As some of you may know, I have a unique service on Patreon that recommends stand out Internet radio stations as well as spotlights oddball stations. In addition, for Como Audio customers, I offer helpful user tips, behind-the-scenes stories, 24/7/365 unlimited tech support, and other exclusive Como content at the Elite and Super Elite levels only.
For the first couple of years, several members contacted me about being able to pay annual instead of every month. Patreon creators become eligible to offer an annual membership option only after they meet certain criteria. It took me nearly 2 years to meet those requirements and I will lose the option if I ever fail to meet any of the standards. For organizational reasons, and to make it more significant, I only make the annual option available once per year and only for a few weeks in March, April, or May. I’m officially opening that option starting now through April 20th. Once the window closes, the annual option will disappear, and monthly membership will once again be the only option.
Up To You
Some find the annual option more convenient, not having yet another monthly charge along with their other monthly subscriptions. It also avoids credit card issues like a monthly charge being rejected or changing your card and having to restart your Patreon membership. An annual membership reinforces your commitment to me and reduces the monthly fees I have to pay Patreon. Curiously, according to Patreon, annual members account for less than 5% of paying members.
On the other hand, others prefer the flexibility of the monthly plan, which helps with my monthly income. What you do is entirely up to you. I appreciate your support regardless of the membership plan you subscribe to.
You’ve Got Options
If you’re already on an annual membership, you don’t need to do anything. Patreon will automatically send you a reminder when it’s time to renew for another year. If you’re currently on the monthly plan and prefer to remain on it, you don’t need to do anything either. If you’d like to switch from monthly to annual and pay for 12 months in advance rather than pay every month, please follow these steps:
1. Log into your Patreon account.
2. Select Personal Settings in the left navigation menu.
3. Go to the Membership tab.
4. Click the View Details button right next to the creator you want to switch to an annual membership.
5. Click the Switch to annual button in the Billing frequency section.
6. Review the details on the checkout page and click the Subscribe now button. You’ll be charged for 12 months. This option will only appear through April 20th, 2026.
The Fine Print
If you switch to or are already on the annual plan and later cancel your membership, you won’t get a refund for the remainder of your membership term. This is per Patreon not me. Even though you cancelled, you’ll continue to be a member and have access to my posts that your membership level qualifies for through the remainder of your membership term. If you’re on or switch to annual and you decide you want to go back to monthly billing, you won’t be able to do so until your year membership is up.
Act Now
For next year, I’m seriously considering shortening the window to 7 days or possibly eliminating the annual membership option altogether. If I decide to do the latter and you switch to annual now or are already on the annual plan, you’ll be grandfathered in and continue to have the option to renew annually at the appropriate time. The bottom line is if you’re thinking about going annual, this would be the time to do it. If you missed the window last year, don’t miss it again and be forced to wait another year!
If you have any account questions, please direct them to Patreon. It’s not that I don’t want to help, but Patreon restricts what I can do and what information I can access in order to protect your privacy. If you have any questions for me, please send them to pskiera@recommendedstations.com
Thank you in advance for your membership and support.
Peter Skiera