How Cost Effective Is a UM Membership?

U.S Pennies. By Roman Oleinik (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons.

If you’re a frequent Urban Milwaukee reader, you’ve probably seen articles about becoming a member. Our publication has built the city’s only news-site membership program, which has grown exponentially over the last year, and continues to grow each month. Being a part of our membership program is like getting a backstage pass to the city of Milwaukee. Members are the first to get deals on tickets and invitations to cool, members-only events. Members are the first to know the ins-and-outs of what’s new, what’s developing, and how it all affects you. And it’s brought to you by journalists who are tracking those changes and are passionate about the city.

The cost is $9 per month, or $99 per year. That may sound pricey, but not when you consider the free deals you can get.

If you had taken advantage of every single offer in 2018, you would have received a minimum of $2,387.95 worth of free stuff and cool events. Of course you would have had to want all of those giveaways and been the first to apply for them each time. So no one did that. But some of our more active members saved hundreds of dollars, which will likely be easier to do this year. We’ve already offered 13 different deals, giveaways, tours and Beer Bashes in 2019, and are well on our way to exceeding last year’s long list of giveaways.

Still unsure if it’s enough bang for your buck? Consider the price in dollars and cents.

At the $9/month, a monthly membership the equivalent of $2.07 per week, or just $0.30 per day, or five cents per story we publish.

At $99/year, an annual membership is the equivalent of $1.90 per week, or just $0.27 per day.

Here’s a list of common, cheap everyday items or fees that are far more expensive than that:

• A cup of coffee
• A load of laundry at the laundromat
• A donut
• Bandages
• Road tolls
• A pack of gum
• An apple
• A lottery ticket
• A toothbrush
• A candy bar
• A bottle of water
• Package of ramen noodle soup
• Song on iTunes
• Sunglasses
• Bus fare

Very few of life’s everyday purchases is anywhere near as cheap as an Urban Milwaukee membership. And with so much in return. For a full list of what we gave away last year, click this link.

And we are working hard to make 2019’s list of giveaways even bigger and better, with no increase in the price of membership, which will remain at just $9/month, or $99 per year, which is just 27 cents per day. Plus you help support a publication you enjoy reading.

For the entire list of our many membership perks, visit our membership welcome page.

And then join the list of city insiders who have become Urban Milwaukee members.