You can turn on the charge up front feature within your payment settings. Here’s how to enable charge up front:
Step 1: Head to your creator page editor. Select the Getting Paid tab from the menu.
Step 2: If you have 2-factor authentication enabled for login, you'll see the option to charge patrons up front. If you do not have 2-factor authentication enabled for login, verify your account by clicking the button that says Verify to enable charge up front. You'll enter a mobile phone number for SMS verification. We'll send you a verification code to your mobile device.
Important note: If you have 2-factor authentication log in enabled you will not need to verify your phone number before enabling charge up front. So be sure you're ready to make the switch before saving your changes!
Step 3: Once verified, you can enable charge up front.
Step 4: Don’t forget to hit save!
Your Patron Manager when you enable charge up front
You will see a new billing cycle on your Patron Manager.
This new billing cycle will begin once a new patron makes a payment to you. The only patrons included in this billing cycle will be new folks who come aboard this first month.
Example: You switch to charge up front on May 1st, then you receive 17 new patrons within May. Your new patron will be charged immediately upon pledging to you and appear in your May summary within the patron manager.
This change is permanent
Once enabled, you will not be able to go back to a per-post option or regular monthly option.
By choosing to enable charge up front, you will be charging your patrons the day they sign up and then on the first of the following month. You will not be able to switch to charging patrons on a per-post basis or back to regular monthly once you turn on charge up front.
By choosing to enable charge up front, you will be charging your patrons the day they sign up and then on the first of the following month. You will not be able to switch to charging patrons on a per-post basis or back to regular monthly once you turn on charge up front.
Current patrons will experience no change
They'll be charged on the 1st of the following month.
An Example: A patron joins your Patreon community on January 5th for $10 per month. The patron is charged on February 1st for January patronage. On February 25th, you change your payment type so that patrons are charged up front. The patron will be charged $10 on March 1st for March patronage.
If an existing patron increases their pledge after you switch to charge up front, they will be charged the new value. On the 1st of the month (and every 1st of the month thereafter) they will be charged the full amount of their pledge until they cancel or edit their pledge.
An Example: A patron signs up on January 5th for $10/month. The patron is charged on February 1st for January patronage. On February 25th, you change your payment type so that patrons are charged up front. On February 26th, the patron increases their pledge to $15. The patron will be charged $15 on February 26th. Then the patron will be charged $15 on March 1st for March patronage and they will continue to be charged $15 every 1st of the month thereafter until they cancel or edit their pledge.
New patrons will be charged immediately
New Patrons will be charged on the day they become your patron, giving them access to all content shared with their reward tier. On the 1st of the following month, they will simply return to being charged monthly at the beginning of the month.
Example: A patron joins your Patreon community on February 25th for $10 per month. They will be charged $10 on the day they join, February 25th, for February patronage. On March 1st, the Patron will be charged $10 for March patronage.
Everyone (new and existing patrons) will be charged on the first of the month after their first charge.