We have listed below the answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding access and other technical issues regarding the CHECKBOOK website. If you do not find the answer to your question here, please click "Continue" button at bottom of this page.

How do I get a UserName and Password?

If you try to go anywhere on the CHECKBOOK website that requires subscriber level access, you will be asked to first login with a UserName and Password. If you do not have a UserName and Password, you can create them by clicking on the "Activate Online Account" link on the CHECKBOOK homepage at www.checkbook.org. You will need your Subscriber ID Number in order to register. The number appears on the "welcome" letter that arrived when you first subscribed or can be found on your magazine mailing label. See example of mailing label below.

In order to maximize security for our subscribers, you will then receive an email that contains a special "activation" link. Click on the link to fully activate your online registration.

What does the "Remember Me" setting do?

Once you login to the CHECKBOOK website, you are taken to your Personal Member Hompage. This page is custom configured to provide convenient access to all the CHECKBOOK website features available to you. The "Remember Me" setting allows you to be taken directly to your Personal Member Homepage whenever you visit the CHECKBOOK website, bypassing the CHECKBOOK introduction page and eliminating the need to login for each visit.

I forgot my UserName/Password. What do I do?

Every login page on the CHECKBOOK website includes a  “Forget your UserName/Password?” lookup link. Once you click on the link, you have two options.

1. If you know your Subscriber ID Number, enter it, respond to the the request for the answer to your Secret Question,  and your UserName and Password information will be displayed immediately. If you have never created a Secret Question, use method 2 below (you may wish to create a Secret Question by clicking on the "Access Your Account" link on your Personal Member Homepage, once you have successfully logged into the CHECKBOOK website.)

2. If you do not know your Subscriber ID Number, you may enter your “registered email address.” If it matches the “registered email address” in your subscription record, the UserName and Password will be mailed to that address. 

How do I change my Password, Mailing Address, or Registered Email Address?

We provide a link on your Personal Member Homepage called “Access Your Account.” This link will take you to a page that will give you a full status report on your subscription, including:

• Subscriber ID (Magazine Code)
• Type of Subscription
• Name
• Address
• Registered Email Address
• Number of Issues Remaining in Current Subscription
• Volume Number of Current Issue
• Date Current Issue Was Mailed
• Secret Question/Secret Answer 
• Mailing Preferences

How do I get CHECKBOOK articles that were published prior to my becoming a subscriber?

As a subscriber to Consumers' CHECKBOOK magazine, you have free online access to articles published during your subscription term as long as you maintain a current and continuous subscription. Articles published before your subscription term, or during a lapse in your subscription, are available through your Personal Member Homepage for purchase at a 50% discount from the non-subscriber price. Should you need access to multiple articles that were not published during your current and continuous subscription, we also provide an Online Access Upgrade option which, for $25, provides access to the complete library of CHECKBOOK magazine articles. This is a one-time upgrade fee as long your subscription remains current and continuous.

How do I know if I’ve gotten the most recent issue of the magazine? Has my subscription expired? How many Issues do I have left?

We provide a link on your Personal Member Homepage  called “Access Your Account.” This link takes you to a page that will give you a full status report on your subscription, including:

• Subscriber ID (Magazine Code) 
• Type of Subscription 
• Name 
• Address 
• Registered Email Address 
• Number of Issues Remaining in Current Subscription 
• Volume Number of Current Issue 
• Date Current Issue Was Mailed
• Secret Question/Secret Answer 
• Mailing Preferences

You may change your Mailing Address, Password, Secret Question, Registered Email Address, and Mailing/Renewal information here.

What can I access on the website as a new CHECKBOOK subscriber?

Once you login to the CHECKBOOK website as a subscriber, your Personal Member Homepage will provide access to all of the resources available to you as a CHECKBOOK subscriber. Services such as our CarBargains new car shopping service and LeaseWise new car leasing services will automatically reflect your subscriber discount when accessed from your Personal Member Hompage.

Is my online information secure?

At the time you subscribe online, CHECKBOOK provides double opt-in security for your protection. We do not use any third-party cookies on the site, but cookies are required to navigate the site as a subscriber, allowing us to provide convenient access to those resources to which you are entitled and to allow us to have generalized information on which CHECKBOOK features are the most utilized.

All order pages are constructed on Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt sensitive personal data.  When attempting to determine if information is being processed through an SSL connection on a CHECKBOOK web page, look for the web site's address to change to one that begins with "https" (check for the "s"). The encrypted data go to a secure site, where your information is stored on a private computer that is not directly accessible via the Internet. Your credit card number and your membership information is kept in restricted-access files.

Consumers’ CHECKBOOK is also certified by Thawte. The Thawte Secure Site Program allows you to verify that the information registered for a particular website is consistent with the site you are visiting.