Membership Terms

Last updated: 5 June 2026

Membership Terms

Effective date: 15 May 2026 Last updated: 15 May 2026 Version: 1.3

These Membership Terms ("Membership Terms") govern paid memberships of Σmind. They sit alongside our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Refunds & Returns Policy. Where there is a direct conflict on a membership-specific point, these Membership Terms control.

By starting a paid Σmind membership you accept these Membership Terms.

1. The membership product

Σmind offers two paid tiers of membership in addition to the free, no-membership baseline. Tiers are arranged from lower to higher access:

  • Free — no payment required. Lets you read public content, post your own content, comment, and use core social features.
  • Fellow — paid tier, unlocks additional features such as RSS feeds, daily / weekly / monthly email digests, PDF export of articles, and an ad-free experience.
  • Scholar — paid tier, includes everything in Fellow plus the AI writing assistant, AI feed control, and the ability to create paid content (subject to Stripe Connect onboarding — see section 8).

Higher tiers automatically include everything in lower tiers.

A live list of which features are gated to which tier is shown in the membership comparison on sumofmind.co.uk.

Naming history. "Fellow" and "Scholar" replaced the earlier names "Mindling" and "Mindsage" on 9 April 2026. The platform still recognises the old names as aliases internally; existing members were migrated automatically and saw no change in benefits or price.

2. Pricing at launch

Tier Monthly Annual
Fellow £4.99 per month Not currently offered
Scholar £12.99 per month Not currently offered

Prices are quoted in pounds sterling (GBP). VAT, where it applies, is included in the displayed price (UK consumer-facing pricing convention).

Monthly only at launch. Σmind sells memberships on a monthly basis only at launch. We may, at our sole discretion, offer annual subscriptions from time to time as the platform matures — for example as a limited-time promotion or as a permanent option once the platform's longer-term commercial profile is settled. Where annual subscriptions are offered, the terms set out in sections 3 (auto-renewal), 5 (cooling-off), and 6 (cancellation, including the pro-rata annual refund formula) will apply.

We reserve the right to change pricing for new sign-ups. A price change does not affect an existing active subscription until that subscription's next renewal; we will tell you about an upcoming price change at least 30 days before it takes effect.

3. Auto-renewal and renewal reminders

Paid memberships are sold on an auto-renewing basis. Your card or PayPal account is charged at the start of each billing period (monthly — and annual where annual plans are offered at our discretion per section 2) until you cancel.

In line with the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA 2024) and CMA guidance on auto-renewal:

  • 7 days before each renewal, we send a reminder email and an in-app notice card with the upcoming charge amount, the renewal date, and a one-click link to cancel.
  • 1 day before each renewal, we send a final reminder.
  • You can cancel at any time from settings; cancellation is the same number of clicks as signing up.

Your renewal reminders cannot be turned off because they are required by law.

4. How to start a membership

You can start a membership in two ways:

  • As a registered user. Settings → Membership → choose tier → Stripe Checkout opens. Card details are entered directly into Stripe's hosted form; we never see them.
  • As a guest (only when our admin "membership bypass for invitation-only mode" toggle is on). You complete Stripe Checkout without an existing account; on payment success we automatically create an account using the email you gave Stripe and email you a magic-link to claim the account and set a password. Until you claim, the membership is associated with the email only.

Stripe is our payment processor and the merchant-of-record interface for membership transactions. Their use of your card data is covered by Stripe's privacy notice and their PCI-DSS certification.

PayPal is not offered for memberships at launch (only for shop merchandise).

5. Your 14-day cooling-off right

Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCR 2013), you have 14 days from the start of your first billing period to cancel for any reason and get a full refund.

To exercise this right:

  • From settings: Membership → Cancel → choose "Refund within 14 days". Self-serve, immediate.
  • By email: support@sumofmind.co.uk with subject "14-day refund request" and the email associated with your account.

Refunds are processed automatically through Stripe (or whichever processor took the payment) and normally arrive on your card within 5–10 business days.

Once you have used a Scholar tier feature that we deliver immediately on activation (notably: AI writing assistant generations) — and where we have asked you to consent to immediate supply and to acknowledge that you are giving up your cooling-off right under CCR 2013 reg. 37(1) — your right of withdrawal in respect of those particular consumed services may be reduced. We aim never to rely on this in practice and will normally still grant a full refund in the 14 days.

After 14 days, refunds depend on whether the plan is monthly or annual — see section 6.

6. Cancellation after 14 days

You can cancel at any time, by:

  • Settings → Membership → Cancel — same number of clicks as signup.
  • Or email support@sumofmind.co.uk.

Cancellation behaviour depends on plan type and timing.

6.1 Monthly plans

When you cancel, we set "cancel at period end". You keep access for the rest of the billing month already paid. At the period end the account drops to Free.

There is no pro-rata refund for the unused portion of a monthly plan after the 14-day cooling-off period — this is the standard SaaS approach and is permitted under CRA 2015 because we have clearly disclosed it in advance and our renewal reminders give you the chance to cancel before each charge.

6.2 Annual plans — pro-rata refund (where annual plans are offered)

This section applies only if annual plans are currently offered (see section 2 — annual plans are not offered at launch and may be introduced at our discretion). When you cancel an annual plan after the 14-day cooling-off period:

  • You keep access for the rest of the period already paid, by default.
  • If you ask for a pro-rata refund instead, we calculate it as:
Refund = Annual amount paid − (Monthly rate × Months used)

A "month used" is rounded up from the number of days since you started the plan, divided by 30. The monthly rate is the standard month-by-month price for that tier (£4.99 for Fellow, £12.99 for Scholar). This means you keep the annual discount only for the months you actually used.

Example: a Scholar member on an annual plan (£129.99) cancels after 100 days. - Months used = ceil(100 / 30) = 4 - Charge for those 4 months = 4 × £12.99 = £51.96 - Refund = £129.99 − £51.96 = £78.03

To request a pro-rata refund: - Settings → Membership → Cancel → "Request pro-rata refund", or - email support@sumofmind.co.uk with subject "Pro-rata refund request".

6.3 Cancelling vs reactivating

While cancellation is "set to end at period end", you can reactivate any time before the period end by clicking "Reactivate" in settings. You are not charged again until the next normal billing date.

7. Failed payments

If your card or PayPal account is declined at renewal:

  • Your subscription enters "past due" status.
  • We rely on Stripe's standard 3-attempt retry pattern (over up to 4 weeks) to retry the charge.
  • During the past-due period, your tier benefits are paused.
  • If retries fail, the membership is moved to "expired" and your account drops to Free. You can re-subscribe at any time.

You can update your card / PayPal account at any time from Settings → Membership → Billing.

8. Tipping and paid content (Creator Monetisation)

These features rely on Stripe Connect. The transaction-level terms between Buyer and Creator for paid content (the standard licence, refund mechanics, chargeback allocation, governing law) are set out in the Creator Marketplace Terms. This section sets out the Σmind-facing rules: who pays what to whom, the platform commission, and Creator onboarding requirements.

8.0 Σmind's role — agent, not seller

For tips and paid content, the contract is between the buyer/tipper and the creator. Σmind acts as the creator's commercial agent to collect payment via Stripe Connect, in exchange for the commission set out below. Σmind is not the seller of paid content and is not a party to any tip. The creator is the supplier in respect of the content for the purposes of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and is solely responsible for the content's quality, accuracy, lawfulness, and ongoing availability.

The creator's share is routed directly to the creator's Stripe-connected account; it is not received by Σmind, does not form part of Σmind's revenue, and Σmind holds no client-money obligation in respect of it. Σmind's only revenue from these transactions is the platform commission.

8.1 Tipping

  • Anyone can send a tip to a creator who has completed Stripe Connect onboarding.
  • Default tip amounts: £1, £2, £5, £10. Custom amounts allowed within Stripe limits.
  • Platform fee: 10% of each tip.
  • The remaining 90% goes to the creator, less Stripe processing fees on the creator-side payout.
  • Tips are voluntary, non-refundable payments to the creator. If a tip was made by error, fraud or technical fault, contact support@sumofmind.co.uk and we will investigate.

8.2 Paid content

  • Scholar-tier creators can mark posts as paid content and set a price.
  • Price range: £1.00–£20.00 (configurable by us).
  • Platform fee: 15% of each sale.
  • The remaining 85% goes to the creator, less Stripe processing fees.
  • A purchase grants a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to read the content while it remains available on Σmind. You can't redistribute, resell or download for commercial use. Refund handling for removed or faulty content is at §8.4.

8.3 Creator obligations

To use these features you must:

  • be at least 18 and able to lawfully receive payments in your jurisdiction;
  • complete Stripe Connect Express onboarding (Stripe verifies your identity directly);
  • give Stripe accurate tax and identity information;
  • declare your earnings to HMRC (or the equivalent authority where you live) and pay any tax due;
  • not engage in fraud, money-laundering or chargeback abuse;
  • comply with the Acceptable Use Policy in everything you publish, paid or free;
  • handle any reasonable customer queries about your paid content.

We may suspend access to monetisation features if there is a credible suspicion of any of the above. Stripe controls payouts; we control feature access on Σmind.

8.4 Refunds for paid content

Paid content is digital content delivered immediately. At checkout you confirm immediate delivery and acknowledge under CCR 2013 reg. 37(1) that you lose your reg. 36 right to withdraw. Your CRA 2015 statutory rights in respect of the content itself (satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose, as described, and the working remedies under ss. 33–47) are not affected by that consent.

Because the contract for paid content is between you and the creator (see §8.0), your CRA 2015 remedies lie against the creator. As the creator's commercial agent, Σmind operates a refund mechanism so you do not have to pursue the creator directly in the first instance.

Self-serve refund-request flow (primary route). Go to Settings → My Purchases, find the purchase, click "Request refund", and submit your reason (10–2000 characters). The request lands in an admin-reviewed queue. You can see status updates on the same page. Approved refunds return funds to your original payment method via Stripe within 5–10 business days, and your access to the refunded item is revoked immediately.

Goodwill 14-day window. Although you have waived the CCR 2013 reg. 36 right at checkout, Σmind administers a 14-day goodwill refund window during which we will normally approve a refund for any reason, subject to admin review and absent evidence of abuse. The full operational rules — including what we approve outside the goodwill window, abuse patterns, and the cost allocation between Σmind and the creator — are set out in the Refunds & Returns Policy §5 and in the Creator Marketplace Terms §5.

Email fallback. Where the in-app flow is unavailable (account locked, login problems), email support@sumofmind.co.uk with subject "Paid content refund — [post URL]" and include the purchase date and the same reason text.

If a creator removes paid content, existing purchasers retain a record of their purchase. Σmind is not liable for content removed, edited or made unavailable by the creator, nor for the creator's failure to perform their contract with you. Where access is lost permanently because of removal, Σmind will normally refund as goodwill on request within 30 days under Refunds & Returns Policy §5.7.

8.5 Tipping vs paid content vs membership

These three monetisation paths are independent. Buying a membership does not entitle you to free access to paid content authored by other creators; tipping a creator is voluntary and does not unlock paid content.

9. Crypto donations

You can send a one-off donation in a supported cryptocurrency via NOWPayments. Crypto donations are not subscription payments — they support Σmind directly and unlock no membership benefits. Once a donation is received and confirmed on the relevant blockchain it is not refundable. We have no technical mechanism to reverse a confirmed crypto transaction.

Crypto donations support Σmind directly; they are not a creator-tipping route.

10. Tax and invoices

Membership prices include UK VAT where applicable. The applicable VAT depends on your billing country, which we determine from the billing address you give Stripe.

You can download a VAT-compliant receipt for any membership transaction from Settings → Membership → Billing history.

For business memberships (where you have given a VAT number), the charge is reverse-charged where Stripe's tax engine identifies you as a B2B EU customer; otherwise UK VAT applies.

11. Membership and the Founding Member programme

Holding a Founding Member invitation code does not by itself entitle you to a paid tier in perpetuity. Founding Member status is a 90-day Scholar trial plus a lifetime cosmetic badge, not a lifetime free subscription. See Founding Member Programme Terms.

If you are on a founding-member trial:

  • You see "Scholar (trial)" on your billing page with the trial expiry date.
  • We send notice cards 14 days, 7 days, and 1 day before trial end inviting you to subscribe.
  • On expiry, the account auto-downgrades to Free unless you have started a paid subscription.

12. Statutory rights summary

Nothing in these Membership Terms limits your statutory rights as a consumer. In particular:

  • CCR 2013 — you have a 14-day right of withdrawal from the start of the contract, with the digital-content exception described in section 5.
  • CRA 2015 — paid digital content (e.g. paid posts) must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. Where it isn't, you have the right to repair, replacement or — if those don't work — a refund (the proportion of which depends on use, up to 100%).
  • DMCCA 2024 / CMA guidance on auto-renewal — pre-renewal reminders, easy-to-cancel mechanism, and clear pre-purchase disclosure of auto-renewal.

For more detail on how these rights apply to memberships and shop purchases, see the Refunds & Returns Policy.

13. Suspension and termination

  • We can pause or end a membership where you have materially breached these Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy, or Stripe Connect's terms (for monetising creators).
  • We can pause Creator Monetisation features specifically (without ending your membership) where there is a credible suspicion of fraud, chargeback abuse, or breach of the AUP in your monetised content.
  • On termination of a membership, any pending creator earnings are paid out per Stripe's normal schedule. Earned tips and content sales already paid out are yours.

14. Changes to these Membership Terms

We update these Terms from time to time. We update the "Last updated" date and version at the top.

For changes that affect price, billing cycle, refund rights, or other material commercial terms, we will:

  • give you at least 30 days' email notice;
  • give you a clear chance to cancel before the change takes effect, with a full refund of any unused prepaid period;
  • not apply the change retroactively to a billing period you have already paid for.

For non-material changes (e.g. clarifying language), we publish the change with the version bump and post a banner on the membership page for 14 days.

15. Contact

  • Membership questions, refunds, billing: support@sumofmind.co.uk
  • Creator Monetisation onboarding issues: support@sumofmind.co.uk