Neopets Has A Freemium Game Model

Yes, you can now pay for Neopets.

Children of today will never grow up knowing a need for scrounging for food on the floor of Neopia Central, or queuing up daily at Tyrannia for a free omelette handout…

Neopets is still free, but players are now able to opt for a freemium version of the game. Called Neopets Premium, it has billing cycles similar to World of Warcraft’s.

You can choose to pay per month, once every four months, or once a year, with the yearly option giving you the best bang for your buck. A monthly membership costs USD7.95, though it’s on a first-month-only discount now for just USD3.95. Admittedly, I was once suckered into buying a dress for real money on the Facebook game ‘IT Girl’ but I refuse to give Neopets anything. Really.

Speaking from experience, though, the less entrepreneurial of us never get enough income in Neopets to keep on feeding our picky pets. So Neopets Premium is actually a perfect option for those rich in real-life cash but lacking the stock market or store-owner skillz.

With it, you get to adopt a 5th Neopet. You also get weekly scratchcards, no adverts annoying you while you play, a more intensive search function with the Shop Wizard, double the Neopoints earned while playing featured games, and bonus Neopoints every month. What?!

As with most freemium games, Neopets Premium is designed to give you a boost over non-paying players. If you decides to sign up, note that the fine print says all purchases recur automatically.

…Now I must go ask someone to change my Paypal password, so I can’t get suckered into this, too.