First: Give yourself a high five for being amazing and joining a creator's community! Now for the steps to becoming a patron.
In this article we’re going to guide you through the following:
In this article we’re going to guide you through the following:
- How to start my membership with a creator a.k.a becoming a patron!
- Resolving a declined payment
- Managing my memberships
Please note that while these examples are in US Dollar ($), it is possible that you could be billed in any of our supported currencies, depending on the currency that the creator chooses to bill in. To find a list of supported currencies, please visit this guide here.
Payments are processed by currency. If you have memberships in different currencies, they will be run separately and there will be a line item for each transaction.
Here we go!
Become a patron– join a creator's page
Step 1: Visit your creator's patreon page and select one of their tiers. The tier you choose will unlock the benefits offered in that tier. The tier price is the minimum amount you can pay to unlock access.
If your creator doesn’t have Tiers, you can click the Become a patron button on their page.
Step 2: Add your payment method and confirm your membership details
After choosing your tier, or clicking Become a patron, you’ll be taken to a checkout page where you can do the following:
- Add your payment details, so we can complete your membership
- Set a monthly limit if your creator charges per paid post
- Select monthly or annual billing (if the creator offers annual membership plans)
If your creator does not have tiers, the payment amount will default to $5 USD / €5 Euro / £5 British Pounds. You can adjust the payment amount to a higher value, or any amount greater than $1 USD / €1 Euro / £1 British Pound, which is the minimum amount we process.
Step 3: Review the details of your monthly membership
We want to be transparent about your billing schedule. Review the billing details outlined in the "Summary" portion of the page on the right-hand side before confirming your membership. Reviewing what you’re agreeing to will avoid any surprises when your payment method is charged! (Below image is an example of a regular monthly "back billing" checkout)
Note: Your billing schedule will depend on the creator's chosen billing options. Visit our help guide for details about your billing schedule on our different billing options.
Step 4: Click the Confirm button to finalize your payment.
Step 4: Click the Confirm button to finalize your payment.
Step 5: Add your address. Some creators may request for your shipping address to send any current or future physical perks. After confirming your membership, you can add your shipping address to your membership or opt out of receiving any benefits through the mail.
Congratulations! You are now a patron 😇After confirming, you'll get a welcome note packed with benefits you just unlocked. It will look something like this...
My payment is declining
We want to process your payments and want you to unlock access to your creator's content and benefits. If you find that your card is declining, we recommend the following:
Step 1: Contact your bank, or PayPal directly
Asking that your bank to allow future authorizations, and charge attempts from "Patreon* Membership" be accepted moving forward should help.
Step 2: Ensure the funds are available on your payment method
Step 3: Double check your payment details
If you have a new credit card, re-entering your card details is always a good next step.
Step 4: Make sure your payment method is valid
Currently we do not accept prepaid cards, so be sure to use a valid credit card, or PayPal account.
Step 5: Try using a different payment method
If your credit card is declining, try using PayPal, and vice-versa. If you have another card available to you, try with that card– there may be a block on the transactions your bank will process on certain cards.
If you have a new credit card, re-entering your card details is always a good next step.
Step 4: Make sure your payment method is valid
Currently we do not accept prepaid cards, so be sure to use a valid credit card, or PayPal account.
Step 5: Try using a different payment method
If your credit card is declining, try using PayPal, and vice-versa. If you have another card available to you, try with that card– there may be a block on the transactions your bank will process on certain cards.
Learn more about retrying a declined payment in this help center guide: Steps to retry a declined payment
Manage my active memberships list
You can update your memberships or payment methods from your active memberships page. To get there, hover over your profile image in the upper right corner to open the "user menu," and click Manage Memberships from the menu.
Click into your Billing History from the menu bar. Your payments will be grouped by processing month. You can filter by year near the top of the page to review previous years.
Clicking into the Payment Methods section from the menu bar, you'll find credit cards and PayPal accounts you’ve added to your account. From this section of your account, you can transfer memberships from one method to another, update credit card details, and add new methods.
