Multiple copies of English Bridge per household - FAQ

What is the new policy?

The new policy is that we will only dispatch one magazine per household unless one member of the household opts in to indicate that the household wishes to receive all copies for which they are eligible (see below for questions on eligibility). This only affects the issue when a diary is not dispatched (see below for more information).

When does the policy come in to effect?

This will start with the April 2018 issue - issue 276.

Why is this policy being introduced?

This policy has been introduced to try to help eliminate wasted copies, thereby saving resources and money. Whilst we hope that all members who receive the magazine read it and enjoy it, we are aware that there are some copies which get discard unopened. We also believe that some couples/families could share a copy rather than having one each. There have already been a number of households where, for these reasons, one member has opted out - and we thank them for that - but we have still identified thousands of households receiving more than one copy. By introducing this policy we hope that it may make members more conscious of the environmental impact of printing and dispatching so many magazines. It will also make a significant saving which positively affects the EBU's budgets. It is therefore the environmentally and financially responsible action to take. We are, however, only trying to eliminate waste. If your household reads all the copies which are currently received, so you want to continue receiving them all, then we are very happy to send them to you. But to do so you must opt-in (see below).

How do I opt-in?

The best and easiest way to opt-in is by changing the setting on your account on My EBU.

  • Log-in at My EBU - www.ebu.co.uk/members (if you don't know your password then you can reset it here)
  • Click on 'account' in the top right corner, and then select 'My details' from the options which appear
  • Click on the box labelled 'Receive multiple magazines at my address' which is in the 'account settings section' of the page
  • Click 'save changes'

Only one member of each household needs to do this - though see below for some situations where you may need to think about who, or how many people, tick the box. If you are not able to make the change on My EBU, or need some assistance, please contact us.

Is the distribution of the diary affected?

No. This policy only applies to the magazines distributed without diaries. As we use the delivery of the magazine as a method to also deliver the diaries, the August issue which contains the diary is not affected. An issue of the magazine will be delivered to all members who require a diary, regardless of how many issue are delivered to each household. Therefore, if four of you live together, and all four want a diary, all four will be delivered a magazine that month and the diary will be inside.

What do you mean by 'eligible to receive a copy'?

Magazines are only distributed to: those who have joined the EBU as Direct Members; or those who have played sufficient recent sessions at an affiliated club to earn sufficient magazine points. You can read more about how magazine points are earned, and how they relate to whether you are eligible to receive a copy, here, but in simple terms:

  • If you play on average once a month you are eligible to receive the magazine

One of us has already opted out - do we need to do anything?

Thank you for already having opted out of receiving a printed copy. No, you don't need to do anything further. As long as the other member of the household continues to play regularly a copy will still be sent to your home. The 'opted-out' member will never appear on the mailing list, so there won't be a duplicate for the system to remove.

Why is the magazine addressed to my spouse/child/etc and not me?

The system will initially recognise both of you as being eligible, and then remove one of you from the mailing list so only one copy is sent to your home. In this instance it has removed you, rather than them. We cannot alter the system to make an exception so it is addressed to you rather than them - sorry, but hopefully they can pass the magazine to you across the dinner table.

Some scenarios that may affect some people

You're a big family, and only some of you want a copy sent In that instance one of you needs to tick the box, and some of you should opt out of receiving copy. Let's say you are four people and want two copies. Person A should log-in to My EBU and tick the box to opt in to multiple copies, thereby ensuring that all eligible members in the household are sent a copy. Persons B & C should log-in to their own accounts on My EBU and indicate that they do not wish to receive a copy (from the drop-down menu in the 'Magazine/Diary Preference' section on the 'My Account' page - see above). Person D needs take no action. But make sure that person A in this example is someone who will play sufficiently often to be eligible to receive each issue. If not, only person D would appear on the mailing list, so only one copy would be sent. You're a couple, and one only plays infrequently In the periods when the infrequent player hasn't played they wouldn't be eligible to receive a copy, so our policy wouldn't apply. When they do play, they would be eligible to receive a copy, but one of you will be removed from the mailing list, and only one copy sent to the household, unless you opt in (see above). You're a family of three, and one only plays infrequently Unless you opt-in, only one copy will be sent as you are a 'multi-copy household'. This is the case whether the infrequent player has been playing or not. If you wish to opt in so that you all receive the magazines for which you are eligible you should ensure that the 'opt-in preference' is selected on the account of one of the two regular players. If it is selected on the account of the infrequent player then multiple copies would only be sent in instances when they have played enough to be on the mailing list. I used to live with someone, but we separated I used to live with my parents, but I moved out, etc... Assuming you haven't moved to live with someone else who is a member (in which case one of you will need to opt-in if you both want a copy) then you don't need to do anything. You'll now be a 'single copy household' and the policy doesn't apply. To the child who has moved away (and other such people) - were you the member of the family with the 'opt-in' option selected, and by leaving your parents will have to share a copy? That may be OK for them - but if it isn't then one of them will need to opt in so that they both continue to get a copy. I have moved in with another bridge player If you both want to continue receiving a copy, make sure one of you selects the option for your household to get multiple copies - you have become a 'multicopy household'. I live in a halls of residence, Oxbridge college, or other place with a central mailbox service, along with other bridge players We realise that you are not the same household, and sharing a copy isn't practical or desirable, and have tried to identified such places to pre-emptively opt you in. But we may not have got them all, so please not only select the 'opt in' preference on your account, but also let us know so we can also tick it on other members at the same address. Of course, if your address changes (perhaps you live with a bridge-playing parent for a year after university) please remember to consider changing your preferences if you could share a copy with them.

If you have any questions on this topic please email sam@ebu.co.uk