Value of Memberships

[zpb]

@serah Online payments aren't exclusive for credit cards, debit cards are also accepted. If you already have a bank account but not a Visa/Mastercard due to fees, there's n26 (german online bank) that offers a free debit card (Mastercard).

[Serah]

@zpb

I just checked with my current debit card which is provided by visa. But the website does not accept it, saying it is lacking a security code. Though my debit card has none of such. Is there a trick you need to apply for debit cards payment?

[SoullessMinion]

by security code, does your current card not have a 3 digit code on the back?
it seems weird to me if it doesnt as every Visa bank card ive had (i have to get renew mine once a year due to use, i dont like carrying cash) has had a different code on the back, generally on a white spot just below the magnetic strip.

[Serah]

@motionless47

No. It does not have it.

In fact, the debit cards over here do not have a security code in general. All I know is that credit card have them, but not debit cards. I looked it up and N26 is issuing the same kind of debit cards by MasterCard.

That is due the different system established in Germany, and why credit cards are a rare and expensive thing. A lot of merchants of smaller shops do not accept credit cards at all.

[jpwong]

How old is the card you have, I found a couple of articles that indicate VISA only started requiring CVVs for transactions as of November last year, so it's feasibly possible that older cards may not have been issued with the numbers if no one in Europe bothered to use them while it was optional.

That said, the only other reason I can see why your card wouldn't have the security code on the back is if N26 bank only supports online transactions using 3D Secure since that doesn't require a CVV, but the transaction processor needs to support the functionality which I'm guessing JNC's processor doesn't (heck, it's rare enough to find North American merchants who support the "Verified By Visa" security program, let alone the newer 3D Secure program).

[zpb]

@serah I can see a CVV on this promotional image (the 000 on the backside near the signature stripe).

Maybe your card isn't meant for online transactions but n26 does provide cards with CVV's.

[HarmlessDave]

For me, the prepubs and catch ups give me a chance to try things I would never buy from just the description. And to find out something is not for me before spending $8.

Holy Knight's Dark Road is one I'd never have bought, but it's actually fun not cringe-worthy like I expected. Demon Lord Retry sounded fun too, but the farce is so over-the-top it's not for me. With prepubs I found the right one of the two to buy.

I also enjoy discussing some volumes with other readers in the forums as the prepub weekly parts come out.

The other value for me is in the premium editions with the bonus content. Realist Hero for example has many little bonus stories that flesh out the side characters, especially Poncho.

[Serah]

@zpb

I agree with what you see on the promotional image - and that was my first thought too. Then I researched some review articles on the web, they all telling you get actually a different kind of card.

I will have to continue think about that, since getting a debit card from N26 includes all the same effort like getting an actual credit card (you have to open a new account at N26 etc.). Plus the uncertainty if it is actually such a debit card which can be used for stripe (if it can be used for stripe, it cannot be used at shops - hence the high uncertainty and probability that the card you get is probably a Germany type of card).

Thanks for the help and hint to the product.

@HarmlessDave

Now I am very curious: could you tell me more about that bonus stories you mentioned with How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom? It is my favourite light novel series among the many J-Novel Club has to offer. And I have read through ... too many in too short time...

[LegitPancake]

@serah said in Value of Memberships:

Now I am very curious: could you tell me more about that bonus stories you mentioned with How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom? It is my favourite light novel series among the many J-Novel Club has to offer. And I have read through ... too many in too short time...

There is an official post on every short story available for Realist Hero here: https://forums.j-novel.club/post/2239

If you bought the premium epubs from JNC directly, or you are getting the paperbacks from Seven Seas, then you should already have the bonus stories. If you bought the ebooks elsewhere, like Kindle, Bookwalker, Kobo, etc, those don’t come with the bonus stories, and there’s no way to get only the stories without rebuying the premiums/paperbacks.

[Jon Mitchell]

@serah

would this work

[LegitPancake]

@jon-mitchell I may be missing something, but literally the first line on the page is that it won’t work for people outside the US.

[Serah]

@legitpancake

Ah, I see. How unfortunate for me so far then. Might be a tipping point in my consideration. Unless J-Novel Club decides to release the bonus stories as some extra volume(s) in the future via amazon. Until know I thought the illustrations within the books are the stuff what is considered bonus/extras.

@Jon-Mitchell

Pretty much what LegitPancake wrote. As soon as I visit the page, a warning pops up that it would be unusable for me.

Thank you all so much for giving so many thoughts for work arounds for my payment issue. Also I am really interested in getting the premium membership now. I might apply for a credit card for the new year. Maybe the next volume of my favourite series will be already a premium ebook buy via JNC.

[Tidon]

@serah
I had a problem with my virtual credit card (Stripe says that an error occurred and I should try again later) and looked for an alternative.
I created an N26 account and can confirm that the card is indeed a Debit/Mastercard with a CVV on the back. It does look a bit different than the one on promotional image, but it still has a CVV and JNC does accept it and I already used this card to buy some credits.

The whole process to get the card only took 3 days (10 minutes to verify my identity with the app, and 3 days to get the card via non-priority mail).

So if you want a credit card for JNC you can try N26.

[Serah]

A question about the prepubs and premium ebooks which can be acquired via the premium membership: do both come as epub or is it necessary to use the app for reading?

Aside from the credit card issue of mine, it is only that there are a bunch of... missing comfort features around the platform which makes me hesitate. To avoid misunderstandings: I do not necessarily mean bugs and such - but there are a bunch of things with website, forums and the JNC app which makes me wonder if it will be okay using them if they are not regularly updated/polished.

Therefor I hope I am not forced to have to use the app to enjoy the membership contents?

[Rahul Balaggan]

@serah

The prepub parts can only be read via app or website, they can not be downloaded.

The premium ePub files can be downloaded and read in your preferred reader app, but not in the J-Novel Club app or on the site.

[HarmlessDave]

@serah for purchased books, you download simple epub files that have no copy protection so they will work forever even if J-Novel Club ever shuts down. You can also download them again later if you want to, or if something happens to your phone / computer and you did not make back up copies.

You can change the format with a free program like Calibre if you want to. If you use am e-ink reader like my Amazon Kindle, Calibre can convert the files and transfer to the reader with just a couple of clicks.

[Serah]

I see. I was hoping the prepubs were epubs as well. That way it would be easy using calibre to convert them to mobi and enjoy them as I would with regular books. (in fact, I am also using amazon kindle - since it has the most comfortable setup among all in Germany available ereaders)

I have gotten used to my kindle as it feels better reading on it than on my smartphone. If the case is as you state, then I would need to copy & paste the prebubs from the website and convert each part manually before I could enjoy them on my reader.

[Rahul Balaggan]

@serah said in Value of Memberships:

If the case is as you state, then I would need to copy & paste the prebubs from the website and convert each part manually before I could enjoy them on my reader.

You can’t do a traditional copy and paste and just extract the text (that would make it way too easy for pirates).

[Serah]

Ugh... now that is a certain downside...

[SomeOldGuy]

@rahul-balaggan said in Value of Memberships:

You can’t do a traditional copy and paste and just extract the text

You type that like you think it's true... ;)

And no, I'm not going to explain how to do it, for just the reason you stated.