Allow paid account to convert remaining paid time to tokens
Title
Allow paid account to convert remaining paid time to tokens
Short, concise description of the idea
When an account has multiple months of paid time remaining, allow them to convert whole months of time into LJ tokens using the lowest exchange rate.
Full description of the idea
Occasionally, a user wants to move paid time from one account of theirs to another, or to give their paid time to a friend. Current policy does not allow for paid time to be transferred.
However, I propose letting users exchange whole remaining months of paid time into tokens, using the lowest rate available.* They could then use the tokens as they would normally, either transferring to friends or another account, or to spend on different LJ services (userheads, v-gifts, extra userpics, etc...). They could even hang onto the tokens and buy a new paid account at a later date. This would give users more flexibility with their accounts and would make for happier users.
So, for instance, if exampleusername had 3 months and 8 days until their account expires they could trade in one, two, or three months of paid time for 208, 416, or 624 tokens. They would have to keep the 8 days no matter how many months they traded in.
* Lowest rate being, at this time:
12 months of paid time for $25 gives a rate of $2.083 per month. At a penny per token (the highest price possible) that's 208 tokens.
An ordered list of benefits
- More flexibility for users, making for happier users.
- Happier users might be more willing to spend money on LJ.
- Engineering time.
- There may be legal/accounting issues that make this more trouble than it's worth.
- Letting people end their account's paid status early might screw up automatic renewal or the synchronization of expirations for other paid services (storage space, userpics).
- Increases possible damage if an account gets compromised.