There was a huge stink about this recently when XI accounts were asked to merge into a SE account. (And asked to setup a payment method using the current methods available for XIV) End result was a response stating they would implement better payment options in the future. While this was only stated for XI, I don't see why they would do all the work to add this new system in and not extend it to XIV as well when XIV will require some form of payment to play.

You've Spoken and We've Heard You

You, the community, have clearly expressed your dissatisfaction with our billing system transition—and we are listening. We now understand that the options we presented you did not meet the level of service you have come to expect from Square Enix, so we have been working hard to address these concerns.

Accordingly, we will be extending the transfer cut-off date until we are able to implement the following improvements:
- New credit card payment options for Crysta [Available Now]
- The ability to specify exactly how much Crysta you want to buy [Early Fall]
- New recurring payment credit card options [Mid Fall]

We hope these steps show our ongoing commitment to you, our fans. It is our goal to make the FINAL FANTASY XI experience as fun and rewarding as possible.

Also in the days to come we'll reveal details for new offers and incentives to help ease your transition to the new system.

We sincerely thank you for your continued support of FINAL FANTASY XI.

Yasu Kurosawa
FINAL FANTASY XI North American Online Producer

Source: http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics...78/detail.html