Lookout Membership FAQs

About Lookout Memberships

Updated Aug. 4, 2023 | 12:06 PM

What does it mean to be a Lookout Santa Cruz Member?

Being a Lookout Member means you have paid to get full access to our site and to support our work and mission. Plus, members receive additional, special benefits such as direct access to our newsroom, insider access to special events and experiences, Lookout merchandise, and more. You can become a Lookout member here.

Is Lookout’s membership program the same as a subscription?

It’s similar, but not the same, and includes features and benefits beyond a typical subscription. We all buy subscriptions to things we like. In the business, that’s called a transactional relationship. We hope you like Lookout content a lot and that we give you great value for your money.Membership implies more, and is a better word to describe our relationship with you, our readers, and our community. In Lookout’s case, with our unique “Read, lead and help others” community betterment model, readers get the value of our deeply reported, trustworthy journalism and also tangibly support civic improvement with their membership.

How much does a Lookout membership cost?

Here is our regular pricing, but stay tuned to special offers and membership deals:

$17/month - our standard monthly membership cost with no ongoing commitment
$187/year - one-time payment for unlimited access to Lookout all year

If you are financially unable to make this happen, please send us an email membership@lookoutlocal.com, we want our content to be accessible.

For information about our free student and educator memberships click here.

Who do you donate 10% of membership purchases to?

We’ve donated close to $20,000 since Lookout began by giving 10% of every membership to a local nonprofit. Currently, when you become a Lookout member, 10% of your membership will go to United Way of Santa Cruz County, Your Future is Our Business, or the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County.

What are the perks of being a Lookout member?

Support Local Journalism. Your membership directly pays our journalists, dedicated to covering Santa Cruz life in the fullest sense. Keeping you informed about topics that matter and up to date on all the arts, food and events that make Santa Cruz great.
Gain unlimited access to all our news coverage. You can read all the articles on our site and be in the know about your community. Make sure to save your login to all your devices for easy reading wherever you go.
Support your community while you support us. Lookout gifts 10% of your membership to a local non-profit in the Santa Cruz Community.
Access to Rotating Member Perks. We get special tickets to events, discounts to restaurants and other deals throughout the year that we share with you! Keep an eye out for our perks on the Member Center to snag the ones you want.
Have Santa Cruz insider experiences. Meet our Lookout correspondents and enjoy exclusive member experiences such as curated tours, private tastings, and behind-the-scenes experiences.

Can I share my Lookout membership?

You are welcome to share your membership within your household. You can do this by simply sharing the email address associated with your membership and your Lookout sign-in password. Since Lookout Santa Cruz is largely paid for by reader membership, we ask you not to share more widely.

Is there a Lookout app I can use?

Not at this point. However, there’s an easy way to get to us on your phone. You can add our colorful logo to your home screen, making your own app-like icon for quick tapping.

For iPhone users, you’ll need to use the Safari browser on the phone to do that.
For Android users, you’ll need to use the Chrome browser on the phone to do it.

Here’s the detailed explanation:

Add Lookout to your phone

The Lookout Santa Cruz website can function like a mobile app on your iPhone or Android device.

On an iPhone or iPad:

Launch the “Safari” app.
Enter www.lookoutsantacruz.com in the URL field.
Tap the icon featuring an arrow coming out of a box along the bottom of the Safari browser.
Scroll to the bottom and tap “Add to Home Screen.” The Lookout wave icon will appear. Click “Add” or “Save” in the upper righthand corner to add it to your homescreen.
Safari will close automatically and you will be taken to where the icon is located on your screen.
For quick check-in reference, you can move the icon around your home screen by holding it down and choosing “Edit Home Screen.”

On an Android phone:

Launch the “Chrome” app.
Enter www.lookoutsantacruz.com in the URL field.
Tap the menu icon (3 dots in upper right-hand corner) and tap “Add to Homescreen.”
You’ll be able to enter a name for the shortcut and then Chrome will add it to your home screen.
Move it to your home screen for quick check-in reference.

Bookmark Lookout to your desktop computer

From the web browser of your choice, type LookoutSantaCruz.com.
Go to the bookmarks menu. Click “Add bookmark” or “Bookmark this tab.”
Name the bookmark whatever you like. We suggest Lookout Santa Cruz. Those words will now be in your saved bookmarks.

When I sign up to become a Lookout Santa Cruz member, how will I know when my purchase is complete?

When you complete your membership purchase, you will receive an email from Lookout Santa Cruz with the subject line “Thank you for becoming a Lookout Member.” Please be sure to check your email spam folder if it doesn’t arrive in your primary inbox.

Will you update me before I auto renew?

Yes! You will receive an email 30 days before your membership is set to renew and this will give you the reminder of the upcoming membership charge to your credit card. Please be sure to check your email spam folder if it doesn’t arrive in your primary inbox.

If I want to cancel my membership, how do I do that?

If you would like to cancel your membership, please email membership@lookoutlocal.com to let us know why you would like to cancel and we will help you.

Business, Gifting and Education Memberships

Updated Aug. 4, 2023 | 12:06 PM

Do you offer group membership discounts for businesses and organizations?

We do. Whether you’re looking to purchase memberships for your employees, or offer them special discounted memberships, Lookout has flexible plans to meet your needs. Business memberships begin at 3 individuals or more, and can be tailored per company or organization. Contact membership@lookoutlocal.com to get in touch.

Can I give Lookout membership as a gift?

Yes! Simply follow this link and follow the checkout flow to complete your purchase. You’ll be asked to enter the recipient’s information and can include a custom gift note if you would like. Currently our gifted memberships are $99 for a one year membership.

Do you have a student or educator discount?

No, even better! Lookout memberships are FREE for UCSC, Cabrillo, local high school students and local high school educators.
For Educators: Click here to learn more, sign up and gain access.
For Students: Click here to learn more, sign up and gain access.

How does your Student Access Program work?

This program only starts with access and works to engage local students with news, projects, contests and scholarships. Read more about our student engagement programs here.

We also have an educator page for teachers which includes lessons, quizzes and media literacy curriculum.

We are so happy to offer these programs which have been funded by generous donors and grants. We do seek to serve other deserving groups. Please contact CEO Ken Doctor at ken@lookoutlocal.com to talk about supporting these programs. Reach out to Jamie Garfield, director of Student Engagement for more information on programs or any class visits jamie@lookoutlocal.com.

Technical FAQs

Select the ‘Sign in’ button in the top right hand corner
Log in with your member email address and password
Select the ‘Stay logged in’ box so your browser will remember your login credentials

I forgot my password, how do I reset it?

1. Select the ‘Sign in’ button

2. Click ‘I forgot my password’

3. Enter your email address associated with your membership

4. Check your email for a reset link to create a new password

*If you are not receiving the reset password email, reach out to membership@lookoutlocal.com and we can set your password for you.

How do I update my account information, like my email address?

Sign in using your email and password or make sure you are logged in
Select the person icon in the top right corner
Select My Account
Select Profile
Here you can change your name, email address, password and newsletter preferences.
Make sure to hit save changes

How do I get a receipt for a membership transaction?

Sign in using your email and password or make sure you are logged in
Select the person icon in the top right corner
Select My Account
Select Transaction
Click on the Mail symbol and a receipt will be sent to your email

How do I update my credit card?

Sign in using your email and password or make sure you are logged in
Select the person icon in the top right corner
Select My Account
Select the Cards tab
Update credit card information and select Save changes

If I want to stop auto renewing my membership, how do I do that?

Sign in using your email and password or make sure you are logged in
Select the person icon in the top right corner
Select My Account
Uncheck the auto renew box.

Your membership will not renew after your term is complete.

*If you are in a first-year pricing, or special deal membership, you may not be able to do this yourself, so please email membership@lookoutlocal.com

Is there a way to update all my information in one place?

Yes! This is possible by clicking on the person icon in the top right corner, clicking my account, and seeing the different tabs labeled that will best correspond to the specifics you need to make an update to your account.

It looks like I might have two memberships, why is that?

You will be unable to have 2 paying memberships with the same email address, so if your account looks like the image below, the (2) you are seeing under Library is actually representing your free registration access for logging in and your membership. So no need to worry, you are only paying for one membership. If instead, you are getting charged for two subscriptions, most likely you have signed up for 2 memberships with 2 different email addresses. If this is the case, please reach out to membership@lookoutlocal.com and we can help you out.

How do I know if my membership has expired?

If you decide to turn off auto-renew in your account, you will receive an email 30 days before your membership expires. This will give you an option to change your settings back and continue as a member. If you have expired and no longer have a membership - you can either see this in your account settings or when you log into Lookout’s site you will get a paywall after viewing two free articles a month. You can visit our Become a Member page to re-purchase an annual or monthly membership to become a member again.

Is your question not on here or have more questions?
Reach out to Brittany Ramirez at membership@lookoutlocal.com