FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

  • I don't remember making a recent payment for $20 to UMBAA - why did I just receive an email confirmation of such a payment?

UMBAA has two types of membership: Lifetime and Annual.  Lifetime members pay a one time fee of $400.  Annual members pay $20 for a full calendar year of membership from the date they sign up.  For your convenience, your Annual membership will automatically renew each year - very similar to other subscription-based services, such as Amazon, Netflix, etc.  

  • When and why did UMBAA change to a subscription based model?

In 2015, UMBAA hired an external software development firm to completely design a new website from scratch.  Based on our requirements, industry best practices, the advice of the software development firm, input from our members, and a vote from the Board of Directors, a subscription model was chosen.    

  • When did you notify me about the change to a subscription based model?

Notification of this change first happened in the 2015 Summer Edition of the M Fanfare (Volume 68, Issue 1) and in all subsequent issues of the M Fanfare.

  • I'm not happy with the new subscription based model - is there a non-renewing option?

This can be achieved very easily.  All you have to do is log into the Member Portal, click on the "Edit Account" button, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Disable Auto-Renew" button.  Your membership will stay active through the end of your current membership (which is displayed in this section), but then expire at the end.  Then, when you wish to renew your Annual UMBAA membership, simply log in with the same information and you will be prompted to enter in a new form of payment.  

  • Does UMBAA store my credit card information?

UMBAA does not store your credit card information.  We have partnered with payment processor Stripe to handle payments for our members.  Stripe processes billions of dollars of payments each year from businesses in 25 countries around world from 10 global offices.

  • Is my credit card info secure?

Yes.  Stripe has been audited by a PCI-certified auditor and is certified to PCI Service Provider Level 1. This is the most stringent level of certification available in the payments industry - the same level of certification that both Amazon and Netflix have achieved.  Stripe even has a reward program that will pay you if you can find a vulnerability in the security of their system. For more information on Stripe's security best practices, please visit Stripe's Security Page.

  • My credit card information has changed - where do I enter my new card information?

You can easily input a new credit card into the system by logging into the Member Portal, clicking on "View your subscription / payments to UMBAA", then click on the blue "Edit Card Info" button.

  • I'm still unhappy with the change to a subscription model.  How else can I pay for a membership?

Understanding e-commerce security can be quite challenging.  For those of you who prefer to not use credit cards online, we still accept payment by check.  Please make your check payable to UMBAA, 350 E Hoover Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.  Please include your email address, as we will send you notice once your check is picked up, deposited, and your online account has been updated - which typically happens in 2-4 weeks.

For All Other Questions:

For all questions, issues, or comments - please send an email to umbaa-webmaster@umich.edu

Every email sent to umbaa-webmaster@umich.edu automatically creates a help ticket in our new online support helpdesk. A ticket is essentially a file on the specific issue a user is having, the issue's present status, and other important data. Every member of our help desk team can view all these tickets, solve issues, and provide updates along the way until the issue has been resolved. This allows us to streamline our management of all the open issues - ensuring no request gets buried or lost in someone's inbox.

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