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> These mistakes are relatively easy to prevent. Assuming one knows about them. How would one learn about them, without making the same mistakes themselves?

intellectronica 4y ago
Most of it will actually be documented by your provider, and is often pretty obvious. For example, if you're paying with card, have at least one extra as backup payment method (which most providers allow and recommend). For extra safety: make one of these cards a pre-paid debit card loaded with enough money to pay for at least one month. The one thing you don't want to happen is to miss a payment, which could happen for many reasons that aren't under your full control, like a technical problem with one of the cards, a fraud detection false positive rendering your card invalid, etc. And once you are unable to complete a payment, that's when the trouble begins.
- acka 4y ago
  intellectronica: > For example, if you're paying with card, have at least one extra as backup payment method (which most providers allow and recommend). Please don't generalize. There are many countries where credit cards aren't common, and applying for just one (and getting it approved) can already involve a lot of work and take lots of time. Such as: the bank and the national credit authority needing to do a thorough credit check, you having to supply proof of identity and stable income, the bank having to register your new line of credit with the national credit authority, etcetera. Applying for multiple CC's, if at all possoble, only adds more trouble: your registered total amount of credit will rise (even if you haven't used any of it yet) which can limit your options for any other loans like a mortgage, a car loan, a subscription, and so on.
  - intellectronica 4y ago
    That's true - it's a rather privileged view to assume that everyone all over the world enjoys the same facilities, I know that. If you are somewhere where you can't have services people from rich countries consider basic, like credit cards, then you are left out. That sucks. Hopefully the more decentralized internet being built these days will be a solution.
- eastbound 4y ago
  No. When the due invoice represents less than 5% of your lifetime value, the least they can do is eat the cost and wait for you to resolve the payment, because, at worst, they’ll lose 5%.

intellectronica 4y ago

Most of it will actually be documented by your provider, and is often pretty obvious. For example, if you're paying with card, have at least one extra as backup payment method (which most providers allow and recommend). For extra safety: make one of these cards a pre-paid debit card loaded with enough money to pay for at least one month. The one thing you don't want to happen is to miss a payment, which could happen for many reasons that aren't under your full control, like a technical problem with one of the cards, a fraud detection false positive rendering your card invalid, etc. And once you are unable to complete a payment, that's when the trouble begins.

acka 4y ago
intellectronica: > For example, if you're paying with card, have at least one extra as backup payment method (which most providers allow and recommend). Please don't generalize. There are many countries where credit cards aren't common, and applying for just one (and getting it approved) can already involve a lot of work and take lots of time. Such as: the bank and the national credit authority needing to do a thorough credit check, you having to supply proof of identity and stable income, the bank having to register your new line of credit with the national credit authority, etcetera. Applying for multiple CC's, if at all possoble, only adds more trouble: your registered total amount of credit will rise (even if you haven't used any of it yet) which can limit your options for any other loans like a mortgage, a car loan, a subscription, and so on.
- intellectronica 4y ago
  That's true - it's a rather privileged view to assume that everyone all over the world enjoys the same facilities, I know that. If you are somewhere where you can't have services people from rich countries consider basic, like credit cards, then you are left out. That sucks. Hopefully the more decentralized internet being built these days will be a solution.
eastbound 4y ago
No. When the due invoice represents less than 5% of your lifetime value, the least they can do is eat the cost and wait for you to resolve the payment, because, at worst, they’ll lose 5%.