I was just wondering what happens to your profile and reviews if you let your membership expire temporarily? We have a lot of family/friends holidays and events this summer and it’s very unlikely that we will be able to do any sits until October or maybe even next year.
Membership is due for renewal in june and I don’t want to pay for something I’m not using, but also I don’t want to lose all the references we have and start from scratch again.
I’d rejoin within 6-12 months.
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If you let your membership lapse THS will hold all the data on your profile for about 2 years (exact length if time is not specified) so if/when you reactivate your account everything will still be there. If you are planning to renew in 6-12 months there should be no problem at all.
But leave it too long and eventually your whole profile will be deleted.
I’d recommend making screenshots of all your reviews for safe keeping- just incase!
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You’ll also lose access to your inbox whilst you’re not a paying member, so make a note of anything (eg. contact details for any past sits) that you think you may need.
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It sounds like our “Pause membership” feature might be helpful for your situation!
You can learn more about how to pause your membership here 
When your membership renews, you’d just have to log back in, and your profile will be the same as you left it 
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I just want to comment that I have paused our membership before, and it worked out perfectly fine. Everything was retained on our profile. So @catscatscats24 the option is super handy and does work out great for those periods when it makes no sense to be an active member. Have fun this summer!
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This is perfect, I had no idea it was an option. Thanks all, I will do that!
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Hi @Jenny - so if I understand correctly (I just looked at Membership in my account), “pause membership” can only be activated when a membership is up for renewal, not?
As in, when I’m an active member but I know I won’t be using THS for several months (and this happens to me nearly every year), then I can’t pause the membership at that point midway a membership year.
I can only pause it when the membership is about to be renewed, and if that coincides with not needing THS for several months, then I can pause it for up to 3 months?
Or am I understanding this wrong? Thx!
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Hello @Bluehorse! That’s my understanding, but let me double check with Membership Services and make sure
Just following up @Bluehorse - Membership Services confirmed that your understanding is correct (mine too, phew!)
Do you think it would be a useful feature if memberships could be paused at any time? I’d be interested to hear what our members think.
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Hi Jenny, yes I think that would be useful because as @catscatscats24 points out, her summer is full of family/friends stuff and events hence not needing THS.
In her case, the membership happens to expire in June so the timing aligns. But imagine if the membership would expire in October, and that happens to be a time of year when they want to do sits again. It wouldn’t make sense pausing the membership at that point.
Just to say that the date our membership is up for renewal, and the times of year when we know we won’t make any use of the membership don’t neatly align.
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Thanks @Bluehorse - I’ll pop that over to the team as feedback
When I think of the meaning of the word “pause “ it means a temporary interruption
Currently THS pausing means pausing your renewal ( for three months only ) when your annual membership expires … not pausing your existing membership … mid way through the year.
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That makes sense - I’ll pass that to the team as well
I was wondering indeed @Jenny if such a pause has any implications for membership fees. E.g. could one be slapped with higher membership fees if ‘pausing’ the auto renewal, as in the auto renewal is cancelled and thus the latest new membership fees apply?
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I think a lot of people would find that a useful feature, especially people who are limited to only travelling at certain times.
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I double-checked with the team @Bluehorse, and they told me that people renewing will generally renew at the same membership price. We can never guarantee that the cost will not increase, but renewing members are not usually affected by a price increases, and if they are, they will be contacted in advance of the increase.
It’s my understanding that any price changes are notified to members at least 30 days in advance, so there shouldn’t be any unexpected increases if there is a change.
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You can only pause your renewal once …in a membership year … for up to a maximum of three months
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Hi have a question- would I be able to access my profile during a pause? Say for example I had a sit planned during the pause?
No and your sit won’t be covered by THS , no inbox , no welcome guide, no reviews, no public liability cover or access to the THS Vet line …
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@Silversitters is correct. I ran it past Membership Services and they confirmed:
During paused membership:
- Members cannot access their inbox
- Sitters cannot apply for a sit
- Pet parents cannot list dates
- Paused member will show as “Inactive” to other members
Hope this helps! I’m sure the team would be happy to chat more about the feature if you drop them an email or use our live chat service. If you’re using the live chat, be sure to ask to speak to a human to get through to someone 
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