Patreon is not one subscription. It is a separate pledge to each creator you support, and each has its own amount and tier. Someone supporting five creators holds five subscriptions.

Historically much of Patreon's billing ran on a monthly cycle that charged patrons at the start of the month, which is why Patreon charges often arrive as a cluster on or around the first. Creators can also be set up to charge when they publish, or on a subscription anniversary, so the timing varies by creator.

The practical consequence is a group of small charges arriving together, none matching a recognisable subscription price, and totalling more than most people expect.

Charges may be combined or separate

Depending on how the account is configured and how the payments process, multiple pledges can appear as one combined charge or as several individual ones. Both happen, which makes matching a specific amount to a specific creator awkward.

The reliable source is the billing history in your Patreon account, which itemises by creator.

Joining mid-month

Pledging to a creator part-way through a cycle can result in an immediate charge followed by another at the start of the next period. Two charges in quick succession for the same creator is usually this rather than a duplicate.

VAT and currency

UK patrons are charged VAT on top of the pledge amount, so the charge is higher than the advertised tier price. Creators frequently set pledges in US dollars, meaning the sterling amount varies with the exchange rate and may attract a foreign transaction fee.

A pledge that changes by small amounts each month is almost always currency movement rather than a price change.

Managing pledges

  1. Sign in and open your memberships, which lists every active pledge with its amount and tier.
  2. Open billing history to match specific charges to specific creators.
  3. Edit or cancel each pledge individually. Cancelling one leaves the others running.
  4. Check for an old account if pledges you cancelled appear to continue, since a second account is a common explanation.