Holiday Bonus Time: Howto

Hey all, someone else may have written this up already, but I haven't seen it, so I figured I'd post it as a helpful tip to everyone.

As I mentioned in a previous thread, NCsoft/Paragon Studios is offering a killer steal of a deal on VIP time for existing subscribers if you're willing to buy your VIP time up front in bulk.

So here's how you do it!

First, you might want to check out the announcement in the newsletter. Specifically, the part that is of interest is at the bottom. If you click the picture below, it will take you to the "Get Bonus Game Time" link:



After navigating to the Get Bonus Game Time link, you will be taken to the NCsoft Account Management page. This is the page you came to to sign up for your account, and where you can do things like update your credit card info and such.



On this page, type in your account name and password. PLEASE NOTE: This is not necessarily the same account name you use to log into the game! It may be, but it is entirely possible for your NCsoft account name and your game account name to be different. To find your NCsoft account name, look through your e-mail for one of two things: 1) Your original sign-up e-mail that starts off, "Thank you for registering with PlayNC! Your PlayNC account name is: MyAccount" (or whatever your account name really is), or 2) If you've ever filed a /petition, /bug, or a trouble ticket, look for a section named "Question Reference." It should list your PlayNC Account name and your Game Account name. You want the PlayNC Account name. Here's an example of what you're looking for:



Okay! So now that you've logged in. You should be at the main NCsoft Account Management Page. There is a menu of navigational links on the main page (NCsoft Store, Use a Serial Code, etc.), but the easiest way to get where you want to go is to click on the account over on the right side that you want to apply the holiday bonus time to. Note that if you have more than one account, you will see a list of all of your accounts here. If you want to apply the holiday bonus time to all of your accounts, you'll need to repeat the following steps for each account.



Alternatively, you can click on "Game Accounts" on the left, and select whichever account you want to apply the Holiday Bonus Time to. AGAIN: If you have multiple accounts, you will need to repeat these steps for every game account you have registered!

Now, you should see the link around the middle of the page to apply the Holiday Bonus Time to your account. It looks like this:



Next, you'll see a prompt for whether you want the 6+1 plan ($11.10 per month) or the 12+2 plan ($10.24 per month--a GREAT deal!). Select whichever one you want, and click Change My Plan. NOTE: If you select the 6+1 plan, you won't be able to get another 6+1 plan until (probably) next holiday season. Just keep that in mind, that this deal only comes once per year. Also note that European players will presumably see prices in Euros, not US Dollars, and that the 12+2 plan is not available. (I don't know why; that's just what they said.)



Once you change your plan, you'll get a message that tells you that you will be charged whenever what time you have already accrued expires.



IMPORTANT NOTES

• If you are already a VIP, you will NOT be billed right now for this time until your current subscription runs out! In the example above, I'm paid up through March 15, 2012. This means that I will be billed the $143.40 on or about March 15, 2012, which will have me paid up through May 15, 2013.
• You can always change your mind before you actually get billed. If in February I just can't handle forking over $143.40, I can cancel that plan and I WON'T be billed.
• If you do change your change your mind after December 31, though, you won't be able to re-change it later and get the Holiday Bonus Time offer. For example, I sign up, then in February, I change my mind and cancel the plan. I can't decide in March that I was wrong and get the same offer; I'd have to pay normal price.
• If I recall correctly, your account will revert to whatever plan it was on before after the Holiday Bonus Time expires. If you were on a month-to-month basis, after being dinged however much the bonus time will cost you, it will add that much time to your account and suspend, not cancel, any further billing under your current plan until the bonus time is used up.

• Month-by-month, it costs $15 per month.
• A 6-month block averages $12.95 per month. You save an average of $24.60 per year.
• A 12-month block averages $11.95 per month. You save an average of $36.60 per year.
• A 6+1 Holiday Bonus block averages $11.10 per month. You save an average of $46.80 per year.
• A 12+2 Holiday Bonus block averages a hair over $10.24 per month. You save an average of almost $57.09 per year.

A guide to taking advantage of the Holiday Bonus Time Offering by Hyperstrike.

Also, a couple of FAQ courtesy of Black Pebble for last year's promotion (same promotion, different year):
I'll assume that all the answers below are still applicable, with a change in the date:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Pebble There have been some questions regarding this promotion that I'd like to take the time to address. Q1) If I have time remaining on my subscription, how can I take advantage of this offer? A1) Starting at 9:00AM EST, on November 29th, 2010 through 11:59PM EST, December 13th, 2010, log into your NCsoft account management page. There will be a clickable banner ad promoting this opportunity. If you click on it, it will take you to a page where you can change your payment plan without cancelling your account. Q2) When will I be charged for the new plan? A2) This is a payment plan. You only pay when the billing cycle comes to renew again. So there is no payment required to select the promo payment plan. Q3) If I’m set to auto renew in between the dates of the promotion, will I get the benefit? A3) No. However, during the time of the promotion, you can reselect your billing plan and get the bonus time. Q4) What are the steps we should take if we want to take advantage of this deal? A4) See Question 1. There is no URL beforehand that you can go to. Q5) If I got the bonus gametime during the last promotion, am I eligible for this new promotion? A5) Yes, you are. Q6) Do I need to cancel my plan in order to take part in this promotion? A6) While the bonus gametime promotion is active, you do not need to cancel your subscription plan in order to take part in the offer. Clicking on the banner ad in your account management page will allow you to select a new plan without cancelling your subscription plan.

Replace the dates highlighted above with November 28 and December 31.

Edit:
EU players can only select the 6+1 plan.

You can also access the bonus time in game by clicking on the "Shop" button, then "Account", follow the prompts, click on billing, then click on the banner.

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

Thanks Tony. Wishing I could go for 12 months but alas, I appear to be part of the red headed stepson group that only has "6 month plan" option available... meh, better than a poke in the eye with a blunt spoon I guess.

You can also do this from within the game.
Here's the guide I wrote up on that yesterday.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

They should make that link more easy to find. I had searched all over the NCsoft Store and even the Paragon Market. The fact that I had to read a FAQ to help me find the link speaks volumes.