User blog comment:Zephalian/Caspian Border Network/@comment-172.191.4.198-20120702154338/@comment-4050621-20120705193058

Premium and ELITE are both one time payments for DLC and customization. The "subscription thing" is just for each new CoD, which is very likely to occur with Medal of Honor and Battlefield, EA's answer to CoD. ELITE is very popular because it costs $10-20 (depending on Hardened edition) then paying for all of the DLC, and includes free content for everyone (face off maps, upcoming Terminal map from MW2).