If you'd like to show your support for a Substack but the writer hasn't enabled paid subscriptions, you can pledge a future subscription.
Once you click on a Subscribe button and enter your email address, you'll see the pledge options: yearly, monthly, or founding member. To continue without pledging, select "No pledge".
Note: If you don't see any pledge options, the writer may not have enabled this feature on their Substack.
Select a plan and click on "Pledge a subscription". On the next page, you'll be able to write a message to the writer of the publication about why you're pledging a future subscription.
After pledging a future paid subscription, you'll receive a confirmation email about how to manage your pledge. Your card will not be charged and your paid subscription will not begin until the Substack turns on paid subscriptions.
How do I cancel a Pledge?
If you've pledged a paid subscription to a Substack and want to cancel, follow these steps:
- Sign into your Substack account and click on your profile icon.
- From the drop-down menu, select Settings.
3. Under Subscriptions, click on the publication where you want to cancel your pledge.
4. This will land you on your account page for that Substack. Scroll to the Account actions section and click on, "To cancel your pledge, click here".
You'll still be subscribed as a free subscriber and will not be charged if the writer turns on paid subscriptions.
What happens if the writer enables paid subscriptions but they're higher than what I pledged?
If a writer enables payments and the subscription plans are higher than the amount you pledged, then we'll notify you via email about the price change.
For example, if you pledged at $8.00/month but the writer enabled a $10.00/month subscription plan, your pledge won't automatically turn into a $10.00/month subscription.
You'll have the option to become a paid subscriber at the higher rate by clicking on "Subscribe" in the notification email and then you'll immediately become a paid subscriber.