Unintended Consequences

I left Second Life because I made the mistake of asking Linden Lab to set up my premium accounts so that they would not automatically renew. It turned out that there are only two kinds of membership: Basic, and Premium with Automatic Renewal.

All my avatars were returned to "Basic" status, and I lost my virtual land, and my castle was destroyed.

After I explained that that was not what I had intended, some virtual land was restored and one of my avatars was exempted so that she could continue to pay rent. 

 I was so upset that I sold or abandoned all my virtual land in Ukanipo, but when I tried to start over in a different location I got the message "You cannot buy land because your membership is due to end on X-X-2021."  Support verified that that was the only way the software knew. You could either be Premium with automatic renewal, or Basic with no benefits.

I am starting over with the one avatar who can purchase land or obtain a Linden home, and I've asked Support to return the other avatars to regular Premium status, with my understanding that I need to keep track of the renewal dates myself, since SL doesn't send you a notice before your membership is due to renew.

Do not build your house on the sand.

Why You Might Want to Become a Premium Member

Entrance to Second Life is currently free, and you do not need to become a Premium member to enjoy most of what it offers. There are some visitors who pride themselves on their 'hobo' lifestyles, and who take advantage of all the 'freebies' out there.

Still at a minimum it is a good idea to have payment information set up on your account so that you can buy Lindens (Second Life money). With Lindens you can get a place to live, buy clothes, etc.. also, some venues do not allow avatars without payment information on file to enter. 

Second Life offers incentives for visitors to become 'Premium' members. They currently are:

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A weekly L$300 stipend or allowance. This usually comes on Tuesdays, and you can 'spend' it for a lot of things. Some frugal avatars save it up and cash it out to help pay for their next renewal.

A one-time L$1000 sign-up bonus.

Priority entry when a region is full - Think of it as a VIP entrance. Use of Premium areas and experiences (mainly the Premium sandboxes).

Live-chat customer support (for what it is worth).

Premium virtual gifts - for example, last year they gave out holiday lights and decorations.

More membership slots and increased cap on instant messages.

Voice Morphing for those who use live chat.

The major benefit is the 1024 'free' tier allotment. This allows you to choose a Linden Home (subject to availability), or, if you prefer Mainland, to have 1024 deducted from your tier after you have acquired land from Second Life. (See "How Not To Buy Land" for more information). 

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I have been in Second Life for years, and have almost always had at least one Premium alt because I wanted to contribute to the community, and I liked to 'own' land on the Mainland rather than rent. Recent events have left me 'virtually' homeless though and I'm not sure I'm going back.

Still, I don't want my sour grapes to dissuade you.  If you can afford it I would recommend getting a Premium membership. Just don't confuse 'virtual' with 'reality'.

Why Not to Go Premium

The biggest reason for not going Premium is that you have to agree to automatic renewals. There is no way to say "Can you please end my Premium subscription at the end of my renewal period?" The system sees only Premium members with automatic renewal or Basic members. A premium member who asks that his account not be set up for automatic renewal will be downgraded to a Basic membership, even if he has paid for a year in advance.

So, if you don't want an automatic renewal, be sure to set up reminders to yourself to cancel the Premium membership yourself before it renews.