Merch for Memberships is only available to creators who are already using it. If you don’t see the Merch tab in your page settings, this feature isn’t available for your page.
So you’ve just set up merch benefits through Patreon for the first time — this article will explain how and when members earn their merch benefits.
How members earn merch
Members earn merch when they meet two requirements:
- Joined a tier that contains a merch item
- Made a required number of consecutive payments in that tier. The number of payments depends on the type of merch program you offer the item in (3 months or loyalty program)
Both new and existing members earn progress toward a merch item by making successful monthly payments after the item is added to their tier. Each successful payment counts as one month of progress.
To continue earning toward the item, the member must remain actively subscribed to a tier that includes the merch item and make uninterrupted payments. If a payment fails, the member cancels their membership, or switches to a tier that doesn’t include the item, any progress toward that merch item is lost. If the member later rejoins a qualifying tier, their progress restarts from the beginning.
Only memberships with payments made directly from the member’s account are eligible to earn merchandise rewards. Progress does not begin until the member’s account successfully makes a payment. Please note that merchandise rewards cannot be earned through gifted memberships.
What may interrupt earning progress
Certain events can interrupt progress toward earning merch and reset it. These events include:
- Refunds
- Billing pauses
- Failed or declined payments
- Temporary removal of the merchandise item from the tier
- Any other disruption to a member’s paid access to the qualifying tier
Once billing resumes without any interruptions on a tier that offers the item, the member will start accumulating progress again from the beginning.
Real-life scenarios
Let’s look at some examples to understand when members typically earn merch. For this example, we’ll use a merch program that delivers an item once every 3 months.
- If a creator who charges members up front adds a merch item to a tier on May 15th, existing members will have their next payment made after May 15th count toward their merch item. For example, a member whose billing anniversary was the 20th would make their first eligible payment on May 20th. On June 20th, that member would process their second payment towards earning that merch item. On July 20th, the member would earn the merch item. If a new member joins on July 15th, they will be charged immediately upon signup and earn their first payment towards their merch item. The new member would earn their second payment towards their merch item on August 15th and then earn the merch item on September 15th.
- If a creator who charges members upfront adds a merch item to a tier on May 15th, existing members will have their next payment (June 1st) count toward their merch item. On July 1st, those members would process their second payment towards earning that merch item. On August 1st, members would earn the merch item. If a new member joins on July 15th, they would be charged immediately upon signup and earn their first payment towards their merch item. The new member would earn their second payment towards their merch item on August 1st and then earn the merch item on September 1st.
- Suppose a creator who does not charge members upfront adds a merch item to a tier on May 15th. In that case, existing members with a valid membership in that tier will earn their first payment towards that merch item on June 1st, eventually earning the item on August 1st. A new member who joins on July 15th would earn their merch item on October 1st.
As a reminder, you can always find what benefits your members have earned, including Merch for Membership benefits, on your Benefits page.
FAQ
- Typically, existing members will earn their merch item on their third successful charge after the merch is added. Previous payments do not count toward a member earning merch.
- No, editing the design of a merch item won't impact a member's progress toward earning it.
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If you’ve removed an item or loyalty program from any tiers, members will stop all earnings progress for those tiers.
If you’ve added an item or loyalty program to any new tiers, members of those new tiers will begin earning the items when you click the Publish merch button. You can find when you added each item or loyalty program to each tier on your merch tab.