A tip is a one-time payment a reader sends directly to a creator to show appreciation for a story they loved. Readers can tip from any story page or directly from a creator's profile page.

Tips are processed through Stripe and go directly into the creator's Vocal Wallet. There's no minimum amount - readers choose how much they want to send.

The processing fee deducted from each tip depends on the creator's account type:

So if a reader sends a $5 tip to a Vocal+ creator, $4.86 lands in the Wallet. On a free account, $4.65 lands.

Readers pay for tips with debit cards, credit cards, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. They don't need a Vocal account to tip - anyone reading a story can send one.

You need a Stripe account connected to your Vocal Wallet. Without it, the tip option may appear to readers but you won't be able to collect anything. Set up Stripe from your Wallet - it takes about three minutes.

A tip is a one-time payment. A paid creator subscription is monthly and unlocks that creator's Exclusive Stories. Tips are for one-off support; subscriptions are for ongoing access to premium content from Vocal+ creators.

Learn more about tipping here.