Magazines and the Inevitable Onslaught of Renewal Notices

When my mail arrived yesterday, I received renewal notices for three of my magazine subscriptions, each giving me a special offer if I renewed my subscription for another year or two.

One offered two years for the price of one, one proposed a special discount, and the third offered a free gift subscription for a friend, all with my paid subscription renewals.

While I read and enjoy the magazines I'm currently receiving, my interests do tend to change over the years. For instance, when my husband and I first built our home, I was really into home decorating magazines. My interest has lightened up a bit in that area now that we're done decorating our home for awhile, and now I'm very interested in scrapbooking and card making.

Therefore, I'm hesitant to renew my subscriptions too far in advance. I don't want to end up paying for and receiving a magazine in the future that I will rarely or never read.

Actually, magazines know that people's interests change. That's one of the reasons why they send out their renewal notices early in the first place--to get you to renew while you're still interested.

Magazines Are Smart, But Tricky
When most people receive a renewal notice, they understandably assume that their subscription is about to run out, and that they must renew now if they want to continue receiving it.

But actually, most magazines send out renewal notices very early, often YEARS before your subscription is actually due to expire. That is tricky, isn't it?

As a matter of fact, one of my associates unknowingly renewed her business magazine subscription all the way up to 2014!

Did you know, however, that you can tell when your subscription really runs out by looking at the area of your magazine where your name and address information is printed? It's usually on the cover and is either a stuck-on label, or is printed right on the magazine in a white box.

Sometimes the information is cleverly hidden, but if you take a good look, you're almost certain to find this information.

For instance, on my Real Simple Magazine label, there is an area that reads

401WI00 A JUL 12 0019# 129946-06

Do you see the JUL 12 in there? That means I'm paid up until July 2012. And they're asking me to renew today.

On my Newsweek Magazine, it reads

#NWM0114063001/9#76 14AUG13 N1 R

If you look closely, you'll see I'm paid up until August 14, 2013 (14AUG06). And they're asking me to renew today.

On my Woman's Day Magazine, it reads

#6AC0611A095 1#750328 4Y AP1 13

Can you guess what the AP1 12 means? That code signifies that I'm paid up through April 1, 2013. And did you guess? They're asking me to renew today too. That's clearly two long years before my current subscription ends.

Therefore, whenever I receive a renewal notice, I always take a look at the latest magazine to determine if my subscription is actually coming to an end, or if the magazine is just trying to get me to renew years earlier than I want to.

If it's the latter, I just recycle the renewal notice. I don't renew unless I'm a few months away from expiration. In waiting, I can decide if I'm still interested in reading that magazine and if so, I can just send in my renewal notice then. Otherwise, I can just allow the subscription to run out.

Also, I want to mention that some magazines are even trickier. For instance, Better Homes and Gardens sends my magazine in a plastic sleeve. The address and subscription information is on the plastic sleeve which promptly gets tossed in the trash--which means I don't have access to the information I need. What I do in this situation is write the expiration date on the back cover of my magazine before I throw the sleeve away, so if I do get a renewal notice in the mail, I will know when the subscription is actually coming to an end.

With this information, you'll have the knowledge you need to renew when you want to.


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Comments

[Pam]

Thanks for the info! I'll be checking mine today!

[Mary Heitert]

This is one of my pet peeves! Those mag renewals drive me nuts! I now have an index card for each magazine I subscribe to (only 6). I have the name of the mag on top, the amt of the subscription, the date I renewed and the expiration date. Every time I get a renewal I check the cards. If they've sent a SASE, I sometimes send it back with a note: "My subscription doesn't expire until DATE. Please change your records." I'm sure they don't, but it's my little way of protest.

[Patti]

You are so right about this! I was puzzling over a stack of renewal notices for a magazine until I finally looked up when I had last paid for the subscription. It was a one year subscription that had been paid just a couple of months earlier. I should have thought to check the address label of the magazine. Thanks for the tip!

[Deb]

You can also usually go to the mag website to see your info ~ it tells you when your subscription runs out. I then put that date on my google calendar.

[Julinda]

These "tricks" bother me too. The one I really hate, though, is that some magazine publishers send out what looks like a bill for a magazine when it is really a subscription request! Some people (one who is disorganized, gets a lot of magazines, is forgetful, etc.) might go ahead and pay it and subscribe to a magazine without realizing it. It really makes me mad!

[Teri]

I have received mail from magazine publishers that make it look like a renewal notice or a statement for a magazine that I don't even have!!! a way to trick you into paying and subscribing to a magazine that you dont' already subscribe to. My husband opened one of them and was about to pay it, luckily I noticed it before it was sent off in the mail.

[Sandy]

I got tired of looking up when my magazines were to expire & I just wait till I get "this is your last issue" cover pasted ontop of my magazine. Then I decide if I want to renew. I don't mind the interruption of service.