Scott Bieser

Patreon billing change

Added 2017-12-07 13:35:52 +0000 UTC

I just received an email telling me that Patreon is changing who will be charged processing fees and the change will take place December 18th so it will affect the way all of you are charged at the end of this month.

I'm assuming they did this because account holders complained they couldn't predict the processing fees for the pledges and Patreon claims that they have polled users to confirm that patrons are predominantly happy to see the creator receive more money but I know other Patreon creators who were not made aware of the change and I'm assuming the people making pledges might not be given advance notice either.

Basically, my total pledges, when paid out, subtract a small percentage for Patreon and also charge me processing fees like any merchant who deals in credit or debit cards has to pay to use those methods of payment. I don't have a problem paying that service fee but I've not been given an option to avoid putting that fee on you, my patrons.

I don't know what this will look like in terms of what you get charged at the end of December or if you will receive proper notice of what your pledge will bill you for when you make it.

Supposedly, the credit-card processing fee is 2.9% plus 35 cents. So, a $1 pledge will be charged an extra 38 cents, a $2.50 pledge will be charged an extra 44 cents, etc.

Mainly, I don't want anyone to be surprised. I will pass on any feedback to Patreon if they have misjudged how people feel about the changes. For my part, I wish they'd given me an option on whether I wished to implement the change or not.

If you have questions about this you can reach me either via the Patreon messaging system or at scottbieser@bigheadpress.com, or tweet me @ScottBieser. You can also offer feedback to Patreon directly via their system.

I regret any inconvenience or annoyance. Your Patronage is very important to me.