Updated 23 September 2026

Payments and refunds

A Plinth stake is a purchase of placement. It is not a deposit, a wallet, or a bid you can pull back when the rank changes.

Refundable

• A checkout you abandon before it is paid. Nothing is captured.
• A payment that fails or is declined.
• A Hot Zone week or a category presentation that is no longer available when the payment clears. The charge is voided. On Stripe, it is refunded. In the sandbox, it is marked voided and no card was charged.
• A stake held for review that an admin rejects. It was never captured.

Not refundable

• A stake, pass, feature, or sponsorship that has gone live.
• The difference between your stake and a higher one. Being passed lowers your rank. It does not return the money.
• A week or month when the season ends. You bought that season.
• Clicks that were fewer than you hoped. The counts are published before and after you pay. They are not a quota.
• A listing removed because it broke the rules, impersonated someone, or drew a card dispute.

How payment works

With Stripe configured, checkout is a Stripe Checkout session for the exact ticket in US dollars. Plinth applies the stake when Stripe reports the session paid, either by webhook or when you return from checkout. Both paths are idempotent. Without a Stripe key, the banner on every page says sandbox, and confirming a stake simulates the payment.

The analytics pass is 30 days, paid once. It does not auto-renew. Buying another month extends the clock from its current end.

Email hello@plinth.world about a specific charge. Include the payment time and the company name. The same address is in the privacy notice.