We’ve long heard that the first-of-the-month patron billing model is a source of frustration for many creators and patrons. They expect Patreon to work like most other subscriptions, where patrons pay monthly on the same date they signed up. Last year, we shared plans for testing a new model that better meets these expectations. After incorporating creator and patron feedback, we’re excited to introduce subscription billing as another option for all creators who currently charge patrons monthly. 

This is optional, so if you’re a launched creator and choose not to switch, nothing changes with how your patrons are billed.

What’s new

Now you can charge new patrons when they join, and monthly on that same date — just like they already expect from their subscriptions. For example, a new patron who joins on September 12 will be charged that day, and again on October 12, November 12, and so on. This also means you’ll be able to promote your membership any time of the month, without worrying about new patrons feeling double charged or accessing exclusives before they’ve paid. Nothing changes for your existing patrons, who will continue to be billed on the first of each month.

What this means for you

You can switch to subscription billing at any time in your page Settings. Switching only impacts how your new patrons are billed. Existing patrons will continue to be charged on the first of each month. There are also no changes to fees or your monthly payout schedule. New creators will have subscription billing as the default selection starting today, but can switch to other billing models before launch. 

Head to your Settings to switch to subscription billing. Or, read on for the benefits, how to decide if it’s right for you, and FAQ.

How it works

If you switch: 

• New patrons are charged when they join and then monthly on that same date, instead of on the first of each month.  For example, a patron who signs up on April 12 is charged again on May 12. Patrons will see their next charge date at checkout and in their Active Memberships tab. 
• Nothing changes for your existing patrons. They’re still charged on the first of each month. 
• Your payout schedule doesn’t change, and you can still opt to receive an automatic payout on the fifth (or manually withdraw a lump sum each month).

Here’s what a new patron who signs up on the 12th of the month will see at checkout right now (left), compared with if you switch to subscription billing (right).

Also, patrons can see the next charge date for all their memberships in their Active Memberships.

In Relationship Manager, you’ll see their next bill renewal date under the Next Charge Date column. The day of the charge date will match the day of the month in the Join Date column. 

The benefits

• It’s how patrons already expect to pay — no more double charging. Creators who charge patrons upfront consistently tell us patrons who join late in the month feel they’ve been wrongly double charged when they see a charge come in again on the first. (We see 60% more patron cancellations in the first week of every month compared with the rest of the month.) And our research confirms that patrons intuitively expect to be billed on their recurring signup date. Doing so increases their trust and saves creators the headache of explaining how billing works over and over again. In testing the new model, creators reported issuing fewer refunds and receiving fewer complaints and questions about billing and double charges.  

“We just had our first month without a single person messaging us to ask for a refund for being ‘charged twice’ in years, if not since we first joined Patreon!” – Eric from Pretty Much It

“At the start of every month I manually refund all subscriptions that occur in the last week of the last month. I do this so they won’t have to pay me twice in one week for my content. Very excited to not do this anymore.” – Stephen Bauman 

• Happier patrons, more growth potential. To avoid frustrating patrons with confusion over how billing works, many creators tell us they avoid promoting their membership in the second half of the month. Plus, would-be patrons who do visit creator pages during that time are more likely to leave without subscribing. Creators on subscription billing have seen a steady flow of new patrons throughout the month, overcoming the end-of-month dropoff from patrons who don’t want to pay twice in a short amount of time.

There are long-term benefits to sharing more regularly, too. We’ve seen that, on average, creators who promote their membership once a week earn 31% more than creators who only promote once a month. 

“In my opinion, the new billing model is way better, because I’m no longer afraid of promoting my Patreon… I always mentioned it was better to subscribe at the beginning of a month (and that information was making things more complicated and less natural) – Now I can talk about Patreon whenever I want, each time I post something or just when I feel it’s the right moment.” – Inga Ilze Peterson