First: Give yourself a high five for being amazing and joining a creator's community! Now for the real steps to becoming a patron. In this guide we’re going to walk through the following:
Please note that while these examples are in US Dollar ($), it is possible that you could be billed in Euro (€) or British Pounds (£) depending on the currency that the creator bills in. Payments are processed by currency. If you have memberships in different currencies, they will be run separately and you'll see 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 corresponding benefits offered in that tier. The tier price is the minimum payment option to unlock that tier.
If your creator doesn’t have Tiers, simply click the Become a patron button.
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 confirmation page where you can do the following:
- Add your payment details, so we can complete your membership
- Set a monthly limit (of 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 on the right-hand side of the screen before confirming your membership. Reviewing what you’re agreeing to will avoid any surprises when your payment method is charged! (Below: Regular monthly "back billing" checkout)
Note: Your billing schedule will depend on the creator's chosen billing method. Learn more about billing expectation with the 3 different billing options, here.
Step 4: Click Confirm to finalize your payment.
Step 4: Click Confirm 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.
Where can I see and manage my memberships?
To view and update your memberships or payment methods, head to your Active memberships page. To get there, hover over your profile image in the upper right corner, and click Manage Memberships from the menu.
Your Billing History page will show your payments history grouped by month, since payment processing is monthly. You can filter by year near the top of the page, if you’re looking for older history.
In your Payment Methods section, you’ll see any credit card and PayPal accounts you’ve added to your account. From this section of your account, you can transfer memberships from one payment to another, update credit card details, and add new methods.
