The terms and conditions set out below describe how Guardian News & Media Limited (“we”, “us”, “our”) makes available Supporter Plus. Please read them carefully as they affect your rights and liabilities under the law. These terms will be subject to any rights you may have under consumer law to which we are bound and which cannot be waived by contract.
By agreeing to pay for a Supporter Plus Subscription and any Contribution, you agree to comply with these terms and conditions and the Guardian Terms of Service which apply to the use of our digital information network generally as it may be accessed on various internet-connected devices (such as smartphones and tablets). We recommend that you print a copy of these terms and conditions or save a copy on your computer for future reference.
If you have any questions about Supporter Plus, or need any help, please visit our Help Centre.
1. What is Supporter Plus?
You can choose to support the Guardian by paying a regular monthly or annual amount of your choice.
If you pay the monthly or annual Supporter Plus subscription price, you will receive the Supporter Plus benefits on a subscription basis (“Supporter Plus Subscription”). If you choose to pay more than the monthly or annual subscription price, anything more will be treated as a monthly or annual voluntary financial contribution to the Guardian (“Contribution”).
You can get details of the Supporter Plus monthly and annual subscription price here.
2. What do I receive for my Supporter Plus Subscription?
A Supporter Plus Subscription entitles you to receive the following benefits:
-
a regular supporter newsletter
-
uninterrupted reading, meaning we show you far fewer asks for support
-
full access to all features and content in the Guardian’s digital app
-
ad-free reading across the Guardian website and app
As part of the Supporter Plus Subscription, you will have full access to all features and content in the Guardian app for tablet and mobile, which are:
-
Live – follow a live feed of breaking news and sport, as it happens;
-
Discover – explore stories you might have missed, tailored to you;
-
Enhanced offline reading – download stories and sections to read on the go; and
-
Interactive crosswords – play the daily crossword wherever you are.
We can change the benefits of the Supporter Plus Subscription from time to time as set out in section 6 (Changes to Supporter Plus).
You can start receiving your Supporter Plus Subscription by signing in, using the details associated with your Supporter Plus account, after your first payment has been taken. If you don’t have a password already, you’ll be asked to create one when you go to sign in. Further information can be found in your Supporter Plus confirmation email.
You will need to sign in across all of your devices to enjoy advert-free reading on theguardian.com website and the Guardian app. This means that all advertising which usually appears on theguardian.com website and the Guardian app will be removed. This includes content from third party advertisers, adverts for The Guardian’s services, display advertising and ‘paid content/paid for by’ content.
The advert-free reading experience only applies to content which we host, so you may still see adverts on third party hosted content, such as videos. You will still see ‘Supported by’ content. The term ‘Supported by’ is used to describe editorially independent content that the Guardian has produced with funding from foundations around the world who support specific projects. Further information about content funding on the Guardian can be found here.
If you think there is something wrong with your Supporter Plus Subscription, please visit our Help Centre for support articles and customer service details.
3. How can I sign up to get a Supporter Plus Subscription?
You can sign up to get a Supporter Plus Subscription online. You will however be required to download the Guardian app from the Apple and Google app store/s.
As part of the process, you will need to register for a Guardian account and we will provide you with a Supporter ID.
If you sign up to get a Supporter Plus Subscription online, you will receive your Supporter ID by email.
You will then be required to sign in, using your Guardian account details or your Supporter ID, within the Guardian app and on the website in order to access your Supporter Plus Subscription benefits.
Your Supporter Plus Subscription is personal to you and non-transferable. Subject to our rules on fair use below, you can however share your Supporter Plus Subscription account details with a few friends and family so that they can enjoy the Supporter Plus Subscription experience too.
Our rules on fair use are: where we suspect fraudulent activity or we believe that you are sharing your Supporter Plus Subscription account details unreasonably or excessively, we have the right to lock your Supporter Plus Subscription account (so you can’t share your details anymore) or cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription under section 10(e).
By submitting our online form, you are making an offer to sign up to the Supporter Plus Subscription and, if applicable, make any Contribution. If we accept your offer, as described below, it will then constitute a binding contract. Nothing that we do or say will amount to any acceptance of that offer until we send you confirmation by email.
We will not be responsible for any failure by you to receive such confirmation, which results from your failure to supply us with correct contact details.
If you sign up online, you are able to correct errors on your online form up to the point at which you submit your form. After this point, we will assume that all information provided is correct, unless and until you make any changes to your personal information, and will process your form accordingly.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we reserve the right to refuse any offer of support and therefore to refuse to provide you with the Supporter Plus Subscription and to refuse and return your Contribution. We will do so for reasons such as where we suspect fraud, where accepting your Contribution could damage our independence or reputation or where we have questions about the origin of your funds.
4. Terms applicable to any Contributions
By making a Contribution, you agree that:
-
you are aged 18 or over;
-
the Contribution is provided to us as an irrevocable gift, subject to your right to receive a refund as described in section 10 and our right to return any Contribution at our discretion; and
-
we will use the Contribution to support our Editorial operations.
If you choose to pay a Contribution and the Supporter Plus Subscription, the maximum amount that you can pay to us per year is:
-
in GBP, £2,000
-
in Euros, €2,000
-
in CAD, $2,000
-
in AUD and NZD, $2,400
-
in USD, $10,000
-
in any other currency, the equivalent of USD $2,000.
Contributions will be received by one of our payment providers and will be held by the provider until they are paid out to a regional Guardian bank account together with other Guardian funds. Each contribution will be identifiable by a unique payment provider identification number and so are individually refundable, and will be accounted for separately by us.
From the moment the Contribution is processed, we will be legally and beneficially entitled to the full amount of the Contribution and you have no entitlement to the return of a Contribution in any circumstances other than as specified in these Terms and Conditions.
You shall receive no benefit in return for any Contribution. You will, however, receive the Supporter Plus Subscription in exchange for the Supporter Plus Subscription payments.
Contributions to us are not charitable donations and, as far as we are aware, you shall not be entitled to any tax relief or charitable contribution deduction in respect of your Contributions nor are any Contributions eligible for “gift aid” either in the United Kingdom or in any other jurisdiction worldwide.
We reserve the right to:
-
request your full name and contact details;
-
request any other information that we consider to be necessary or desirable to determine the provenance of your Contribution; and
-
undertake any further investigations we deem fit to determine the provenance of your Contribution.
If you refuse to provide any of this information, we may refuse and return your Contribution at our discretion.
You are not entitled to publicise your Contribution or otherwise market yourself or any connected person or business in connection with your Contribution, except with our prior written consent and then only if you comply with any of our relevant policies, procedures or requirements. The aforementioned restrictions shall not apply to any options for publicising Contributions that we may make available to you from time to time e.g. social sharing buttons on contributions pages.
5. Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution Renewals
Automatic Renewal: Unless you cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription and any Contribution by following the cancellation procedures described below, your Supporter Plus Subscription and any Contribution will automatically renew on these terms on a rolling monthly or annual basis. If you do not cancel, we will automatically charge your chosen payment account for the renewed Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution. If you are paying annually, we will send you a reminder before your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution automatically renew and of how you can cancel.
Once we accept your offer for the Supporter Plus Subscription and any Contribution, your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution will continue and renew automatically on a rolling monthly or annual basis unless and until they are ended by either of us in accordance with section 10 (Cancellation and Refunds).
You will continue to be charged the applicable Supporter Plus Subscription price and Contribution each time they renew.
6. Changes to the Supporter Plus Subscription
We reserve the right to change from time to time:
-
the benefits that you receive as part of the Supporter Plus Subscription;
-
the monthly and annual Supporter Plus Subscription price; and/or
-
the third party platforms on which we make our digital app available.
We also reserve the right to withdraw the supply of the Supporter Plus Subscription and its benefits at any time.
If we change:
-
the Supporter Plus Subscription benefits, we will give you at least 30 days’ notice in advance; and/or
-
the monthly and annual price for the Supporter Plus Subscription, you will need to pay this new price to continue receiving the Supporter Plus Subscription and its benefits. We will give you at least 30 days’ notice in advance of this change (or such other length of notice as is required by the Direct Debit guarantee from time to time). Any such change will apply from your next billing cycle.
If we change the Supporter Plus Subscription benefits and/or the monthly and annual price, we will give you this advance notice so that you can choose whether or not to cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription, in accordance with section 10(c) (Cancellation and Refunds).
You will continue to receive your Supporter Plus Subscription and its benefits, until you cancel your payments or your Direct Debit (as applicable).
If you are paying any Contribution, as well as your Supporter Plus Subscription, the Contribution is entirely separate. Therefore, you will still need to pay any new monthly or annual price to continue receiving the Supporter Plus Subscription. You can change your Contribution amount at any time by contacting our customer services team using the contact details in section 12 (Customer Services).
7. Privacy
You can read our Privacy Policy at https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy for details regarding how we use your personal information.
8. Payment of Supporter Plus Subscription and Contributions
You must provide us with complete and accurate payment information at the time you sign up and ensure that you keep your payment information up-to-date for as long as you are signed up to receive the Supporter Plus Subscription and pay any Contribution. We will not provide a refund if you cannot access your Supporter Plus Subscription benefits due to your payment details being incorrect.
Your Supporter Plus Subscription monthly or annual payments include any applicable sales taxes.
Your first payment will be processed at the time you submit your online form, but please note that if you are paying by Direct Debit this can take a few days to be set up.
Your Supporter Plus Subscription payments and any Contribution will then be taken together on a regular, rolling basis (i.e. monthly payments are billed each month and annual payments are billed once a year).
Your Supporter Plus Subscription and, if any, Contribution will continue unless and until they are ended by either of us in accordance with section 10 (Cancellation and Refunds).
From time to time, we may introduce promotional offers for the Supporter Plus Subscription. These promotional offers will be subject to their own terms, which will be published together with the relevant offer, and subject to availability. We reserve the right to offer and withdraw promotional offers at any time and in no way guarantee that a promotional offer will be available at any particular time.
By paying for the Supporter Plus Subscription and any Contribution, you shall have no rights to influence our editorial policy or output.
9. Changing your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution payments
Contributions: If you are paying any Contribution, as well as your Supporter Plus Subscription, the Contribution is an entirely separate, voluntary payment.
You can change your Supporter Plus Subscription payments and any Contribution, at any time by contacting our customer services team using the contact details in section 12 (Customer Services). You can also cancel your Contribution at any time by contacting our customer services team. Any changes will take effect from your next payment date.
You will need to continue paying the Supporter Plus Subscription price to receive the Supporter Plus benefits. If you choose to pay less than the applicable price, your Supporter Plus Subscription will end after your current billing period.
10. Cancellation and Refunds
(a) Your right to cancel the Supporter Plus Subscription during the first 14 days
You can cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription at any time during the first 14 days from when your first payment is taken (up to and including day 14), without giving any reason. Cancelling your Supporter Plus Subscription will also cancel any Contribution you may have.
You will receive a full refund of your first payment (including any Contributions you may have paid) and will not be billed further. If you cancel during the first 14 days, the cancellation of your Supporter Plus Subscription and any Contribution will take effect immediately and you will no longer receive the Supporter Plus benefits.
We will pay your refund without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription.
We will pay your refund using the same means of payment as you used for the initial payment, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise. If you have been paying by Direct Debit, please do not cancel your Direct Debit until you have received your refund. In any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of the reimbursement.
If you are based in the UK or the EU, you have a legal right to cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription in the first 14 days after you enter into this contract. However, the cancellation right we offer under clause 10(a) is more generous than this legal right.
(b) Your right to cancel the Supporter Plus Subscription after the first 14 days
You can cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription at any time by cancelling before your next monthly or annual payment date. Cancelling your Supporter Plus Subscription will also cancel any Contribution you may have. The cancellation will take effect at the end of your current monthly or annual billing period. You will not receive your Supporter Plus Subscription and benefits after this time.
If you do not cancel before your next payment date, your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution will automatically renew for another month or year (as applicable), and you will need to cancel before the next payment date.
(c) Your other rights to cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution
You can cancel any Contribution, at any time by contacting our customer services team using the contact details in section 12 (Customer Services). Any changes will take effect from your next payment date.
If you are not happy with any changes we will make, under section 6, to:
-
the Supporter Plus Subscription benefits; and/or
-
the Supporter Plus Subscription monthly and annual price.
you should cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription as soon as possible before the changes take effect. Cancelling your Supporter Plus Subscription will also cancel any Contribution you may have.
If you are not happy with any material changes we will make to these terms and conditions under section 13, you should cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution as soon as possible before the changes take effect.
If you let us know that you would like to cancel, cancellation will take effect when the changes are introduced and you will receive any proportionate refund of the Contribution paid and for any unused part of your Supporter Plus Subscription.
You may also cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription, together with any Contribution, immediately if we breach any of our material obligations under these terms and conditions.
(d) How you can cancel under 10(a), 10(b) or 10(c)
If you wish to cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription, you can cancel by (1) going to “Manage My Account” and clicking on the “Cancel Support”; or (2) contacting our customer services team using the contact details in section 12 (Customer Services).
If you are based in the UK or EU, you can also electronically fill in and submit the model cancellation form here. If you use this third option, we will acknowledge receipt of such a cancellation by email without delay.
If you wish to cancel any Contribution, you can cancel by contacting our customer services team using the contact details in section 12 (Customer Services).
(e) Our right to cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription
We may cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription immediately if you breach any of your material obligations under these terms and conditions, including if we do not receive a payment when due from you, if you breach our fair use policy under section 3, if your payments are fraudulent or if we are unable to provide you with the Supporter Plus Subscription. We will make reasonable efforts to contact you before your Supporter Plus Subscription is cancelled in this way. If we cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription because you breach any of your material obligations, you will not receive a refund of any amounts paid.
We may also stop providing you with the Supporter Plus Subscription at any time by providing you with at least 30 days’ prior notice. If you have paid the applicable monthly or annual amount, and we stop providing the Supporter Plus Subscription before the end of your current paid for period, we will give you a proportionate refund for the unused part of your Supporter Plus Subscription.
If we cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription, we may also need to cancel any Contribution you are paying.
(f) Refunds
We offer refunds in the circumstances described in sections 10(a), 10(c) and 10(e).
We also offer refunds if:
i. we are unable to provide you with the Supporter Plus Subscription through no fault of yours; or
ii. if there are exceptional circumstances or circumstances beyond our reasonable control. We will assess these circumstances on a case by case basis.
If either of the two circumstances (i) or (ii) above apply, you may cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription and we will give you a proportionate refund for the unused part of your Supporter Plus Subscription.
If you have a query about obtaining a refund, please contact our customer services team using the contact details in section 12 (Customer Services).
11. Our Responsibility To You
We are legally obliged to supply you with the Supporter Plus Subscription in a manner which conforms with these terms and conditions.
If we are unable to perform our obligations due to circumstances beyond our control, section 10(f) will apply and you will be entitled to a refund. Furthermore, we shall not be responsible for any failure to provide you with the Supporter Plus Subscription if this is due to the supply of incorrect contact or payment details by you or any other act committed by you, and you are not entitled to a refund if this is the case.
Please note that issues with your mobile network operator and/or data connection with your device may mean that you are unable to access the Supporter Plus Subscription at any particular time – this is outside of our control and we shall not be responsible in these circumstances. We may also need to suspend the supply of the Supporter Plus Subscription at any particular time to deal with technical, legal, regulatory or security issues.
We exclude our liability to you to the maximum extent permitted by law.
In all other events, our total liability to you however arising in connection with your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contributions will not exceed (i) twelve (12) times the total monthly amount you pay or (ii) the total annual amount you pay (as applicable). In certain jurisdictions, it is not possible for us to limit our liability in this way. We do not limit our liability to you where it is not possible for us to do so. Our exclusions of liability shall not apply to any damages arising from death or personal injury caused by our negligence or that of any of our employees or agents or any other liability which we cannot limit by law.
You may have statutory consumer rights (including refund rights in certain countries) that apply to your Supporter Plus Subscription which cannot be limited, excluded or modified. Nothing in these terms and conditions limits, excludes or modifies any such consumer rights.
If you are in the United States, section 16 also applies to you.
12. Customer Services / Any other questions
If you have a query or complaint about your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution, please contact us using any of the contact details below:
Email: customer.help@theguardian.com
Phone or Live Chat: please find further details in our Help Centre.
13. Changes to these terms and conditions
We may update these terms and conditions from time to time by providing you with at least 30 days’ prior notice of any material changes. The changes will apply to your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution at the end of the 30 days.
If you do not wish to accept the new terms and conditions you should not continue with your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution as this will indicate your agreement to the new terms and conditions. If you do not wish to accept the new terms and conditions, you should cancel your Supporter Plus Subscription and Contribution in accordance with clause 10(c).
14. Corporate Information
The Supporter Plus Subscription is provided by Guardian News & Media Limited (company registration number 00908396). Registered office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU and VAT number GB 145 7744 45.
15. General
We intend to rely on the written terms set out in these terms and conditions.
If a court invalidates some of these terms and conditions, or some of these terms and conditions become illegal or unlawful, the rest of these terms and conditions will continue to apply.
We can transfer these terms and conditions to another person at any time and we will give you reasonable prior notice if we plan to do this.
Nobody else has any rights under these terms and conditions – they are between you and us only.
Even if we delay in enforcing these terms and conditions, we can still enforce them later.
These terms and conditions are governed by English law. If you are resident in the UK or in the EU and we direct the Supporter Plus Subscription (and/or pursue our commercial activities in relation to the Supporter Plus Subscription and Contributions) to the country where you live, you will benefit from any more favourable mandatory provisions of local law. Despite where you live, you can bring a claim in respect of these terms and conditions in the English courts. If you live in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or the EU, you can also bring claims against us in the courts of the country you live in.
In addition, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms may be available for EU consumers. You can access the European Commission’s online platform for online dispute resolution here: http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/
Additional terms and conditions for users in the United States
16. Limitation of Liability (for US users)
IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS IN THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, FOR USERS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ONLY, WE EXCLUDE OUR LIABILITY TO YOU TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. IN NO EVENT SHALL WE BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY LOST PROFITS OR INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, STATUTORY OR SPECIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT, UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, NEGLIGENCE), INDEMNITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR OTHER THEORY AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE WERE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Details of variations
5 July 2023: various amendments to make clear that monthly and annual payments consist of subscription payments and any voluntary, separate contributions and to add section 4 which outlines terms specific to voluntary contributions. Various other amendments, including (i) changes to section 5 to bring individuals’ attention to the autorenewal provisions; (ii) adding a new section 10(c) cancellation right; (iii) adding a new section 10(d) to consolidate the ways in which individuals can cancel; and (iii) adding sections 16 for US subscribers.