Paddle

[hadaso]

I was looking around in my Fastmail settings today and was surprised to find a "Masked Email address" that was created two weeks ago, with the description "Paddle". I have never used the "Masked Email" feature and have not created this address.
Anyway there was a reason I was looking at various settings: four weeks ago I received a message from Fastmail about the "master user" at my family email package. In 2010 when they started doing group accounts the "master user" was a user created as a "container" for the group account, and management was done through this "user". Later they changed how group accounts are managed, but the low quota admin account in old group accounts remained in existing accounts, though was not needed. Now they got to removing these accounts, and the email I got four weeks ago said that it was changed to a Basic account (at no extra cost for a few months) and that I can delete it if I don't need to use it.
So today I was preparing to closing that account: moving the 90 messages (all from Fastmail) and the one file in that account to my user account, checking settings and shares to see if anything needs to be setup differently before I close it, and finally I closed it.
Immediately after closing it I received two messages from "Fastmail <help@paddle.com>" to that masked email address that I haven't created myself, telling me that my subscription has been updated.
So one mystery solved: the masked email address I have not created myself is for use with the company that handles Fastmail's billing, and that company is Paddle. Then I searched my email for Paddle and for the masked email address and saw that they where used only in the two emails I received today, and there is no message with either of them two weeks ago. However there was a message from two weeks ago form Fastmail support team to my user account address telling about changes in pricing and plans (and saying that since the new billing system does not support a 12 months billing schedule I am moved to a yearly billing schedule). So I guess that exactly two weeks ago Fastmail moved me (and perhaps other users) to the new billing system with Paddle, and for this purpose created a masked email address in my account for correspondence with the billing provider (Paddle).
Correspondence with Fastmail includes my details (such as full name and email address). Correspondence with the billing provider (Paddle) has only the masked email address to identify me.
Mystery solved.
Searching the forums I found that Paddle was mentioned twice in the past here and here. It is also mentioned here in Fastmail's documentation (also here).
So if you have never created a masked email address for use with Paddle and find that you have one, don't worry. It was not created by a hacker in your account, or rather it was created by a hacker on Fastmail's payroll.

[Terry]

When I select 3 years I get the message below.
So do they take it off the 3 year plan or just put my account in credit?
Your new subscription will start from today. We?ll credit your account for the unused time on your current subscription.

[CyberDyne]

It?s just taken me around 30 minutes to work this out too. Wish I?d had a notification of who was taking the payment and that the address I?d need to look it up with was one I?d never created. Very annoying.

And the payment details on my bank account said nothing about Fastmail.

[hadaso]

Originally Posted by CyberDyne

...And the payment details on my bank account said nothing about Fastmail.

In my credit card report I have:
Last February: payment to "FASTMAIL 47463 MELBOURNE".
Last June: payment to "PADDLE.NET* FASTMAIL LONDON".

[CyberDyne]

https://ibb.co/LDqd9pPd

Unfortunately, not here.

[Bamb0]

It sounds interesting!

[hadaso]

Originally Posted by CyberDyne

https://ibb.co/LDqd9pPd

Unfortunately, not here.

Probably because the transaction is still pending.

[CyberDyne]

Originally Posted by hadaso

Probably because the transaction is still pending.

That?s possible, I?ll report back when it?s finalised.

[CyberDyne]

Originally Posted by hadaso

PADDLE.NET* FASTMAIL LONDON

Originally Posted by hadaso

Probably because the transaction is still pending.

You were correct. It says exactly the same now the payment has cleared.

[north]

paddle... only had bad experiences with them so far.

[CyberDyne]

Originally Posted by north

paddle... only had bad experiences with them so far.

My problem was I?d never heard of them so can?t comment on any other experience, but that made things worse as I thought it was a rogue transaction.

I will say everything went fine though.