Yep... it's called the "penny gap," and it's what micropayment proselytes fail to account for. I've noticed something similar on the New York transit system --

Yep... it's called the "penny gap," and it's what micropayment proselytes fail to account for. I've noticed something similar on the New York transit system -- when I have a prepaid MetroCard with limited rides, I think twice before taking any individual trip, but when I buy the unlimited-use monthly card, I feel much more free to consume the service even if the total price per month ends up roughly the same. Yearly subscriptions to sites seem much better. I'd pay a subscription to the Times, though this certainly puts me in the minority. Heck, I'd pay a subscription to Hacker News, too.