Beer With Kyle: We Are Moving to a SINGLE Membership (A New Era Begins)
Hey Everyone,
I hope you’re enjoying the season and for those who celebrate, that you had a wonderful and Merry Christmas. It’s been a busy and festive time, but I’m excited to share some big updates about Wealthy Affiliate’s membership model.
We’re making some transformative changes next week, and I think you’re going to love the direction we’re heading. Let's get right into things.
This Week’s Beer: Beck’s Lager
Today’s beer is Beck’s, a classic German lager with a history dating back to 1876. At 5% ABV, it’s a crisp, refreshing beer that sits somewhere between a lager and a pilsner in taste.
As usual, I’ve poured it into my trusty Wealthy Affiliate glass, a piece of swag we hand out every year at our Super Affiliate conference in Las Vegas.
Now, let’s get into the exciting updates about our membership changes!
Why the Shift to a Single Membership?
For years, Wealthy Affiliate has offered multiple membership tiers, Starter, Premium, and Premium Plus+ and P+ Accelerated. While these provided flexibility, it has also created a great deal of complexity. Based on a lot of feedback, members often found it challenging to choose between tiers, especially when just starting their online business journey.
The decision-making process became a hurdle, and we want to eliminate that friction. So, starting next week, we are transitioning to a single membership model: Premium Plus+.
What Does This Mean for Current Members?
First, let’s address the big question: Will this affect current members?
- Starter Members: Your membership remains exactly the same.
- Premium Members: Your membership remains exactly the same.
- Premium Plus+ Members: No changes, your benefits stay intact.
- Accelerated Members: You’ll continue to enjoy the same level of service.
This change is focused on simplifying the onboarding process for new members while ensuring that existing members continue to receive the same great service they’re accustomed to.
Key Features of the New Membership
The updated membership experience will streamline the decision-making process and offer incredible value right from the start. Here’s what’s included in the new Premium Plus+ Membership:
- First-Month Discount: New members can try Premium Plus for the same price as the current Premium membership ($49 for the first month).
- Yearly Savings: A 50% discount on the annual plan, bringing it to just $594 (equivalent to $49/month).
- Free Domain: One free domain included to help members kickstart their online business.
- 10,000 Bonus AI Credits: Perfect for diving into content creation with our AI-powered tools.
By leading with our best membership, we’re making it easier for new members to access everything Wealthy Affiliate has to offer without the confusion of multiple tiers.
A New Upgrade Experience
We’ve redesigned the upgrade process to make it clearer and more intuitive. Instead of presenting multiple membership options, we’re showcasing one comprehensive offer.
The new upgrade page will highlight:
- All the benefits of Premium Plus+
- The tools and training included
- A side-by-side cost comparison with other platforms, and ways to start a business online
- Social proof through reviews and success stories
This simplified approach ensures that potential members can quickly understand the value of the membership and make an informed decision.
Why This Change Matters
Back in the day, Wealthy Affiliate started with a single membership model, and it worked well because it removed the guesswork for new members. By returning to this approach, we’re eliminating unnecessary complexity and making it easier for people to focus on what matters most: building their online business.
From a development standpoint, this change also allows us to focus on delivering the best possible experience without juggling the demands of maintaining multiple membership tiers.
What’s Next?
As we roll out this new membership model, we’ll also be introducing exciting updates to the platform in 2025, including:
- Enhanced training environments
- AI-driven content creation tools, including our structured content
- An updated ambassadorship platform
- More intuitive designs across the platform
These updates will ensure that Wealthy Affiliate continues to provide the tools, training, and community needed to thrive in the ever-evolving online business landscape.
Share Your Feedback
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this change:
- Did you find it difficult to choose between memberships when you first joined?
- What do you think of moving to a single membership model?
Jump into the comments below and let me know. Your feedback is incredibly valuable as we continue to shape Wealthy Affiliate into the best platform it can be.
Thank you for being part of this incredible community. Whether you’re a Premium or Premium Plus member, these changes are designed to make Wealthy Affiliate even better for everyone.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday season and take some time to relax and reflect on the year ahead.
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Recent Comments
282
In 2015, when there was no plus, I didn't have a hard time deciding.
The training I received and the mentors I met when I first entered through the portal, was all I needed.
To be fair, I'd been through the ringer before finally landing in this incredible WA community.
I felt strongly that Wealthy Afilliate was finally the place I could help my magick happen.
I've been proVen BaNg On correct year after year.
🦋💜🐇?✊🏼🖖🏼
I agree been here since ‘17. Back and forward between school work and family chaos. But all in all I stuck it out. I wasn’t going to come back at first, but I missed the community and help that I received from here. Plus I was bored. lol 😂
Always nice when the unbelievably good deal gets better with time. I will celebrate 11 years on the 17th of this month with Wealthy Affiliate and I am Evangelical about telling others about this brand.
I need some clarity here, because I'm a premium member. So as a Premium member I can upgrade and downgrade if I want. So my question is The new members signing up under Premium Plus, say they choose a monthly plan like I'm on. Once they are in as a monthly member will they have a choice to downgrade to just a Premium member? Or is that option now gone for the new members and they can only be a Premium Plus member?
When new members join WA, they joined as Premium+ member at first month discounted price. No option to down grade. Only one member ship plan to upgrade from Free member.
I know that part, my question is after they upgraded to Premium Plus for the month after that month will they have the choice to downgrade to just Premium? Or is that option now gone for the new people coming in.
Same question: downgrading, whether during the first, second, or third month. The answer was given above; no downgrading, only upgrading to Premium Plus+ Accelerated.
But if one was a Premium member before the changes (I am), they can upgrade to Premium Plus+ and Premium Plus+ Accelerated. They can't downgrade to Starter either, and if they failed to pay/renew for whatever reasons, they can't access this feature, they can't post or comment to posts until they fixed that on their end by renewing their membership.
I hope that's clear now.
John
Yes, they will have the option of the 3 memberships after the fact. They can go Premium if the like, and they can also choose accelerated if they wanted as well.
So those options will definitely be there :)
Hi Kyle!
Happy New Year to you, Carson and our hard-working WA-family. 🙂
Christmas was excellent for us - filled with family, delicious food and forever-memories.
Now, I am settling in to step up success levels in 2025.
I think the return to a single membership model is a very good decision.
It became confusing for new (and current) members.
This streamlines things, gives you a few less things to consider and a quicker decision-making process to get you on your way.
Greater focus! ♥️
Thanks as always.
Cassi
Happy New Year to you as well Cassi! Thanks for your feedback, it has been a good decision based on data so far. Conversion have actually improved, and the decision making process has been simplified.
People now just need to decide whether they want to build a business online with us, or not...and they are getting the best possible service here within the platform. As always, we appreciate your feedback and I hope you have an awesome year ahead! :)
I know I'm late to the game here, but if I understood Kyle correctly, there is still going to be the same 3 tier platform. It's just when new people sign up, they only have the premium plus option. Then afterwards they can downgrade to premium or upgrade to the accelerated package.
So, it seems there will still be the decision to make, it will just be an afterthought rather than an initial signup decision. Less confusing? IONO! I was initially worried that I would be placed in the + crowd and have my rates go up. Luckily that's not the case. WHEW!
I can't believe I'm still struggling with all this and still a paying member after all these years. Why? IONO! Glutton for punishment I guess. Hoping I'll hit the lottery or some fluke event will push me over the edge. I know I'd be best served to throw in the towel, but I just can't bring myself to give up!
Once I retired, I almost went blind from spending so much time on my PC. Then most recently, I got hit with a medical issue that's left me bed-ridden for the past month. What's next? HeckIfIKnow! But I've been getting a lot of stuff done online... and still spinning my wheels.
That towel is right next to me and still I refuse to even look at it. Is that perseverance or stupidity? A bit of both I think.
Now I'm thinking I need to delete this posting... But, just like that towel... I can't bring myself to the point of quitting! I'd rather go broke and destitute paying WA fees. Yeah, I'm leaning towards more stupid than perseverant.
Hi Kyle.
I understand this is geared toward new MONTHLY members. Is that correct?
Is there any incentive for YEARLY Premium members who have just renewed their subscriptions? In other words, do I have to wait for my current subscription to run out before I can become a Premium Plus? And if I don't have to wait, can we pay the difference or do we have to pay the full $697?
Yeah, any Starter member that is upgrading. They have a choice between the monthly and the yearly membership. You can upgrade right now if you want to Premium Plus+ yearly, and it will be pro-rated based on the time value you have left.
And because you are on the Black Friday rate, I can offer you the Black Friday offer from this year, which includes 30,000 bonus monthly AI credits, and access to all of the Thrive in 2025 classes, not to mention the $497 pricing.
Here is the link to get this offer:
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/blackfridayextended
This will get you the discounted rate, though this offer is currently not available. I am making this offer available exclusively to you though.
I hope this helps you out here MaryAnn. :)
Greetings, Kyle.
My understanding is as follows:
1. New members only will be Premium Plus .
2. Current starter members can only upgrade to Premium Plus.
3. Premiums will exist to justify Premium Plus. How can you have Premium Plus without Premium, right?
4. There is no room for a downgrade with new offer.
This is a fairly simplified view. Correct me if I'm wrong.
So far, I plan to remain as a premium member since there aren't any impactful changes for me.
Best wishes for the new year to you and your family!
Cheers,
Maxine :)
Yes, you are correct. Starter members will now get the "new offer", which is Premium Plus+ and it is discounted for the first month by $50 off, and it is discounted yearly by 50% off. This comes with a free domain, and 10,000 bonus AI credits, and everything within Premium Plus+.
And you can stay on Premium as long as you like, totally up to you! :)
This is the best thing, since you guys decided to make PPLUS as extra! I was used to the Free or Premium membership situation and am glad you decide to return to the old situation.
The higher costs are logic since the "online world" is changing fast. Will there also be a possibility to design pictures and graphics here Kyle!
Keep up the good work and not only today, I wish everybody a great 2025!
Farid
Yeah, we are going to have AI integration into the content coming soon as well as structured content templates. We are putting some finishing touches on this platform to prep it for initial release, and anticipate this coming in the next few weeks here.
This simplification should really help people make a proper decision with out all the friction of the different options, and also it is going to serve as being beneficial for affiliates as well. :)
OK lemme get this straight.
You SAID that premium members, of which I am one, are not affected by this. So are you saying I am paying the SAME PRICE i am paying NOW or is EVERYONE in WA gonna HAVE to take this premium plus, since youre going to a SINGLE membership? Where does the singleness come in if the freebee and premium members aren't affected?
Yeah, you are not impacted by this. New members are granted the new offer (people that are currently starter and new members moving forward). So it is not a single membership for past members, just new members moving forward.
We still have Starter, and they upgrade to Premium Plus+ through our new first month discount with bonus domain and AI credits, or can go yearly at 50% off. :)
Hi Kyle
First of all, I wish you all a Happy New Year to the Wealthy Affiliate family, and I wish you all the best.
In brief, it is a balanced mix of getting good services VS price.
The idea of a sales page that summarizes the benefits of package the member will receive is great, I love it. It is convincing and forms the basis of the sales.
But I believe if the prices will be higher than the current prices (Premium Members) it will be very difficult to get new members/potential customers to join. Because the program will be very expensive. And thus we will lose more members.
We should have different packages based on the services as well as the prices suits every one.
Not everyone is able to invest a huge amount of money and the recurring monthly payments will be a burden on them.
Hope that will be considered.
Much appreciated
Thanks
It's the same price to try (our lowest) as it was before, and you can now stay on the $49 pricing if you commit to a year. And this is for our best membership, that includes more than $67 in tangible bonuses for $49, not to mention all the training, websites, hosting, tech, platforms, content creators, all the mentorship, and all the updates you need to thrive within online world.
That is a small price to pay to run a business, and we have kept it the lowest in the industry. If people don't have the budget to start a business, they can still hang out on the Starter membership for as long as they like and still engage and interact within the community until they are ready. :)
Thanks for your feedback and sharing your insights. We are not blowing away the Premium, so it still exists (of course, and you are still on it). So we will test, refine, and evolve as appropriate.
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Build a Logo + Website That Attracts Customers
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Discover Hot Niches with AI Market Research
100 Credits
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Find Affiliate Offers Up to $500/Sale
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Well, I'm a bit late to the game with commenting on this one LOL, sorry Kyle! But I think keeping things as simple as possible is best, and that's exactly what you've done here.
If people are serious about building an online business, they will sign up for a year to get the 50% off rate, and I think that's a fair price and a good option.
Kyle, is there a page where I can see that side-by-side comparison between WA and other systems? I would be interested in seeing that :) I guess I want to see that Upgrade Page you mentioned - not sure where to find that.
Many members do that on their websites to proof, that wA is really the best deal! Maybe a good idea to research this with AI?
You got that right. I have 8 referrals that have signed up for a free membership since late last year and have never upgraded yet. When I was a free member, I signed up almost 6 weeks later because I was serious about getting ahead with the affiliate marketing journey. I guess some people think they can operate a business without any kind of investment. It does take money to make money when it comes to having any kind of business, online or offline.
You're absolutely correct on that! I don't believe it's possible to build any business for free.