Overview
Our refund policy provides guidelines for how fans who have made purchases through Patreon can seek refunds and how creators should accommodate refund requests.
Fans and creators are responsible for complying with all applicable local laws related to product returns and refunds.
How to request a refund
Purchases made through web and mobile web
For digital goods and benefits purchased using web and mobile web, fans have 14 days from the date of purchase to request a refund. Requests for a refund made after 14 days may be denied.
Fans who have made a purchase through Patreon should contact the creator directly using Patreon’s direct messaging feature and ask for a refund. If a fan has been blocked by a creator, make sure to document the block so Patreon can investigate.
If the creator does not respond within 72 hours, contact Patreon Product Support and provide documentation showing that products, services, or benefits have not been delivered within the timelines agreed upon. Patreon will investigate the refund claim and make a determination to award or deny a refund. If Patreon finds it in the fan's favor, the refund amount will be deducted from the creator's account balance.
Creators may appeal this decision by contacting Patreon Product Support and are encouraged to provide documentation showing that products, services, or benefits were delivered and received by the fan within the timelines agreed upon.
For the safety of our creators and platform, excessive or fraudulent refund claims may result in denied refunds or Patreon removing account access or taking other action. In some instances it may take up to 28 days for a refund to be issued. Be aware, all decisions on fan refund claims are made at Patreon's sole discretion.
Purchases made through Apple iOS In-App Purchases (IAP)
For purchases made through Apple’s IAP functionality, fans should request a refund through Apple.
Customers can request a refund from Apple via reportaproblem.apple.com. Apple will handle the refund on the creator's behalf and communicate with the customer on the status of the refund. If the refund is granted, funds will be issued back to the fan’s Apple account.
If the refund is approved, customers will get a full refund for the entire purchase amount.
How to issue a refund
Creators should accommodate refunds that meet the guidelines found in this policy. More details on how to issue refunds can be found in our Help Center.
Fan Refunds:
Creators can refund a fan's 3 most recent payments from their Relationship Manager.
Digital Commerce Refunds:
If a creator sells digital products and wants to refund a customer, they can do so from their Sales tab. Please note that creators can only issue refunds for purchases made in the last 90 days.
What scenarios qualify for a refund?
The following situations and scenarios may qualify for a refund. The refunded amount includes the purchase price, as well as any fees or taxes collected during the transaction.
General Refund Scenarios:
- Technical errors caused by Patreon
- Item not received (creators should clearly state the delivery window for the product, service, or benefit and communicate with the fan if the delivery window needs to be adjusted)
- Product mismatch (the item received differs significantly and in an easily visible way from the item promised in either appearance, performance, or quality)
- Creator provided a refund for prior month, but fan forgot to cancel membership
- Creator suspended/removed from Patreon within a week of receiving a pledge or order
- Creator violates Patreon's policies on harassment and abuse of fans
- Fan blocked before receiving rewards
- Fan canceled membership renewal
- Fan did not access any content & canceled membership immediately (within 2 hours)
- Currency issues (e.g. a Mexican fan who believed a pledge was 399 pesos, not $399 [*creator should state that billing will be in local currency and not USD])
- Creator and/or fan death
Digital Commerce Refund Scenarios:
- Creator deletes a product (Buyer loses access to purchased content)
- Creator deletes a campaign (Buyer loses access to purchased content)
- Creator Un-Launches Campaign (Buyer sees "product currently unavailable")
- Patreon deletes a previously purchased product for violating Patreon’s policies
- Patreon deletes a campaign with a grace period (Buyers have access during 28 day grace period, after which they lose access)
- Patreon immediately deletes a campaign (Buyers immediately lose access to products)
- Patreon suspends a product (Buyers see "temporarily unavailable" message)
- Patreon suspends a campaign (Buyers see "temporarily unavailable" message)
What Doesn’t Quality for a Refund?
The following situations and scenarios below do not qualify for a refund.
General
- Purchases for products, services, or benefits prohibited by Patreon's Commerce Policies or Community Guidelines
- Buyer's remorse (including "accidental" pledges or purchases)
- Items where the purchase or exchange of a product, service, or benefit happens off of Patreon's platform
- Orders that have already been refunded or chargedback/disputed by the fan's or creator's bank
- Damage that occurs to items after they are delivered
Digital Commerce
- Creator switches from 18+ to All Ages
- Creator Hides Product (Buyer continues to have access to purchased content)
When does Patreon process payments for memberships?
The date and time that your payment processes depend on the billing schedule the creator has selected. Below are the billing dates and times you can expect for each of our billing options:
| Creator's billing schedule | Payment date and time |
|---|---|
| Subscription billing | Your renewal payment processes on your join date on UTC. Please note that you may be charged up to 24 hours beforehand due to time zone differences. |
| 1st of the month (charge upfront) | Your renewal payment processes on the 1st of each month on PT for the month of access. |
| 1st of the month (non-charge upfront) | Your renewal payment processes on the 1st of each month on PT for any access you had the previous month. |
| Per creation | You'll typically pay on the 1st of each month on PT for paid posts published the previous month. If you cancel your membership before the 1st of the month, we'll trigger your last payment process on that date. |
| Annual membership |
|
Want to learn more about what to expect depending on your creator’s billing schedule? Visit our guide, How Patreon billing works to learn more.