysta system is set up to be a sort of one-to-one system... $1.00 USD = 100 Crysta (each crysta is worth 1 US penny).

http://www.square-enix.com/na/account/crysta/
(odd how their about page for Crysta still shows XIV as "Coming Soon"... man, they need to get their act together)

This system blows that up. It's not even a consistent markup, runs anywhere between a 9-17% markup depending on how much you buy at once. They simply need to come up with a more reliable way for people to pay exactly what they need to pay to play. It's been borked ever since they dropped the CC processing agreements they had back when we used POL. Yeah, POL was a nightmare, but the CC processor simply accepted so many more users.

It's not as much a bait & switch as it was with C&B where we were promised no additional fee for using the service and then everyone got hit with various transaction fees and stuff, but it is still an unwanted increase in cost. The question is whether people who can't avoid such increases value the game enough to pay the increase or cancel their subscriptions over it. We saw the Click 'n Cry debacle run a LOT of people off when it hit the fan back around 2011. Hope we aren't about to see history repeat itself....

[Wildsprite]

yeah. but there in lies the big problem... the Crysta system is set up to be a sort of one-to-one system... $1.00 USD = 100 Crysta (each crysta is worth 1 US penny).

http://www.square-enix.com/na/account/crysta/
(odd how their about page for Crysta still shows XIV as "Coming Soon"... man, they need to get their act together)

This system blows that up. It's not even a consistent markup, runs anywhere between a 9-17% markup depending on how much you buy at once. They simply need to come up with a more reliable way for people to pay exactly what they need to pay to play. It's been borked ever since they dropped the CC processing agreements they had back when we used POL. Yeah, POL was a nightmare, but the CC processor simply accepted so many more users.

It's not as much a bait & switch as it was with C&B where we were promised no additional fee for using the service and then everyone got hit with various transaction fees and stuff, but it is still an unwanted increase in cost. The question is whether people who can't avoid such increases value the game enough to pay the increase or cancel their subscriptions over it. We saw the Click 'n Cry debacle run a LOT of people off when it hit the fan back around 2011. Hope we aren't about to see history repeat itself....

it isn't SE charging extra MOL points for Crysta, its UltimatePay/Playspan. frankly I'm surprised they started accepting MOL points to begin with as they don't own them Rixty(which has some association with western union) does. it would be cheaper if SE accepted these points/cards directly

[Naiser]

Just to reiterate, some prefer UGC due to exchange rates. But some of us have no choice except to use UGC.

I lived in the US when I started ff14, and registered using my US address. I moved to Asia for long term work and updated my credit cards to my Asian address.

My credit card and PayPal payment transactions have been failing the "geographic" check and I've contacted SE before. They pointed me to UGC and even then I had to note my UGC transaction ID because it would fail and then get a UGC staff to manually complete the transaction for me.

So SE, we need a UGC alternative that doesn't do a geographic check OR you allow me to update my address registered in your database.

Need some help before the sub ends.

Thanks.

[Raist]

it isn't SE charging extra MOL points for Crysta, its UltimatePay/Playspan. frankly I'm surprised they started accepting MOL points to begin with as they don't own them Rixty(which has some association with western union) does. it would be cheaper if SE accepted these points/cards directly

That's the point. UGC/Ultimatepay didn't incur fees like that. $20 got you a $20 card that gave you 200 Crysta...if you went to add $20 without a code, you owed them $20 and you used a CC/Paypal and gave them $20 (unless you were crossing currency which had the exchange rate stuff). Either way you were keeping with that 100 -> $1.00 model. It's C&B all over again... fee for this, fee for that crap that was never disclosed until you went to checkout (sometimes even only AFTER payment processed). It's what drove a lot of people away 3 years ago...either because they didn't want pay the effective higher rate, or simply couldn't pay.

You would think SE would have learned it's lesson back then. At the very least, put a notice/disclaimer up about it. But no... the changes just suddenly show up in the payment screen unannounced. It's like one day people will log in to pay and all of the once available one-to-one options have disappeared and we suddenly have to go from $10-13 every 30 days to ~$15... not one peep from them on the matter.

[Wildsprite]

That's the point. UGC/Ultimatepay didn't incur fees like that. $20 got you a $20 card that gave you 200 Crysta...if you went to add $20 without a code, you owed them $20 and you used a CC/Paypal and gave them $20 (unless you were crossing currency which had the exchange rate stuff). Either way you were keeping with that 100 -> $1.00 model. It's C&B all over again... fee for this, fee for that crap that was never disclosed until you went to checkout (sometimes even only AFTER payment processed). It's what drove a lot of people away 3 years ago...either because they didn't want pay the effective higher rate, or simply couldn't pay.

You would think SE would have learned it's lesson back then. At the very least, put a notice/disclaimer up about it. But no... the changes just suddenly show up in the payment screen unannounced. It's like one day people will log in to pay and all of the once available one-to-one options have disappeared and we suddenly have to go from $10-13 every 30 days to ~$15... not one peep from them on the matter.

yes because Ultimate Pay/Playspan owns UGC. they were giving us a 1=1 payment option with those. they don't own the other payment options so if there is a fee it comes into play then.

would be really nice if the community reps could get an answer for us.
most of those who replied seem to like the idea of "Square Enix Crysta Cards." you could get Ultimate Pay/Playspan to make these I'm sure

[BobbinT]

well... at least over XI site, SE does assure workaround about this. Quoted:

Regarding Ultimate Game Card and Ultimate Points

This is a notice to all customers who use PlaySpan’s Ultimate Game Card or UltimatePoints as a method of payment to purchase Crysta.

As you already may be aware, PlaySpan will be retiring the Ultimate Game Card and UltimatePoints. This means these 2 options will no longer be offered as a payment method for purchasing Crysta.

The last day to redeem retail Ultimate Game Card codes will be September 30, 2014 and the last day to redeem your UltimatePoints will be October 31, 2014.

For additional information regarding the retirement of these options, please visit the appropriate link below.

Ultimate Game Card: http://www.ultimategamecard.com/
UltimatePoints: http://www.ultimatepay.com/

In light of this news, we are also working with payment providers to increase the number of payment solutions we can offer.

http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/pol...ews23390.shtml

[Wildsprite]

since we still have no answer here or on Lodestone aside from a reference on playonline I'm bumping this as I would like to see some sort of answer