To keep Patreon in the Apple App Store, Apple is requiring Patreon to use their in-app purchase system for new memberships in the Patreon iOS app, beginning in November 2024. The iOS in-app purchase system only supports Patreon’s subscription billing model. Apple has made it clear that if creators on Patreon continue to use unsupported billing models or disable transactions in the iOS app, we will be at risk of having the entire app removed from their App Store. This means that creators on billing models other than subscription billing will not be able to sell their new memberships in the iOS app once in-app purchasing rolls out. As a result of Apple’s requirements, Patreon will begin a 16-month-long migration process to bring all creators onto subscription billing by November 2025. If you’re on first-of-the-month or per-creation billing, this change applies to you.
Visit our iOS in-app purchases and migrating to subscription billing page to learn more about this change and what steps we’re taking to support creators through this transition.
In this article, we’ll explain how each of our billing models works for you and your members.
Subscription billing
With subscription billing, members pay when they join and then monthly on that same date. Subscription billing is a permanent change to your account, so once it’s enabled, you can’t switch to a different billing model. Subscription bills renew on UTC rather than legacy monthly models that renew on PT. If you switch to subscription billing and have existing members, they will continue to be charged on the first of each month.
Members’ payments give them a month of membership access. For example, if a member pays on 5 May, they’ll have access to their membership through to their next billing date on 5 June.
Below are resources to help you migrate to subscription billing:
- Subscription billing FAQ
- How to move from first-of-the-month to subscription billing
- How to move from per-creation to subscription billing
Monthly charge upfront billing
If you are using charge up front billing, you will automatically be migrated to subscription billing in November 2024. You can delay this migration and must choose to do so in your settings page by 1 November 2024. If you delay your migration to subscription billing, Apple will not allow you to offer new memberships in the iOS app beginning in November 2024 and you will have to migrate to subscription billing by November 2025. If you want to continue earning in the iOS app, we recommend moving forward with the automatic migration in November 2024. Your existing members will not be impacted. Visit our page on moving from first-of-the-month billing to subscription billing to learn more about what you and your fans can expect.
How charge up front billing works
With charge up front billing, members pay up front when they join and then on the first of each month after that. Charge up front bills renew at approximately 12:00 am PT on the first of each month. Members pay for access to your backlog of creations as soon as they join. Members’ first-of-the-month bills grant access for the current month (e.g. January 1st payment gives a member access for the month of January).
Annual membership
Creators using subscription billing and charge upfront billing can also enable annual memberships if they meet the following eligibility criteria:
-
Creators must be billing members with “charge up front” or subscription billing to collect yearly payments up front.
- If you charge members with monthly billing, you can switch to subscription billing to enable annual membership
- Creators will need to have an established payment history on Patreon. Due to the operational risk (fraud, credit card disputes), creators must have a solid payment processing record on Patreon before being eligible. Based on medium and location, these criteria may be subject to more restrictions.
You can enable annual membership, which allows members to pay for a year up front, from the Getting paid section of your page settings. You can learn more about offering annual plans here: Offering Annual Memberships.
Monthly non-charge up front billing
If you are using monthly non-charge up front billing, you will automatically be migrated to subscription billing in November 2024. You can delay this migration and must choose to do so in your settings page by 1 November 2024. Since Apple’s iOS in-app purchase system only supports subscription billing, if you delay your migration, you will not be able to offer new memberships in the iOS app if you remain on your billing model and you have to migrate to subscription billing by November 2025. If you want to continue earning in the iOS app, we recommend moving forward with the automatic migration in November 2024. Your existing members will not be impacted. Visit our page on moving from first-of-the-month billing to subscription billing to learn more about what you and your fans can expect.
Meant to give members a preview of what your membership is like; members are not charged when they join. Instead, they get access to your page and benefits as soon as they subscribe. We process their payment on the 1st of each month for the previous month. Monthly bills renew at approximately 12:00 a.m. PT on the 1st of each month.
Per creation billing
Apple’s iOS in-app purchase system only supports subscription billing, and they require that all creators be on subscription billing in the iOS app to keep Patreon in the App Store. If you are on per-creation billing, Apple’s requirement means that you will not be able to sell new memberships through the iOS app beginning in November 2024 and will have to migrate to subscription billing by November 2025. The migration from per-creation to subscription billing requires one-to-one support from Patreon’s Product Support team. You can submit a request to migrate to subscription billing. Visit our page on moving from per-creation billing to subscription billing to learn more about the timeline to migration and what to expect when moving to subscription billing.
Per-creation was our first-ever billing model. Based on a “choose what you pay model”, you can create differently priced tiers. However, paid content is shared with all members. To bill members, you must designate which posts you want us to charge for. We create pending bills for your active members when the designated posts are published. Pending bills begin to be processed at approximately 12:00 am PT on the first of the month or when a member cancels.
Members can set a monthly maximum
Members subscribed to a creator who bills per creation can set a monthly maximum of posts to support in a given month. This ensures that members aren’t charged more than they can agree to. A member’s monthly max does not impact their membership access.
Learn more about how monthly maxes work here: The member monthly limit
Billing models reference table
Now that we’ve covered the basics for each billing model, let’s expand on what you can expect to happen when members adjust their membership or cancel.
| Billing model | member upgrades | member downgrades | member cancels |
| Subscription billing |
They pay the outstanding amount to upgrade and immediately unlock access. The member will pay their new upgraded membership on their next billing date (which depends on their join date). |
The member retains their original membership access until their next billing date. On their next billing date, they'll pay their downgraded membership amount and will have downgraded access. |
The member retains their membership access up to their billing date. On the next billing date, their access ends and they are no longer billed. |
| Charge upfront billing | They pay the difference to upgrade and instantly get their new membership access. If no additional changes are made, they'll pay their new tier amount in full on the 1st of the month. |
Since they've paid for the month, their downgrade won't take effect until the 1st of the following month. They will have the same membership access until their downgraded membership takes effect. |
They keep access for the current month. At the end of the month, their access expires and we no longer bill them. Once their membership ends, they'll no longer have membership access. |
| Monthly (non charge upfront) billing |
They get access to their upgraded membership straight away. If they keep their higher membership through the 1st of the month, we charge them their higher amount. |
Their membership access switches to the lower tier instantly. If they keep their lower membership through the 1st of the month, we charge them their new, lower amount. |
Your member will lose membership access as soon as they cancel. This includes the ability to comment on or like posts as well as accessing other benefits, like Discord. We won’t bill the member after they cancel. |
| Annual membership | They pay the difference to upgrade their membership. They instantly get access to content and benefits for their new membership. Their year membership term extends 1 year from their upgrade date. |
At the moment, members won’t be able to downgrade or decrease the amount of an annual membership. |
Members have membership access for the remainder of their term. Once their year of membership ends, they'll no longer have access to your Patreon posts or other benefits, like Discord. |
| Per creation | Their upgrade takes effect immediately. This means that any paid post you create after they upgrade will be billed at their new membership amount up to their monthly max. | Their downgrade takes effect immediately. If you make paid posts after they downgrade, the member will be billed the new, lower amount up to their monthly max. |
If they cancel their membership before the 1st of the month we will attempt to process their pending bills. As soon as they cancel, their membership access ends. |
What happens if a member’s payment is declined?
Regardless of your billing model, we revoke a member’s membership access if their payment is declined until they resolve the issue.
You can learn more about why payments may be declined and how to help a member through the issue here: Why have my members’ payments been declined?
Commerce
Commerce gives creators the ability to sell digital products like videos, podcast episodes, images and other files directly to customers, whether they’re members or not. These are one-time purchases made by customers who visit your shop, and you set the price for each product.
You can learn more about Commerce in this help centre article.