General Chat

I have noticed that "as a Platinum Member" I can find many more records if I am willing to pay more!
What is other peoples views on this?

I thought it was rather annoying. Surely we should not have to pay large sums of money for these records when paid so much to have Platinum Membership?

Hi SpanishEyes

I was also surprised at the cost of added features after paying for platinum membership. At 49.50 for 6 months I won,t be paying anymore.

After my time is up I will go for standard as I have researched as much as I want to do.

It does seem wrong if you have the highest level of subs, that you *still* have to pay more to access certain records :-(

Or is there a higher level?????

I pay £62.95 for 6 months on FMP with 10% discount for full access so you are getting what you pay for really

I was quite happy with my premium membership last year then I had to go back to standard membership due to finance and now have to pay as a new member which is more than I was paying before I upgraded even though I have been a member since 2004.
Not good. :-( :-( :-(

When you look at what you get for Platinum Membership which is for very basic records when you consider that you only get access to two sets of records that standard members cannot access eg England and Wales census and BMD index
even without the additions that you can get at an extra cost then GR is far more expensive than other sites that give unlimited access to hundreds of sets of records for a similar amount and no paying for extras,

I suppose GR is good value for beginners but once you have made a start then you really need to use other resources some of which are free on other sites anyway

Roy

Although I am a bit peeved about paying more at the moment I wouldnt give up Genes, purely because so many kind people on here help and have helped me out over the years with lots of queries. :-D :-D :-D

Platinum cost just over £80 for 12months subscription

Membership Features

View trees of over 10 million Genes Reunited members (Free members can search for these, standard members can do this)

Contact members who share your ancestors to discover your family history (Standard members can do this)

Join the Genes Reunited community to ask for genealogy tips and advice (standard members can do this)

Victorian Census Records from 1841-1901 (England and Wales)

Birth Marriage and Deaths from 1837-2004 (England and Wales)

The complete 1911 census for England and Wales – See your ancestor's own handwriting!

Roy

Could have saved a bit if I had known about the 12mth subs instead of every 6. I have been on for 3 years.

Certainly sold me on the standard next time

thanks Roy :-D :-D

Prices for FMP so foundation is the same price as GR but have no community boards

http://www.findmypast.co.uk/account/pay/anoymous/step0

Roy
As a Platinum member I believe you can also search the British Newspaper Archives and Military records.

I guess it's a question of weighing up what's available here and elsewhere and what you can afford.

Some other pay to view sites can be accessed from libraries for free and of course at record offices.
Take care
Von

SpanishEyes lives in Spain, which makes visiting a UK library rather awkward :-0

Von, You do not get British Newspaper Archives and Military records with .a Platinum subscription, You get the ability to buy them as an addition, so their is an extra cost involved, Which is IMO why SpanishEyes started this thread or am i missing something?


If you have a Platinum subscription then you can buy an Additional Features package giving you access to the following record sets:

Military records
Travel and Overseas records
Parish records
British Newspaper Archive content

Each record set has to be bought separately. The Additional Feature will last until your subscription ends and gives you unlimited access to all of these records. The cost of it depends on what type of Platinum package you have. If you click on 'Add features' on your homepage you'll see how much you will have to pay

From FAQ How much does it cost?

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/help/faqs?key=177

GR To the best of my knowledge don't hold any records that cannot be accessed cheaper on other sites

The value of GR has always been in the help and support given by the community

Roy

Good morning to everyone who has replied. I have read your messages and I will reduce my payment to basic next year .
The main reason I stay on this site is because of the support, help, advice etc that so many people have given me and not just about family history.
+++DetEcTive+++, thanks for pointing out where I live, I should have thought about adding that to my first post. This demonstrates just how kind and helpful people on Genes are, which is why I stay on here and at times I have also had the pleasure to help others.


:-D

Roy
I stand corrected.
I have Platinum membership and as I can access the British Newspaper Archives I assumed that it was part of the package.

I would add that I have several times visited records offices on behalf of people living overseas and spent hours researching on their behalf without any payment.

I think people do have to weigh up carefully how much each site costs and which records are available to search.
Take care
Von

It seems that GR are charging just what they want to for Platinum Membership depending on who you are. Why?
It would be fair to say that as Platinum Membership is the highest Membership GR have, that you would be able to use the the site to the fullest & be able to do all search's without paying extra charges to view them.
On Ancestry.com you have the World Membership & you have the full use of the site & can do as many search's as you like around the world, as well as in the UK, & veiw them, & they have a lot more info for not a lot more then some members pay on here.

How I agree with 5EXY!

At first I was delighted about GR as I had a lot of info from my grandparents and I wanted to have their tree.
Then I was told about ANC...y and have made an a wonderful tree with such a lot of information....not just when born/died etc but much much more.

However I do not have the same support as on here and about 18 months ago I can truly say "I may not have still been here". So how could I leave such amazing people!! <3 <3 :-D to them, they know who they are.

Who knows. I may one day find that GR improves especially re cost.

Many thanks to all who are adding their views.

:-)

Ancestry worldwide is a lot more expensive than GR £155.40 unless you are lucky enough to get a discount.... the Essentials is £83.40 which will give the same records as GR..... and Premium £107.40 which will include the Parish and mililtary records.

So in my opinion GR are charging roughly the same as the other two...if they were only charging £80 for the lot then no one would bother using the other sites

If GR had another level which included the lot for £100+ would that not be fair?

Jax I can see why you say what you say. The thing is on Ancestry World you can search & view all the records they have for no extra hidden fees while searching so much more then GR have. Yes it's £155.40 per year, but you can sometimes get a discount if you ask, or wait for them to do one of there offers with about 35% discount bringing it down to about £101.01, compair that with what some pay on here £49.00 every 6 months, so it only casts an extra £3.01 & you don't get hidden viewing or search fees. They also have a lot more info. I think it's money well spent. :-)

Jax, GR don't have a package equivalent to Ancestry worldwide so that's not a fair comparison

Ancestry Essentials subscription gives you access to more records collections than GR's Platinum subscription

By the time you have topped up your Platinum subscription to include additional as offered by GR it will cost more than the Ancestry Premium subscription and any new records will also add to the cost where as ancestry give Guaranteed access to all new UK collections and ancestry already have far more record collections to start with,

for example GR don't give access to Scottish census records where as ancestry include the transcriptions in all their subscription packages

Value for money Ancestry is far superior but it still comes down to your budget and your own area of research and how far you would like to go with your tree

Roy