Everything you need to know about paid subscriptions on Subwave: how billing works, what happens when you cancel, and what to do if a payment fails.
Channels on Subwave can publish three types of posts, depending on how the creator has set them up:
A channel can mix all three types freely — just because a channel offers paid subscriptions doesn't mean all of their content is behind a paywall. Many creators keep some posts public or free while reserving others for paying subscribers.
Some channels on Subwave offer exclusive content for paying subscribers. To access it, start by subscribing to the channel for free. Once you're a free subscriber, you can upgrade to a paid subscription at any time.
If a post is marked as Paid, you'll see an Upgrade to unlock paid posts button on their channel or tap Subscribe to read on their post.
Tap it to see the available plans — monthly or yearly — along with the price set by the creator. Once you complete payment, you'll get immediate access to all paid posts on that channel.
When you subscribe to a paid channel, you're charged upfront for the billing period you choose — monthly or yearly. Subscriptions auto-renew at the end of each period unless you cancel beforehand.
Payments are processed securely by Stripe, Subwave's payment provider. You'll receive a receipt by email after each charge. The currency you're billed in depends on what the creator has set for their channel — currently USD, CAD, EUR, and GBP are supported.
There are no free trials — your card is charged at the moment you subscribe.
You can cancel a paid subscription at any time from your Account Settings. Go to Paid Subscriptions, and next to the channel you want to cancel, tap Manage, then tap Cancel Subscription.
You can cancel a paid subscription at any time. When you do, you keep access to paid posts until the end of your current billing period. After that, you stay a free subscriber — you'll still receive public and subscribers-only posts, but you'll no longer have access to paid content.
Yes, but only during the grace period — meaning after you cancel but before your current billing period ends.
Once the billing period closes and the subscription fully expires, you'll need to subscribe again from scratch to regain paid access.
You stay a free subscriber to the channel. You'll continue receiving public and subscribers-only posts — you just lose access to paid-only content.
Your subscription moves into a past-due state and Stripe automatically retries the charge over the next few days. If all retries fail, the subscription is cancelled and you revert to a free subscriber — the same outcome as a regular cancellation.
