How/where do you renew .Mac account?

[BLeonard]

My dot Mac account doesn't expire until October but I have already bought a code for another year. When I went to enter it I couldn't find anyplace on the site to renew. Am I missing something right in front of me or does it not become an option until you are closer to your expiration date?

[Silencio]

No, you can enter the code any time and it will credit it you for the full year. They do hide it deep within the account settings somewhere, and I always have to root around for 15-20 minutes each year when I renew myself.

By the by, where did you buy your renewal code? I usually get mine from Amazon, but will probably hit eBay this time.

[BLeonard]

I found it!

for others:

Q: Can I use a .Mac retail box to renew my .Mac membership?
Yes. Simply go to http://www.mac.com/activate, enter the member name and password for the account you'd like to renew and your activation key code from the .Mac box, and follow the instructions. You will only need a credit card if you have purchased .Mac add-ons such as additional email accounts or storage space, or wish to add them for your next year.

[BLeonard]

I should have read further. The next FAQ says:

Q: How early prior to expiration can I set my .Mac account to renew?
As a manual renewer or activation key renewer, you can set your .Mac account to renew 60 days prior to your anniversary date. However, at any point during the year you can set yourself to auto-renew by updating your credit card information and checking the auto-renew button on the Credit Card Info page in your Account Settings. You will not be charged until your anniversary date.

I've still got a little more than a week before I'm in that 60 day period.

[dmann]

Ok- I'll bite. How do you "buy a code"? Do you just buy a .Mac membership from anyone with a good price? I usually renew when Apple sends me the reminder but if I can save some $$ I'm all for that.

DM

[RAMd®d]

The code is the activation code that comes in your .Mac package, purchased from your vendor of choice.

I bought .M from Amazon last year, and got a very nice box, like just about any software you'd see on the Apple Store's shelf.

Inside were some slips of paper, one with the activation code.

[Chupa Chupa]

I just bought a code off eBay for $50. Dot Mac is worth that. I don't think I could ever pay full boat, but I never have yet.

When you get your code just go to Mac.com/Activation. You'll be asked to enter the code and log in. It will then verify all of your personal info and ask you to submit. Once you do that you'll get a screen that says your account will renew on what ever date it was set to expire. Pretty simple.

[chas_m]

As an Apple Product Professional, Apple gives me a .Mac account free.

However, I regard it so highly that every year I pay (usually through ebay or amazon) around $70 for a discounted full copy for my wife.

I think it's a bargain at that price.

[LaserKun]

Mine also expires in October, but unless all the spam emails via .Mac stop coming in, I just might not renew this time; been with them since it was the free iDisk, or whatever it was called back then... seems to me that Apple should be able to filter out THIS much spam - 20-50 per day. I have been forwarding them to the spam@mac.com email address, with source copied, etc. per Apple's instructions, but it takes too much time. Hate to leave them, but...

[$tevie]

LaserKun, why don't you create an alias and use that for your "real" email? And let the spam go to the original .mac address? It seems a shame to abandon your original email address to junk mail, but if you quit .mac you will lose it anyhow. You have a month or so to try that and see if it works for you.