The WELL has been supported directly by its members since 1985.

We offer monthly and yearly versions of two membership plans:
Essential Membership: $10/month or $100/year
Complete Membership: $15/month or $150/year (plus surcharges if any)
Introductory rates for both plan types may be available during registration.

Membership plan descriptions

The $10/month or $100/year Essential Membership Plan includes just the essentials:

• Participation in our vibrant conferences (via Web browser only)
• Complimentary ad-free subscription to Salon Premium with Table Talk

The $15/month or $150/year Complete Membership Plan includes:

• Participation in our vibrant conferences (via Web browser and/or shh (telnet) applications)
• Complimentary ad-free subscription to Salon Premium with Table Talk
• Access to our original text-only interface with its powerful search and other UNIX tools, including some created by The WELL members
• Ability to create either independent conferences open to all The WELL members, or unlisted private conferences (where you control which members you put on the guest list)
• Your email address @well.com
• Space to create a web site (or perhaps a gateway to your other web sites) at your influential www.well.com users' URL

For information about the additional surcharges which may be incurred for heavy storage or throughput on Complete memberships, please see the surcharge section below.

The WELL is a destination on the Internet and the World Wide Web. The WELL has not offered Internet access services for many years. You may use The WELL from any access point, including your ISP, workplace, library or Internet cafe.

For information about the additional surcharges which may be incurred for heavy storage or throughput on Complete memberships, please see the surcharge section below.

Special introductory offers: We often offer specials, typically introductory offers or gift certificate deals. Check our JOIN page.

Annual offers: The annual versions of our two membership plans both include a discount rate, plus improved Salon benefits. They include full annual Salon Premium subscriptions with goodies, downloads and extra offers. You may change from the monthly to the annual rate or vice versa at any time.

Payment methods

The WELL offers several payment options:

• Major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover) or "check cards" (ATM or debit cards) with the insignias of those services
• Checks or money orders in US dollars

We strongly prefer card payment. Checks and money orders must be in US dollars and negotiable through a US bank. Check or money order payments are subject to an additional $5 per invoice processing fee, charged whenever a bill is generated. Paying ahead several months at a time will reduce invoice fee totals. Paying ahead by the year will eliminate invoice fees. An $18 service fee is assessed for any returned checks.

Updating your payment information

The WELL offers a secure server for submitting credit card, billing method or personal contact information updates. Log in to our secure Billing Information Center to review or update your online billing data.

You may also make updates by phone at (415) 645-9300 during regular California office hours, Monday through Friday 9:00 to 5:00 Pacific Time.

Non-payment

All accounts are billed in advance, with the exception of surcharges for excess storage by Complete plan members. Invoiced accounts must be paid in full upon receipt. A 1% per month surcharge will be applied to any outstanding balances more than 30 days old. The WELL reserves the right to cancel accounts for non-payment while the collections process for any unpaid balance proceeds.

Great effort is made to keep any collection actions personal and responsible. Customized repayment plans are available when subscribers contact The WELL Billing directly about catching up.

Cancelling or suspending your membership

You may cancel any membership at any time. Please note that until you do so, your account will remain open and that all accounts are automatically re-billed. We never charge you to renew a full year in advance without specific authorization, so annual accounts will continue at the monthly rate unless you renew your annual discount (our Think Ahead Special). If you cancel your membership, you are responsible for paying the appropriate monthly fees through the last day of your current billing cycle, as well as any surcharges you have incurred through the date of cancellation. If you cancel a pre-paid, discounted annual membership you are responsible for the standard monthly subscription fee through the last day of your current one-month billing cycle, as well as any surcharges for system use you have incurred through the date of cancellation. You may be entitled to a rebate for your unused time; however, the bonus months are taken at the end of the annual subscription, so there can be no rebates after the start of the tenth month.

To cancel your account at any time, simply email us at helpdesk @ well.com, fax us at 415-645-9309 or call us at 415-645-9300. Please retain your cancellation number as your receipt.

You may suspend an account for six months for a payment equal to one month's service for your plan. If you wish, you can set up your email on The WELL to be forwarded elsewhere during that time.

Billing questions

You may review your contact and account information at our Billing Information Center on the Web, or by typing billing at the OK prompt during a ssh (or telnet) session. If you have questions about your bill or about The WELL billing policies, please contact us at billing@well.com or 415-645-9300. Disputed charges must be reported to The WELL within 60 days. Be sure to review your charges on your credit card statement, or on your paper invoice if you are a "bill me" customer.

Complete Membership excess storage and throughput surcharges

Any surcharges will be calculated according to your usage, and are therefore billed in arrears. (Membership fees are always billed in advance of service.)

System storage

System storage is the amount of hard disk space the files in your account take up on our servers. System storage above the 100 megabytes that comes with your Complete Membership is surcharged at $0.50/month per megabyte (1024K) in excess of the 100 MB allotment.

Charges for storage are computed on a daily basis at a rate of 1/30th the monthly rate. Storage charges apply to all files in your home directory and any of its subdirectories including mail stored there, plus any webmail files and all well.com Web pages you publish. (There are never any storage charges for your posts in the conferences.)

Web traffic

Exceptionally heavy traffic to personal Web pages on The WELL will be surcharged at the rate of $.20 per megabyte in excess of 10 GB per month.

Questions about The WELL billing policies can be directed to billing@well.com or 415-645-9300.

Log in here for personalized billing and services

• Securely update your credit card and contact information.
• Create your Salon Premium subscription.
• Upgrade from monthly to annual membership plans.