Renewing your MiGO membership
Is your Trial Membership up?
Is it time to renew your membership?
Are you wanting to upgrade to Lake Huron or Lake Superior Member Level?
Were you a member in the past and can't log in?
There are three levels available for renewal. Trial Memberships are not renewable as such. You can renew as a Lake St. Clair member, as a Lake Huron member or as a Lake Superior member.
The Lake St. Clair member level is free to you but must be renewed every three months. If you choose not to renew, we are not charged beyond your three month membership. The Lake St. Clair member level is intended for people who want to be part of the organization but can't afford $10 annual membership. It has very limited access to the website and is not eligible to participate in reward challenges, hold office or vote.
The Lake Huron member level is $10 and is renewed annually. This covers the cost of your membership on our web service plus just a little more. Supporting Members are eligible for full access to the website and are eligible to participate in reward challenges, hold office and vote.
The Lake Superior member level is $30 and is renewed annually. Lake Superior members are recognized for their additional contributions with special rewards and discounts. See the Member Levels menu item for additional information.
- Scheduled, Unexpired Renewal: When it is close to (or past) time for you to renew, you will get an email message letting you know you can renew the next time you log in. Detailed instructions are included below.
- Scheduled, Expired Renewal: If you ignore the renewal messages and allow your membership to expire, the steps to renew are similar to first joining, but are done through the renewal process. Please do not attempt to join again. If you make the mistake of joining a second time and already were an (expired) member, an Admin can assist you blending the memberships together.
- Assisted Renewal/upgrade: Many people decide after joining or renewing that they really wanted to upgrade their membership. Unfortunately, once you join or renew, a member is not given the opportunity to renew/upgrade their membership until 30 days proior to their new expiration date. Not to worry. If you really want to do so, a MiGO Administrator can assist you with that process. Go back to the Membership Menu and select "Upgrade".
- Past member who can't log in: If you think you are or were a member of MiGO but can't log in, jump to the Contact Us page and send an email explaining when you were a member, what your member name is/was and your cacher name. If you are in our current database, we will find you. MiGO changed web services in the fall of 2017. Those members from the previous web service who had been active in the prior couple of years were imported to the new web service. Those who were not active were dropped. This is because the new web service charges MiGO by the month for active members. The previous web service did not charge by member. MiGO could not afford to keep the several thousand inactive members with the new web service.
The membership renewal window opens 30 days prior to your expiration date. You will be emailed a notice that it is time to renew. This time period is the only time members/supporting members can renew without help from a MiGO administrator.
Within the renewal window, when you log in, you will be prompted to renew. If your membership has not yet expired, you will be given the option of renewing now or later. You will still be able to see the complete site.
Should you choose to not renew at login and change your mind, you can still access the renewal process by clicking on the red Renew icon beside your login name or in the pulldown next to it.
Scheduled Renewal Step 1: Member Level:
Selecting Renew will bring you to step 1 of the process. Select the member level. Your choices are:
Lake St. Clair Member
(free/3 months),
Lake Huron Member ($10/year), and
Lake Superior Member ($30/year).
Your expiration date will display based on your choice. Keep in mind that the cost to MiGO for your membership is nearly $10/year whether you pay it or not.
Scheduled Renewal Step 2: Geocaching Name:
Step 2 will allow you to review/change your geocacher name. This should be exactly as it appears on geocaching.com.
Scheduled Renewal Step 3: Interests:
Step 3 will allow you to update your interests. Check boxes for any particular interest you have. It is OK not to check any of the boxes. You can add or remove them later from your profile.
Scheduled Renewal Step 4: Region:
Step 4 allows you to review or change your region. Click on Add Region to select the region you live in. Regions are Upper Peninsula, Northern Lower, Southwest Lower, Southeast Lower and 5th Chapter (for people who live out of state). MiGO allows one region per member.
To determine which region you live in, click this button to display the region map by county.
MiGO Regions Map
Select the region you live in from the drop down, the Save. 5th Chapter is selected for this example as the sample member is from Wisconsin.
The fee shown in this example is the Supporting Membership fee. There are no additional region based fees.
If you pick the wrong region, it can be corrected from your profile.
Scheduled Renewal Step 5: Review:
Review your contact information and membership. If you are satisfied, proceed to the next step, depending on your membership level.
If you have signed up as a free Member, you are Done. You will be logged in when you click the Done button. Please consider becoming a supporting member when you renew.
If you have signed up as a Supporting Member, click the Finish and Proceed to Payment button.
Scheduled Renewal Step 6 (Supporting Member):
Read and understand the popup message then click the OK button.
Leave the Sign Up box checked and the Total Selected for Payment at $10 in this Lake Huron example.
Take note of the Ref #, especially if you choose to pay by check.
Coupon codes are rare but if you have one, enter and "Apply" it.
Select a Payment Method from the drop down.
Scheduled Renewal Step 6a: Make Payment using PayPal:
Selecting PayPal will bring up the yellow PayPal button. Click that to be redirected to and log in to your PayPal account to complete your transaction.
Once the PayPal transaction is complete, you will show up as a Supporting Member.
Scheduled Renewal Step 6b: Make Payment by Check:
Selecting Check will bring up a box with instructions and an address for sending a check.
Either include the Ref # on the memo line or print an invoice and include it with your check. Keep a copy for your own records.
While your check is in the mail, your Supporting Membership is preliminary. Once your check is received and applied to your balance, you will be recognized as a Supporting Member.
If you choose to renew your Lake Huron or Lake Superior membership or upgrade your membership to Lake Huron or Lake Superior levels outside the Renewal Window, you will need the assistance of a MiGO Administrator.
Go to back to the Membership Menu and select Upgrade.