+E Ticket Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Is there any real value to being a premium member (other than supporting geocaching.com) if you do not have a smart phone? Quote Link to comment
+The_Incredibles_ Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Tremendous, although I see you've found 500 caches, so maybe what you're doing is working well for you. Pocket queries, caches along a route. These are the main selling feature for me. Quote Link to comment
+Team Dennis Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 I am a PM and do not have a smart phone. Being able to run pocket queries is (for me at least) worth the fee every year alone. Quote Link to comment
Pup Patrol Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 I don't have a smartphone, and don't see one in my future. I re-upped for Premium Membership for a lot of reasons, but "supporting the site" wasn't one of them. Bookmark lists, favorites, expanded stats, PQ's, were the main reasons. Benefits to Premium Membership: http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.book&id=5 "caches along a route" will help (hopefully) for a (fingers-crossed) road trip to Alberta next year (fingers crossed). Quote Link to comment
+mpilchfamily Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 I don't have a smart phone. I initially got the Pm for the PM caches and PQs. At the time i was unsing my iTouch for the paperless caching. Now i have a GPSr that supports paperless caching. The PQs alone have been well worth the price. Being able to get up to 1000 caches in a single file and have the control to keep the search to only the caches i want. Quote Link to comment
+Fryguy1111 Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 For me it was the pocket queries and creating of point-to-point route PQ's. It's a great feature that my family and I use on our driving vacations. Quote Link to comment
+Semper Questio Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 For me, the main benefits are PQ's, caches along a route, and bookmark lists. Most definitely worth the price for the time it saves me getting ready to go out and play. Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 The only benefit for premium membership that is smartphone-related is the unrestricted use of the API. (Basic members can download the complete details of only 3 caches per day using the API.) And that isn't even on the list of benefits yet: http://www.geocaching.com/Gift/benefits.aspx Quote Link to comment
+HotDiggityDogs Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 We initially chose it for supporting the site, but renewed because we didn't want to do without Pocket Queries. I like that we have access to PM caches, and the Favorites too -- if there are a bunch of equal-looking caches in an area we are headed out to, the number of Favorites will tip the balance. We consider it worth the $30. Quote Link to comment
+Team Pixos Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 What's API ? Quote Link to comment
+mpilchfamily Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 The only benefit for premium membership that is smartphone-related is the unrestricted use of the API. (Basic members can download the complete details of only 3 caches per day using the API.) And that isn't even on the list of benefits yet: http://www.geocaching.com/Gift/benefits.aspx Are you talking the new API based apps or the official app? With $10 official app there is no such limitation. Quote Link to comment
+Lil Devil Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Among all the other reasons mentioned, don't forget that PMs can get instant notifications (email or SMS) when a new cache is published nearby. Quote Link to comment
+luvvinbird Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Among all the other reasons mentioned, don't forget that PMs can get instant notifications (email or SMS) when a new cache is published nearby. And PM only caches, too. Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 What's API ?See http://www.geocaching.com/live/ The only benefit for premium membership that is smartphone-related is the unrestricted use of the API. (Basic members can download the complete details of only 3 caches per day using the API.) And that isn't even on the list of benefits yet:http://www.geocaching.com/Gift/benefits.aspxAre you talking the new API based apps or the official app? With $10 official app there is no such limitation.Actually, I've been using Neongeo recently. For third-party apps using the Geocaching Live API, there is such a limitation. Quote Link to comment
+Abcede97 Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 (edited) Is there any real value to being a premium member (other than supporting geocaching.com) if you do not have a smart phone? I have an Iphone ? Cache How many Premium Members? X $30. = ? ? Where does this money go? Edited September 10, 2011 by Abcede97 Quote Link to comment
+TheAlabamaRambler Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Premium Memberships keep the whiz kids at Groundspeak employed at Groundspeak, where they can do no harm. Without PM income they'd have to go out and get real jobs, and the damage could be incalculable. No, do your part to save the world...keep them on the Lily Pad for everyone's sake! Quote Link to comment
+Don_J Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Is there any real value to being a premium member (other than supporting geocaching.com) if you do not have a smart phone? I have an Iphone ? Cache How many Premium Members? X $30. = ? ? Where does this money go? Who cares? How come people never seem to ask this question when they fork over $2 for an order of fries that cost 15 cents to make? Groundspeak is a private, for profit company. They have a service that I buy from them. It's none of my business what happens to the money after it leaves my pocket. Quote Link to comment
Pup Patrol Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Is there any real value to being a premium member (other than supporting geocaching.com) if you do not have a smart phone? I have an Iphone ? Cache How many Premium Members? X $30. = ? ? Where does this money go? Who cares? How come people never seem to ask this question when they fork over $2 for an order of fries that cost 15 cents to make? Groundspeak is a private, for profit company. They have a service that I buy from them. It's none of my business what happens to the money after it leaves my pocket. +1 Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 How come people never seem to ask this question when they fork over $2 for an order of fries that cost 15 cents to make? Groundspeak is a private, for profit company. They have a service that I buy from them. It's none of my business what happens to the money after it leaves my pocket. Exactly. Let the laws of supply and demand dictate how they set their price and what they do with the money. I pay because it's worth it to me. PM is most valuable for those with paperless units (which include smart phones). My phone is about as dumb as they get. Quote Link to comment
+TheAlabamaRambler Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Serious answer? PQs. I get a phone call, a friend says "Let's go caching in Trussville". I create a PQ of 1000 caches centered on Trussville, load it to my GPS and I'm out the door in twenty minutes, ready to find whatever caches we choose to hunt. A friend said "Meet me in Rome NY, we'll go do some caching in Canada then cache our way down to PA for GW9". Cool, I run a PQ for 1000 caches around Rome NY, a PQ for 1000 around Niagara Falls, 1000 around the GW9 site, and run some Caches Along A Route from Alabama to Canada so I can break up the long drive alone by hunting a few caches. $30 a year? I'd pay $30 for either one of those! And I do those kinds of things every month throughout the year. For $30 my PM is the best value of anything I buy! Quote Link to comment
+t4e Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Is there any real value to being a premium member (other than supporting geocaching.com) if you do not have a smart phone? what's got one to do with the other? the question would make more sense if one had a smart phone Quote Link to comment
+TheAlabamaRambler Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Is there any real value to being a premium member (other than supporting geocaching.com) if you do not have a smart phone? what's got one to do with the other? the question would make more sense if one had a smart phone I have a smartphone (Android Motorola ATRIX 4G). I don't use it for geocaching. Like the vast majority of geocachers I use a hand-held GPS (Garmin GPSmap 62st). Trying to link PQs to smartphones as a reason for buying a PM is unrealistic. You CAN use a PQ with a smartphone, but that is certainly not the limit of what a PQ does for you. I started out with a basic Garmin Yellow. It allowed you to plug in coordinates and gave you a compass and distance and not much more. I would download a PQ of 500 caches (the limit back then) into GSAK and sort through them on my PC, selecting the caches I wanted to hunt. I would print out the listings I was interested in and go caching. Many folks cache this same way today. You don't need fancy expensive GPS receivers or smartphones, but that PQ is invaluable. Quote Link to comment
+Roman! Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 I just want to be one of those elitist snobs about whom threads pop up on a bi-weekly basis, that alone is worth the $30.00. Quote Link to comment
+Bear and Ragged Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 ' timestamp='1315630100' post='4838766']I just want to be one of those elitist snobs about whom threads pop up on a bi-weekly basis, that alone is worth the $30.00. +1 Quote Link to comment
+luvvinbird Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Is there any real value to being a premium member (other than supporting geocaching.com) if you do not have a smart phone? I have an Iphone ? Cache How many Premium Members? X $30. = ? ? Where does this money go? Why don't you contact Groundspeak and ask them? Quote Link to comment
4wheelin_fool Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Is there any real value to being a premium member (other than supporting geocaching.com) if you do not have a smart phone? Free donuts in Off Topic. Quote Link to comment
+E Ticket Posted September 10, 2011 Author Share Posted September 10, 2011 Thanks for your input. It seems as though PQ are important to people so I will look into them. Quote Link to comment
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