4 ms·

Oh I agree with you. I think 30% is highway robbery and that opinion hasn't changed since day one. But also just take a look at the number of subscriptions we

Oh I agree with you. I think 30% is highway robbery and that opinion hasn't changed since day one. But also just take a look at the number of subscriptions we all have these days - Entertainment stuff (Spotify/Music, Netflix/streaming, HBO, Xbox Live), Donations (Charity, Github Sponsors), Software (Password managers, backup solutions, Jetbrains, Adobe), Membership (Prime/equivalent, internet, mobile), ... yada yada yada. It's a huge unwieldy list. I have tried my best to keep at least all the app ones in iTunes/Apple (in my case - weather app, dating apps, productivity apps). My alternative is I just won't subscribe. I'm sick of the subscription economy as it is. This would be the last straw. If Bumble tells me I have to give them my cc info and have to call them to cancel (like NYT does), I just won't subscribe. Essentially I'm subscribed to some of these apps because I'm not being forced against my will to stay subscribed using terms and conditions that are outrageous (looking at Adobe with its annual contract).

smichel17 5y ago
This wouldn't be an issue if credit card providers offered a standardized system for making subscription charges. When you sign up, you'd pre-authorize them to charge your card a certain amount per time period. You could revoke the authorization through your credit card company's website, along with your other subscriptions. If the service wanted to change the price, they'd need a you to re-authorize it.
- ziml77 5y ago
  If they were doing that, they should also overhaul the whole system so you're never giving your credit card number directly to the sites. Similar to how if I use OAuth to log into a site, that site never has a chance to see my password.
  - 8ytecoder 5y ago
    Something like PayPal?
pornel 5y ago
I would choose PayPal over Apple payments every time. It's a good way to centralize and easily cancel subscriptions, and it handles more than just Apple's overpriced ecosystem. PayPal's site is not perfect, but it's still much more usable than Apple's subscription management running on iTunes' corpse.
makeitdouble 5y ago
You are totally right, and I also feel we won’t get out of this situation for a while. Let’s be honest, my Amazon payments will never fit into Apple’s bubble. The things is, I prefer to deal with Amazon than Apple. Same for things like Patreon, I don’t think they do, but I can’t imagine Apple getting a cut of each donation. So to me the status quo was just the worst outcome.

smichel17 5y ago

This wouldn't be an issue if credit card providers offered a standardized system for making subscription charges. When you sign up, you'd pre-authorize them to charge your card a certain amount per time period. You could revoke the authorization through your credit card company's website, along with your other subscriptions. If the service wanted to change the price, they'd need a you to re-authorize it.

ziml77 5y ago
If they were doing that, they should also overhaul the whole system so you're never giving your credit card number directly to the sites. Similar to how if I use OAuth to log into a site, that site never has a chance to see my password.
- 8ytecoder 5y ago
  Something like PayPal?

pornel 5y ago

I would choose PayPal over Apple payments every time. It's a good way to centralize and easily cancel subscriptions, and it handles more than just Apple's overpriced ecosystem. PayPal's site is not perfect, but it's still much more usable than Apple's subscription management running on iTunes' corpse.

makeitdouble 5y ago

You are totally right, and I also feel we won’t get out of this situation for a while. Let’s be honest, my Amazon payments will never fit into Apple’s bubble. The things is, I prefer to deal with Amazon than Apple. Same for things like Patreon, I don’t think they do, but I can’t imagine Apple getting a cut of each donation. So to me the status quo was just the worst outcome.