Understanding Paid Subscriptions

Paid subscriptions allow you to financially support creators whose work you value. Creators can offer paid subscription tiers that provide access to exclusive content and help them continue creating.

What are Paid Subscriptions?

Paid subscriptions are a way to support creators financially:

• Financial Support: Your subscription payments go directly to the creator
• Exclusive Content: Access to paid-subscriber-only content
• Recurring Payments: Monthly or yearly subscriptions that renew automatically
• One-Time Payments: Founding member tiers that are one-time payments

Subscription Tiers

Creators can offer up to three paid subscription tiers:

• Monthly: Recurring monthly payment (e.g., $5/month)
• Yearly: Recurring annual payment (e.g., $50/year) - often includes a discount
• Founding Member: Higher one-time payment (e.g., $150) - special recognition and perks

Each creator sets their own prices and can offer different perks for each tier. Prices typically start at $5 for paid tiers.

How to Subscribe to a Paid Tier

To subscribe to a paid tier:

1. Go to the creator's profile or blog
2. Look for their subscription options
3. Select the tier you want (Monthly, Yearly, or Founding Member)
4. Review the price and any perks included
5. Click "Subscribe"
6. Complete the payment process
7. Your subscription will be active immediately

What You Get with Paid Subscriptions

Paid subscribers get:

• Exclusive Content: Access to content marked "Visible to Paid Subscribers"
• Early Access: Some creators offer early access to new content
• Special Perks: Tier-specific benefits set by the creator
• Support the Creator: Your subscription helps creators continue their work
• Recognition: Founding members may receive special recognition

Managing Your Paid Subscriptions

You can manage your paid subscriptions:

• View All: See all your paid subscriptions in your account settings
• Upgrade/Downgrade: Change your subscription tier
• Cancel: Cancel your subscription (you'll keep access until the end of your billing period)
• Payment Method: Update your payment method
• Billing History: View your payment history

Billing and Payments

How billing works:

• Monthly Subscriptions: Charged monthly on the same date you subscribed
• Yearly Subscriptions: Charged once per year
• Founding Members: One-time payment, no recurring charges
• Automatic Renewal: Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled
• Payment Methods: Credit or debit cards are accepted

Cancelling a Paid Subscription

To cancel your paid subscription:

1. Go to your subscription settings
2. Find the subscription you want to cancel
3. Click "Cancel Subscription"
4. Confirm the cancellation

Important notes about cancellation:

• You'll keep access to paid content until the end of your current billing period
• You won't be charged again after cancellation
• You can resubscribe at any time
• Founding member subscriptions are one-time payments and don't need cancellation

Upgrading or Downgrading

You can change your subscription tier:

• Upgrade: Move to a higher tier - you'll be charged the difference
• Downgrade: Move to a lower tier - changes take effect at your next billing cycle
• Switch: Change from monthly to yearly (or vice versa)

Payment Issues

If you have payment issues:

• Check that your payment method is valid and has sufficient funds
• Update your payment method if your card has expired
• Contact support if payments continue to fail
• Your subscription may be paused if payment fails - you'll be notified

Free vs. Paid Subscriptions

You can have both free and paid subscriptions:

• Free Subscription: No cost, access to subscriber-only content (not paid-subscriber-only)
• Paid Subscription: Monthly/yearly payment, access to all subscriber content including paid-exclusive content
• You can upgrade from free to paid at any time
• You can downgrade from paid to free (losing access to paid-exclusive content)