How to Set Up Donations on Twitch
Twitch Bits and Subscriptions: The Official Method
Many people on Twitch stream as a hobby. If you’re thinking about going full-time, though, you’ll need to raise some cash. Setting up donations on Twitch is one way you can do it!
Along with Twitch’s built-in subscription service, some streamers can accept donations using the platform’s built-in currency (Bits), which is purchased with real money.
If you don’t want Twitch taking a cut of your donations, or you’re unable to accept subscriptions or Bits, you’ll need to look at other methods. PayPal is one of the best ways, but there are other third-party donation services that make it easy for people to send you some cash.
Subscriptions allow people to “subscribe” to a channel as a paid member. This gives them additional benefits, such as subscription-only chat emotes. Whenever someone subscribes, you’ll be notified so you can recognize and/or thank that person for their support.
People can also donate at random with Twitch Bits. They buy this built-in currency with real money, and can then send it to a streamer by using the cheer command in that person’s Twitch chat room.
This doesn’t really buy the sender any benefits, but you can recognize donations in-stream. You’ll also see an extra emphasis on any chat messages that contain the cheer command, making it a good way to interact with your audience.
You have to be a Twitch Affiliate or Partner to accept these, however. Also, even if you can accept bits or subscriptions, Twitch takes a percentage to help support the service.
Bits and subscriptions are accepted and enabled automatically on your channel as soon as you reach Twitch Affiliate status and set up your payment settings. However, you can tweak the donation settings in your Twitch channel dashboard.
Using Third-Party Donation Services
Twitch streamers who don’t have Affiliate or Partner status are unable to accept payments or financial support directly through Twitch.
However, you can use third-parties to bring donations to your channel. Services like Streamlabs and Muxy allow you to expand your channel with additional payment options outside of Twitch.
If you use Streamlabs, you can add a donation option from the Streamlabs dashboard. To get started:
- Click “Settings” in the menu on the left.
- Go to Donation Settings > Methods to add your own payment accounts, including PayPal, Skrill, or a credit card.
- Select your preferred method for payment, and then follow the onscreen instructions.
You can change the currency, minimum donation amount, and other settings for Streamlabs under Donation Settings > Settings.
Once you have a payment method (or multiple methods) active on your Streamlabs account, other people on Twitch can donate to you directly via your Streamlabs tip page. The link appears prominently under “Donations Settings.”
Anyone who views your stream can donate to you directly via that page. You’ll need to advertise the link during your stream, though, to let people know how they can donate.
Adding a PayPal Donation Link
You can also drop a simple PayPal donation button or PayPal.me link in your channel description. This allows people on Twitch with a PayPal account to send donations directly to your account.
To change your channel description,
- Head to the Twitch website, and then click your channel icon at the top right.
- Select “Channel” from the drop-down menu to access your Twitch channel page.
- Click “About,” and then toggle-On the “Edit Panels” option.
- Click the large add button that appears below it, and then select the “Add a Text or Image Panel” option. Give the panel a name and make sure you link your PayPal donation information here.
- Once you’re done, click “Submit.”
A PayPal link or button will be added to your Twitch profile. Anyone who wants to donate can now click the link or button and send you money directly.
Keep in mind that PayPal will charge a fee for any donations you receive, as well as conversion fees for donations made in other currencies.
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