As a patron you'll be billed on the 1st of each month (at Midnight) in the Pacific time zone, or on an annual basis – if your creator offers annual memberships.
That said, there are currently 3 different ways that creators can choose from to collect membership payment from their patrons.
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.
In this article we'll go over payment processing for our 3 billing methods (how you'll be charged depends on which billing method your creators have selected):
Per creation charging
With this method, you're charged your membership amount for every paid post that a creator makes while you are subscribed to them, up to your monthly limit. When a per creation creator you support makes a paid post, a pending bill is placed on your account. We process any pending bills on your account on the 1st of the following month, or immediately when you cancel your membership.
Cancelling your membership with a per creation creator after they've made a paid post will not remove the pending bill on your account and you can expect to be charged for the paid post.
Pending bills
You can see any pending bills with per creation creators immediately when the bill is created. You’ll find all of your pending bills by hovering on your icon in the upper-right corner and selecting Manage Memberships from the dropdown menu. From there, select your Billing History.
Regardless of what your creator creates, you'll be billed for the content they publish in paid posts.
How do I know if my creator charges per creation?
You can see if your creator charges per creation by visiting your Active Memberships page, under the “Membership” column on the page. If a creator is charging per creation, your membership will be listed as something other than “per month.”
It may say “per creation, per video, per illustration, or per song etc.” as long as it does not read “per month” you can expect to be charged for every paid post your creator makes, up to your monthly limit.
It may say “per creation, per video, per illustration, or per song etc.” as long as it does not read “per month” you can expect to be charged for every paid post your creator makes, up to your monthly limit.
What happens when I start my membership?
As soon as you subscribe to a per creation creator, you instantly get access to their back catalog of patron-only posts for your membership. From that point on, pending bills will be placed on your account for every paid post that the creator publishes (up to your monthly limit). Your pending bills are processed on the 1st of each month, or immediately when you cancel.
What is a monthly limit?
As a patron with a membership to a per creation creator, you have the ability to set a monthly maximum of creations that you will support in a given month. This will ensure that you are never charged more than your membership budget. To learn how to set a monthly limit, please go here.
What if I delete my membership?
Any pending bills will be processed immediately once you delete your membership to a per creation creator. So, you’ll want to double check and see if there are any pending bills on your account.
If you have any pending bills on your account, you’ll be able to see them by logging in to your account and visiting your Billing History page. You'll see bills created already with the date of the upcoming 1st of the month. If you cancel we'll process these, and you'll see the date change to the date we process them.
Example:You join $3.00 USD per creation to a creator and set a monthly limit of 2 creations a month on March 5th. Your creator makes 2 paid posts between March 5th and March 31st, you’ll be charged a total of $6.00 USD on April 1st. If in April the creator makes 2 paid posts between April 1st and April 10th and you delete your membership on April 11th, you’ll be charged $6.00 USD immediately upon deleting your membership.
Monthly charging
When you become a patron of a monthly charging creator, we process your membership payment in the first of the month following your join date, and the 1st of each month thereafter.
How do I know if my creator charges monthly?
When you confirm your membership pay close attention to the billing details listed on the right side of the confirmation page. If your first charge is listed for the 1st of the following month, then the creator charges monthly.
What if I edit (increase or decrease) my membership?
If you edit your membership during the month you'll be charged your new membership amount on the 1st of the upcoming month. Once you confirm your new membership tier or amount, you'll immediately have access to the posts and benefits for your updated membership. So if you decrease your membership, your access will instantly be limited to the new (lower) tier that you've subscribed to. If you increase your membership, you'll immediately have access to content available to the higher tier that you've subscribed to.
What if I delete my membership?
Because you are being charged for your membership from the previous month, you will lose access to your creator’s patron only content as soon as you delete your membership. This is because you have not yet paid for that month’s membership. You can see a detailed history of your membership payments, including what month you were supporting by logging in to your account and visiting your Billing History page.
Charge up front (monthly)
Some creators charge patrons immediately, or what we refer to as charge up front billing. When pledging to a charge up front creator you are charged immediately when you confirm your membership, and then on the 1st of each month following. Your payment unlocks access for the current month.
Will I be charged immediately?
Yes. Charge up front creators require payment immediately in order for you to have access to their back catalog of patron only content (for your tier).
How do I know if my creator charges up front?
Patrons pledging to charge up front creators should pay close attention to their membership confirmation page, as it details their billing schedule. If your creator charges up front, you'll see Today's charge as well as a date for your next billing date. Depending on when you join, you may see several days, 1 day, or even hours counting down to your next billing date after the first payment.
How do I know if my creator charges up front?
Patrons pledging to charge up front creators should pay close attention to their membership confirmation page, as it details their billing schedule. If your creator charges up front, you'll see Today's charge as well as a date for your next billing date. Depending on when you join, you may see several days, 1 day, or even hours counting down to your next billing date after the first payment.
What if I increase my membership?
If you increase your membership to a charge up front creator, you'll be charged the difference between your payment on the 1st (or when you joined) and your new membership amount.
Example: Say you join a charge up front creator’s $6.00 USD tier on March 5th. You are charged immediately upon subscribing– this gives you access to their patron-only content (for your tier). If you were to edit your membership to $20.00 USD on March 21st, you would immediately be charged the difference of $14.00 USD for your increase. And you'll immediately get access to $20.00 tier content. Come April 1st you are charged your new membership of $20.00 USD for April’s membership.
What if I delete my membership?
If you delete your membership to a charge up front creator you'll have access to their patron only content for the remainder of that month; however, they will no longer be listed on your active memberships page. You can visit the creator’s page directly to view their content. Once the month has ended, you'll no longer have access to the creator's patron-only content.
Note: Patreon will not issue refunds to patrons on behalf of creators, except in extremely rare circumstances.
What happens when I delete my membership?
Charge up front (annually)
If your creator offers an annual membership, you will be charged immediately upon pledging, and then after 1 year on the 1st of the following month.
Example:
If you join on October 10th 2020, your plan will automatically renew on November 1st 2021.
Will I be charged immediately?
Yes. Charge up front creators require payment immediately in order for you to have access to their back catalog of patron only content (for your tier).
What if I increase my membership?
A pro-rated credit from your initial charge will be applied to the new amount and then you’ll be charged the difference between the two tiers. Click here for more information about annual membership payments.
Examples:
- If you paid for a $120 tier and upgrade in the same month to a $140 tier, you pay $20 for the difference between the two.
- If you paid $120 in April and upgrade in June to a $140 tier, only $110 from your initial pledge is left and would make your charge to upgrade $30.
What happens when I delete my membership?
You can cancel your membership at any time. Cancelling will stop future annual payments, and you will lose access on the 1st of the month, after a year has passed.
So, if you joined on March 1st, 2020, and cancelled on April 5th, 2020, you’ll have access up until April 1st, 2021.
So, if you joined on March 1st, 2020, and cancelled on April 5th, 2020, you’ll have access up until April 1st, 2021.
What will Patreon charges look like on my statements?
All charges will appear on your bank statement as one of the following:
- Patreon* Membership
- CKO Patreon* Membership
- VISIT PATREON.COM/INFO
- PAYPAL *PATREON IN
The names of creators you are supporting will not be included on the statement.