Looks like you have a lot of responses here :-) My personal experience (which is probably not typical)... I purchased the Black Friday special ($299) in Nov of 2016 after paying for 1 month of regular premium. I made my first $8 I think it was in January of 2017... so my 4th month. In February though had made more than what I needed to cover my annual membership cost and in March (if I was only reinvesting my earnings into WA) would have paid for three or four more years.

Again, my situation is probably not typical and I am not suggesting to anyone they'll be making hundreds of dollars within a few months. It depends on your niche, effort, how well you understand your audience and what they want, and the reasons people spend money online.

I didn't really understand some of those things at the time either. I got lucky and thought I knew what I was doing, lol. So, it was NOT all uphill from there.

My earnings actually fell off the map and instead of following what I was doing and understanding it... I spent thousands on other course, tools and gimmicks hoping to get back on track and speed things up. I also spent thousands on paid traffic.

Unfortunately, none of it worked.

Eventually I ran out of money and had no choice but to focus on the tools, training and community here so I guess my point in all of this is that considering the many thousands I wasted on other programs, WA was a bargain and it was the only strategy that worked "for me" (others may have different experiences and I do know people who have been able to make money with some of those other programs).

It's also to point out that just because someone is making money online doesn't mean they know what they're doing. I didn't. I mean, I understood the technical stuff as well as keyword research etc. But I didn't understand the real reasons people were spending money on my site and therefore, I couldn't replicate it. It took many months, more than a year actually, before I really learned what I had done right (and what I had done wrong).

So, it's hard to look at it from a purely mathematical point of view... as in one month of expense to one month of income.

Another point that often gets overlooked (and I noticed some comparisons to college here) is that everything you learn here is something that 90% of small businesses and professionals like dentists, real estate agents etc. don't know how to do and don't care to learn.. but would be willing to pay someone to do for them. There is tremendous value in that.

Build one website for a small cleaning company for example (which I've done and it only takes a few hours once you know what you're doing) and you'll make enough to pay for your annual membership. I actually host a client website here on my hosting and built that cost for them into the price.

All of the social media marketing taught here is something else a local business would gladly pay to have someone handle for them as well.

So it's the skills and education that are the real value... not necessarily the websites you build.

Anyway... not sure if any of that is helpful and it's just my experience, but hopefully there is some insight in there somewhere:-)

Monthly is not the only payment options. Take a look at this post here.. New Order Page at Wealthy Affiliate, New Payment Options! This is a long term commitment. But this is not for everyone.

take jerry huang and littlemama - both got to vegas this year and their commissions haven't stopped. search for their stories in the top bar.
it really all depends on whether you really want it.
are you committed or just want it. if the latter then maybe keep your money.
if you are comitted to changing your life and can see yourself succeeding at this then there woldn't be the question.
it is a long term process, but if you go for hosting multiple sites elsewhere you will be paying about 25 to 50 bucks per month and on top of that add a keyword tool and the other trimmings and you will be paying more than here all in.
is this commitment for you? only you can decide that, even with the skills you learn and can practice here you get your moneys worth.
good luck with what you decide to do.
phil

1 coffee a day would see me spending more than $49 in a month.

Would I prefer to put that money towards education, hosting, support & a community that could see me growing an insanely profitable business that I could run from anywhere in the world completely on my own terms? YES of course.

But each to their own I guess....

I am sure that just about Everyone has at one point or another has has the same concerns .. I certainly have.
And as with any other endeavor there are people who make their first dollar in the first month, and people who don't make their first dollar until their second anniversary - it is just the same with any business online or in the world

I know that I have been around for a while and admittedly have made no income, but I have had a pretty slow start in getting going (there have been severe health issues, major surgeries for my wife, and even going through a phase of virtual homelessness, through no fault of our own, so doing wa program has had a few false starts) - but now I have determined to make changes in my life, in the way I do things, in my approach to this business - and it is a business - and I have been paying as a premium member or a while now .....
is it worth it? I believe that it will be !

As with most everything else in my life, I know that if I just continue to do what God puts in front of me, and keep taking the next step that's in front of me, all of this will end up to be exactly the way it is supposed to be -

I really can't ask for anything more.

When someone goes to college, it takes some time to get their degree. Once they have it, then the $$$ starts to flow regularly. The education here you will receive will last you for a very long time and I guarantee you that those that have been here for some time will tell you that.

Take the time to invest in yourself, whether here or somewhere else. No matter what, you will have to put in the effort in order to gain.

Yes it is worth it!

Hi Charmaine,

The premium membership is a good value if you take advantage of all it has to offer.

Of course, what you make of the training and opportunity are completely up to you. There are no income guarantees.

See this: What You Get with Your Wealthy Affiliate Premium Membership With an open mind, patience, and yes - hard work, there's no limit to what you can achieve via Wealthy Affiliate.

-Laurie