The Veteran Reward System is a feature of the new billing system that allows us to add special rewards to your account the longer you stay concurrently subscribed. Below is a series of question and answers about this program.
1) What are the rewards, and when do I get them?
This table shows the rewards earned for each tier, and how many months you need to stay subscribed to reach each tier.
2) How many tiers of rewards are there?
At launch, there will be three tiers of rewards, each listed in the table above.
3) Is this system retroactive? Will I get the 3rd tier reward if I have been active for at least a year already?
No, this system is not retroactive - everyone that has an active subscription account will have the counter started today, and will reach the 1st tier in 3 months so long as they keep their subscription active. As this is a completely new system, we have not tracked how long members have been successively subscribed.
4) Does the system count a month as a 28 day billing cycle or does it use the date?
The system uses the actual date. As the Veteran Reward system is launching July 6th, 2016 in Australia, current subscribers that keep their subscription active will see the benefit of their first tier beginning on October 6th, 2016.
5) When are the bonus points granted?
Bonus points (5% Tier 1, 10% Tier 2,) are only granted upon automatic renewal of your subscription. Buying points, repurchasing your existing plan, or upgrading to a new plan will not grant these bonus points.
6) What happens if I upgrade my account? Do I lose my rewards?
No. If you upgrade your account, the counter for total months on an active subscription does not reset, and you will keep all your rewards. Upgrading does reset your automatic renewal date, however, so it can delay when you see bonus points for your next automatic renewal.
7) What happens if I downgrade my account? Do I lose my rewards?
No. The rewards system works off of how long you keep your account active successively. You only lose your rewards if you cancel your subscription. You are free to change your plan - upgrade or downgrade - as often as you like without risking loss of your rewards.
8) How does the cost per imaging hour reduction work?
The cost reduction of Tier 3 works off of whatever the existing cost per imaging hour of the telescope you wish to use is for your current subscription plan and the current moon discount. For example, Plan-90 has a cost per imaging hour of 105 points per imaging hour for Telescope 27 during a 75%+ illuminated full moon. The 5% discount is applied to that 105 points, making your new cost per imaging hour 100 points per imaging hour (99.75 rounded up).
9) What happens if my account is cancelled because my credit card was declined?
We send four separate emails out before cancelling a subscription due to non-payment or credit-card decline. We believe this is more than enough warning given before your subscription is cancelled, so any cancellation due to non-payment or credit card decline will be treated the same as any other cancellation of a subscription plan. It will result in the reset of the counter and the loss of your current Veteran Rewards Tier.
10) I cancelled my account, but I changed my mind and signed back up before it expired, will I lose my rewards?
Please contact support if you have this issue. It will be handled on a case by case basis.