What changes with new user subscription vs renewal for existing datafile

leishirsute

If I am using Quicken already and purchase a new user subscription, do I just need to use a new Quicken web login to show I'm a new user?

After that, can I access the existing datafile and reestablish connectivity for my accounts?

Curious

Boatnmaniac

To clarify: In order to use Quicken with a different login you must have that new Quicken.com account (i.e., the new login) and you must have a subscription tied to that new login.

You can either buy the subscription while logged into your new Quicken.com account and then download and install the software from there. In this case, when it is installed it will be, as mentioned by @CaliQkn, automatically activated.

Or if you buy the subscription from an retailer, you must enter that activation code and new Quicken ID login into the software during installation and setup.

Once you have the software installed and activated you can open your current data file. You will be prompted to accept reassigning the ownership of the data file to your new system and Quicken ID.

There is no way to test this and try it out for free but if you don't like the results you can cancel your new subscription for a full refund within 30 days of purchase.

CaliQkn

@leishirsute if you create a new Quicken ID, you will be able to buy Quicken as a new user. You will be able to use your existing data file once you login with your new Quicken ID.

splasher

One caveat though, if you are using QMobile/QWeb, they will have to be reestablished as that part is tied to your existing Quicken ID and is not accessible via the new Quicken ID.

leishirsute

Just doing a test.

I tried using a different login for my existing quicken datafile and Quicken wanted an activation code.

CaliQkn

@leishirsute that is a different situation than your original post. A subscription is tied to a Quicken ID. If you try to log in with a Quicken ID that doesn't have an active subscription, you will be asked to subscribe.

If you use a new Quicken ID ( or one that doesn't have an active subscription) to purchase a Quicken subscription it will be automatically activated.

Boatnmaniac

To clarify: In order to use Quicken with a different login you must have that new Quicken.com account (i.e., the new login) and you must have a subscription tied to that new login.

You can either buy the subscription while logged into your new Quicken.com account and then download and install the software from there. In this case, when it is installed it will be, as mentioned by @CaliQkn, automatically activated.

Or if you buy the subscription from an retailer, you must enter that activation code and new Quicken ID login into the software during installation and setup.

Once you have the software installed and activated you can open your current data file. You will be prompted to accept reassigning the ownership of the data file to your new system and Quicken ID.

There is no way to test this and try it out for free but if you don't like the results you can cancel your new subscription for a full refund within 30 days of purchase.

leishirsute

"Once you have the software installed and activated you can open your current data file. You will be prompted to accept reassigning the ownership of the data file to your new system and Quicken ID."

Would I have to reestablish transaction download connectivity to all my accounts after reassigning ownership?

Boatnmaniac

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20496192#Comment_20496192

I have never heard of anyone saying that was needed. But in reading this Help article about signing in as a different user ( https://info.quicken.com/win/how-do-i-sign-in-as-a-different-user )….and that is essentially what you would be doing….it sounds like much, if not all, of the cloud data associated with the data file will be removed and will need to be reset. While it does mention some of the things this will affect it does not specifically say that OSU connections will need to be reset. So, I really don't know if resetting all the OSU connections will be needed or not but I think you should anticipate that it will.

I have never changed my Quicken ID so I cannot test it out but you can. As stated above:

There is no way to test this and try it out for free but if you don't like the results you can cancel your new subscription for a full refund within 30 days of purchase.

You seem to have a lot of concerns about starting a new Quicken ID and reassigning your data file to it. Is it worth all that stress to save a few dollars with a new user subscription? Only you can answer that question.

Jon

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20496192#Comment_20496192

I would assume any accounts using Quicken Connect will have to be set up for online access again - Quicken Connect is tied to your Quicken ID, so if you're setting up a new ID Quicken Connect will have to be set up for that ID. Direct Connect accounts I don't know - it's possible those might continue to work without any setup required.

leishirsute

@Jon That would be my understanding.

@Boatmaniac As the difference in cost becomes greater between new and renewals, newly subscribing becomes more and more attractive. I think Quicken should offer some sort of loyalty discount arrangement as well as the teaser new subscriber.

jacobs

I think Quicken should offer some sort of loyalty discount arrangement as well as the teaser new subscriber.

Well, if they discounted the price for new users, and they discounted the price for renewing users, then it's simply an all-inclusive price decrease! 😂 And if they've determined the current price levels are what they need to generate enough income, they can't do that. Or they could play a pricing game by raising the cost of subscriptions 20% and then giving everyone 20% discounts, but that wouldn't accomplish anything, and even the renewing users with a loyalty discount would realize they're paying the same as they were before.

mshiggins

@leishirsute you may want to take a look at this recent post discussing your same topic:

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7963632/erroneously-purchased-new-subscriber-version-of-deluxe-that-is-non-returnable-any-options

Boatnmaniac

@leishirsute -

As the difference in cost becomes greater between new and renewals, newly subscribing becomes more and more attractive. I think Quicken should offer some sort of loyalty discount arrangement as well as the teaser new subscriber.

Many would agree with you on this but Quicken Inc. is following a pretty well-established protocol for subscription products and services in general where discounts are offered mostly only to new subscribers.

While it is unusual to find renewal subscription discounts on Quicken.com many online retailers will offer 30%-45% discounts on subscriptions that are not for new subscribers only. NewEgg and Office Depot/Office Max seem to offer the biggest discounts a few times a year. But others like Sam's Club, Costco, Walmart and Best Buy offer nice discounts a few times a year, as well. Currently it looks like several online retailers are offering discounted prices in the 15%-20% range but if you spend a little time searching you might find something better than that.

When those sale prices come up you can buy them up to a year before your subscription expires since the activation code is valid for up to a year post-purchase….just make sure they are not for new subscribers only. Then the activation code can be entered to extend the subscription by a year at any time in the final 6 months of the current subscription.

But, like most things in life, it's mostly a matter of personal choice as to which path to take.

leishirsute

Insurance companies and other businesses give loyalty discounts. Magazine subscriptions often give loyalty discounts.

Maybe Quicken management should think out of the box.

A loyalty discount could kick in after say 5 years or 10 years.

Chris_QPW

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20496314#Comment_20496314

Frankly, if all one cares about is the money, then I think Quicken Inc is making the right decision.

I don't know how many times I have seen this comment on Quicken forums, but it is a lot:

"If there was another product with Quicken's features I would dropped Quicken.".

For long time users of Quicken that actually still need its features the biggest "incentive" is the very fact that they can't get what they want anywhere else.

leishirsute

@Chris_QPW Agreed. I don't plan to leave Quicken. Just checking how to reduce pricing. One other way to reduce subscription cost is to share the product cost with others will use Quicken and who you trust.

Chris_QPW

My subscription was expiring last January and in the middle of December Quicken Inc was offering 40% for new subscribers. So, I went with that. For me with only Express Web Connect + accounts and Zillow as the only online services I use it was trivial to use a different email address/Quicken Id and reconnect these.

Later Newegg had a special with like 30% off plus something like $5 coupon, so I got that too. I wasn't able to apply the new activation code until recently, but now I'm set until December 12, 2026.

Frankly, for me this is more a "game" then anything else, just as Quicken is. The cost isn't a big impact to me, and I setup my finances so that I could easily manage them without Quicken.

jacobs

Insurance companies and other businesses give loyalty discounts. Magazine subscriptions often give loyalty discounts. Maybe Quicken management should think out of the box.

@leishirsute But I'll raise the issue again: if they were to give taser discounts to attract first-time users, and also give loyalty discounts to renewing members, then everyone has a discount, and the effect is that they've simply lowered the price of the product. Let's assume they aren't rolling in revenue such that they feel a price cut is viable. So what do you want them to do? Raise the price 20% so they can turn around and give everyone a 20% discount?

I'd also look at other subscriptions services and ask how many have loyalty discounts each time you renew. Cable/internet provider? Hulu? Netflix? AppleTV? Spotify? Amazon Prime? No, they don't give discounts on renewal, because their current price is their business model. Most of their buses is recurring customers; what service business can give a discount to most of its customer base on a recurring basis?

Chris_QPW

@jacobs good point. I wonder what the new user to long term customer ratio is. I would bet it is very low.

leishirsute

@jacobs Many times the streaming services have Black Friday week deals. For example, I've purchased PeacockTV, Hulu, and Max each for less than $20 for the year for the last 3 years. In fact, I don't purchase them if I can't get a Black Friday deal. The funny thing is they often come back with a discount of some sort if they think they are going to lose a subscriber. Not all the streaming services do that though. Maybe Quicken could look into a Black Friday week discount special or loyalty discounts could be given for long term loyalty, say 5 years or longer. In the past, Quicken retail outlets used to have the DVD version for a discount special in the June timeframe. Actually, they are offering that now, but it's not as great a discount as in the past.

I wonder what the average pricing threshold is before someone decides the subscription price is not worth doing the renewal process any more.

jacobs

Many times the streaming services have Black Friday week deals. For example, I've purchased PeacockTV, Hulu, and Max each for less than $20 for the year for the last 3 years.

But generally for new customers only. For instance, I've done the Hulu Black Friday special, and it is only valid for an email which has not had a Hulu account for the past 30 days. I had a subscription one year, then my wife had the subscription the next year, and we'll switch back next year if the deal is the same. The Peacock Black Friday deal for $19.99 last year was available only to new subscribers. Only the Max deal last Black Friday was valid for past subscribers, but you still would have had to cancel any existing subscription so you could be a previous customer to get the $2.99/month Black Friday deal — which was only good for 6 months, meaning you'd be paying full price for the next 6 months.

But your point is taken: perhaps Quicken could offer a bigger discount for a short period annually. I'd note that some retailers like NewEgg do typically have one or two times a year with significantly discounted prices. But as I've said above, if Quicken made it easy for everyone to get renewals at a discounted price, they'd be cutting off a significant portion of their revenue. There's just no economic way that makes sense for them, unless they raise the base price for everyone in order to then discount it.

leishirsute

After shopping for Quicken alternative, I have to admit that, other than the free offerings, Quicken is competitively priced.

BK

Quicken should be profitable in order for us to enjoy the benefits. We agree that no other product comes even close and still we like to get a deal if convenient. As commented by others earlier, multiple times per year (on average once a quarter from my observations) you can find various retailers offering discounts for any user (not just new subscribers). Newegg, Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Staples, Office Depot, etc.