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A reader shared his newspaper dilemma about whether he should continue subscribing to the newspaper. Here’s mine. The New York Times introduced digital subscriptions to pay to read the newspaper online, on mobile apps, and via an iPad. As a frugal consumer, I have an issue with paying for content that was once free, but as a person trained in journalism I understand why the industry is moving in that direction.
I often read the Times online, but do not subscribe to the paper. This means that once I reach my allotted free views (20 stories per month), I’ll have to buy a digital or print subscription. Every four weeks, the Times will charge $15 for website and mobile application access, $20 for iPad application and website access, and $35 for full-access authorization.
The good news is that if you are a New York Times subscriber, the online editions are free. Daily delivery cost $7.40 per week. That’s $355.20 per year (or less if you call and negotiate a deal). Here’s a breakdown of the yearly cost of getting the New York Times, from most expensive to cheapest.
- $420 – full digital access via website, mobile, and iPad access
- $355.20 – daily delivery to your home, which includes full digital access
- $240 – website and iPad access
- $180 – website and mobile access
It’s cheaper to subscribe to the paper than to subscribe to full digital access. Getting the paper delivered provides the most all-around access, but isn’t much cheaper than full digital. The cheapest option is web and mobile only access for $15 per month.
Wondering whether our readers would pay to access digital content, I posted the question on the Bargain Babe Facebook page. Here’s what some of them had to say.
Sarah said:
I don’t like it, and won’t pay, but I know these newspapers do need to find new revenue sources since their circulation numbers are way down. They still have to pay their bills or that business will go away.
Sola said:
I don’t like it either, but I will pay. They are in the business of making money – nothing wrong with that.
I will continue reading online until I go through the 20 free articles. Afterward, I’ll try to score a deal on a newspaper subscription by shopping online for a better price. What do you think about the New York Times’ decision to charge for their online content? Would you rather pay for a digital subscription or delivery?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
If I ever buy a Kindle or Nook …reading the times or daily News will be the reason…one of the problems with reading online is sometimes you don’t remember all the details of the story you were interested in…unless you make a copy or back to your computer…it’s lost…many times the story is gone to make way for new stories…so i will pay for news sometime in the future…not today!
The ads & coupons are why I continue to subscribe to the daily newspaper. It’s faster to read it in paper form than to try & read everything online. And my online newspaper doesn’t include every item that is in the paper version. Any small items I want to keep or share can be clipped for future reference.
Is there an error with your math here or am I misunderstanding
4 weeks at $15 = $3.75/week digital
4 weeks at $29.60 = $7.40/week paper
If you’re interested in getting the digital subscription, that’s not a bad deal for a major newspaper (look at how much the Financial Times or WSJ charge!)
I’m not interested. I hardly bother with the NYT anyway. If it were something I read more often I might go for it.
One of the things that disturbed me about the splash page for the new content was that the link to the terms of the sale are buried in the question for refunds and cancellations.
http://www.nytimes.com/content/help/rights/sale/terms-of-sale.html
Some of the things that struck me:
“Only one person may use the account (user name and password) associated with a purchased product, unless we agree otherwise.”
So if my husband picks up my phone to read something, is he violating the terms of sale?
“The New York Times reserves the right to change prices and fees at any time. We will notify you in advance if the regular rate of a product changes from what was stated at the time of your order. You will have the opportunity to accept the new price or cancel your subscription or purchase from that point forward.”
Sounds like they already have intentions of fiddling with the subscription process as it goes along.
Monthly and 4-Week Subscription Billing …”Cancellations are effective the following billing cycle. You will not receive a refund for the current billing cycle. You will continue to have the same access and benefits of your product for the remainder of the current billing period.”
So I don’t get a cancellation and my prorated money back promptly like other digital subscriptions?
Like I said, not interested in these subscriptions myself but it would definitely be worth asking the questions if people do go to sign up for them.
As a long-time newspaper reader (both the L.A. Times and the Daily News), as well as being a voracious book reader, I will continue to subscribe to the newspapers. I like holding the papers/books in my hands, and dislike spending any more time staring at a glaring monitor than is absolutely necessary. This is one area where I don’t totally consider the frugality, although I do negotiate a lower rate. I also use the coupon inserts, especially the Sunday ones, and working crossword puzzles is a biggie for me. The Daily News uses N.Y. Times puzzles, which are more challenging. I’m convinced the puzzles are part of the reason I’m not totally senile at this point!
We had a digital subscription to our semi-local paper as the delivery man wouldn’t come all the way out to our house until there were a few more subscribers in the area. We had it sent to my husband’s e-mail and he would forward it to me. I found that I seldom read it. I hated having to scroll to read the articles and often I’d put it off till later, only later never came. We were able to change to the paper version a few months ago and now I read it almost every day while I enjoy coffee or a snack. I like the “paper paper” so much better!
I agree with EllieD. I love reading the newspaper. Although, I have cut back to Thursday – Sunday deliverly only, I still enjoy holding that paper in my hands and drinking first cup of coffee I’m really not interested in purchasing a Kindle for the exact reason, Love having a book in my hands.
I enjoy reading the PAPER. I get the Daily News delivered Thurs – Sun and have digital access Mon – Wed. I often don’t read the paper on the digital days. There is something about holding the paper and I also like to see the ads. My computer is a desktop so I’m stuck reading it in my office if I want it those days. I prefer reading the paper with my breakfast at the table. Scrolling, especially with the bridge column doesn’t work for me.
@Concetta Love your breakdown of the terms of agreement. Math looks fine to me. Am I missing something?
@william Stories online are not removed to make room for other stories. What happens is that the papers archive them after a period of time and later charge you to go back and read those stories. The “LA Times” does this all the time.