World of Warcraft Remote Auction House Now Free

World of Warcraft Remote (iPhone).

Breaking news: Power Word: Gold reader Edladd just contacted us to let us now that they had discovered that there was a news update on their World of Warcraft Remote that stated that all the World of Warcraft Remote subscription features (remote auction house and guild chat) were now free to all World of Warcraft subscribers. Head past the jump for the news.

I was able to verify that the World of Warcraft Remote is indeed going free by checking my own WoW Remote on my iPhone.

The News

Here is the official announcement that was included in the World of Warcraft Remote iPhone app.

"Starting today, all of the features that were previously part of the optional World of Warcraft Remote subscription service are now available for free to all World of Warcraft subscribers."

What Does This Mean?

If you weren't aware the "optional World of Warcraft Remote subscription service" included the ability to use the World of Warcraft auction house from your iPhone, Andriod or web browser as well as chat in guild chat remotely.

So what does this mean to us as gold-makers? A few things off the top of my head:

• It might be saving a few of us $3/month who were already paying for the Remote subscription.
• Email alerts available from auction data sites like The Undermine Journal and WoWuction just became much more useful as we all can now snatch items up from where ever we are.
• We all can now buy and sell on the auction house via a web browser.
• More players will be using this service and that may mean more undercuts as players take their lunch breaks to check for undercuts.
• We can also easily check for items that are undercut where ever we are at. This may mean we stay lowest and sell more items.
• Guild chat will be much more busy as everyone in the guild can now chat via the World of Warcraft Remote.

(As this is a breaking story we'll be updating it with any more information we can as it becomes available. Check back for more information.)


UPDATE 1: Ed sent us a few more thoughts in the change:

"Firstly, the Remote AH is limited to 200 transactions per day.  This is fine for snagging items and posting a decent amount of stuff, but won't really be useful for high volume cancel/undercut markets like glyphs."

UPDATE 2: A redditor left a comment on reddit at our request with the non-personal parts of the World of Warcraft Remote cancellation email they received. (It appears they were paying via PayPal.) I have included the relevant parts below.

"Subject: Your Billing Agreement with PayPal Payments Pro/Virtual Terminal has been cancelled 

Hello [Name], 

PayPal Payments Pro/Virtual Terminal has cancelled a Billing Agreement with you. 

Description: 30 day World of Warcraft Remote subscription ($2.99 USD)"

UPDATE 3: Here is the official Blizzard announcement about the guild chat and auction hous freatures going free: "Mobile Armory Guild Chat and Auction House Features Now Free".

Here's a few excerpts. (Emphasis mine.)

"We hope this change will make it easier for players to stay connected to each other and to the game, and we encourage everyone to try out these powerful tools for themselves." 

"To access the web-based Auction House, simply visit www.worldofwarcraft.com, log in with your Battle.net® account, view your character profile, and click the Auctions link on the left-hand menu of the profile page.

If you’re a current World of Warcraft Remote subscriber, you’ll receive an email from Blizzard soon with more information about the end of your subscription. In the meantime, you do not need to take any action." 

We've also read reports that Blizzard may be giving current (as of the cancellation) World of Warcraft Remote subscribers 7 free days of World of Warcraft game time and a free Lil' XT companion pet (although we can't verify it at this time).

UPDATE 4: Jeppy was able to send us the text of the email they received mentioning the free game-time and pet. I've included the email's text below.

"Thank you for subscribing to World of Warcraft® Remote! 

We’re pleased to let you know that as of 08/23/2012, all of the features that were previously part of the World of Warcraft Remote service will be made available for free to all World of Warcraft subscribers -- including you! 

That means you’ll be able to access all of the World of Warcraft Remote features you’ve come to enjoy at no additional charge, including: 

-          Remote Auction House: Bid on items, create auctions, and collect gold via your mobile device or through the official World of Warcraft website. 

-          Remote Guild Chat: Keep in touch with your guildmates via the Mobile Armory app. 

Your World of Warcraft Remote subscription has automatically been cancelled, and the recurring payment method associated with this subscription will not be charged again. 

In addition, as a current World of Warcraft Remote subscriber, you will receive the following: 

-          7 free days of World of Warcraft subscription time for each World of Warcraft account with an active World of Warcraft Remote subscription as of 08/23/2012 (applied to each account automatically).

-          One free Lil’ XT pet to call your own or give away to a friend -- our way to say “thanks” for being a World of Warcraft Remote subscriber. (Limit one per Battle.net account.)"  

I've also heard reports that players who weren't currently subscribed to the Remote but had been in the past are receiving pets and game time. Again, I can't verify this for sure.

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