On Twitch, some users have been charged for recurring subscriptions to streams that were permanently banned, which goes against the platform’s stated policies.
In March 2025, a Twitch streamer who had been permanently banned shared with TopMob, on the condition of confidentiality, that they were still receiving subscription payments for a channel no longer accessible to viewers. This goes against Twitch’s policy which indicates that subscriptions should not renew if a streamer is indefinitely banned.
The information provided on the help page regarding account restrictions and bans explains that if an account is permanently banned, access to Twitch’s monetization features will be restricted for the duration of the ban, and any ongoing subscription services to your channel will not auto-renew.
As a dedicated gamer, I stumbled upon a concerning issue where several streamers who had been permanently banned were still receiving their payouts, dating back as early as 2022.
On September 21, 2022, the previously permanently banned streamer Tempest advised his followers to terminate their resubscriptions and instead opt for membership on his YouTube channel.
They stated, “I don’t understand, it seems unfair that Twitch could ban me yet still keep half the income from a channel they won’t unban, it’s practically stealing money.
If you’re still subscribed to my Twitch channel, consider switching to my YouTube membership instead. I’m not sure how it works, but it seems Twitch could potentially ban me, yet still take 50% of the revenue from a channel they won’t unban. It feels like they’re literally stealing money, which is quite unfair to content creators.
— Tempest (@WayOfTheTempest) September 21, 2022
Back in a different discussion thread dated January 2025, live streaming personality ‘Incoxicated’ stated that Twitch was still deducting recurring subscription fees. They also tagged Twitch Support and the company’s CEO in their post.
So you’re just going to keep charging them and paying me LMAO?
@TwitchSupport— Incoxicated (@Burnt_Caper) January 17, 2025
According to a screenshot posted on X, the streamer reached out to Twitch regarding frequent charges but their customer service team failed to address his concern and stated they were closing the issue. In other words, after a careful examination, we regret to inform you that we cannot offer any further clarification beyond what was already provided in our previous response.
This continued with more banned creators bringing this issue to light publicly on X.
In January 2025, xJappa notified Twitch that his subscribers were continuing to be billed, even though he had been banned from the platform two months earlier.
Additionally, @TwitchSupport, it seems that certain users are still being billed for their subscriptions, even though I have been indefinitely suspended since November of last year.
— xJappa (@x_Jappa) January 15, 2025
Jappa shared with TopMob that he’s still receiving subscription fees from Twitch, stating, “I think around ten individuals have automatically renewed their subscriptions. It’s rather foolish of Twitch to permit this auto-renewal despite my indefinite ban on the platform.
In March 2025, the streamer known as SokkzVR publicly called out Twitch, alleging that the platform automatically renewed subscriptions without user consent.
They stated, “If you’re subscribed to my Twitch channel, I kindly ask you to unsubscribe and seek a refund. It seems that despite my ban, Twitch continues to collect subscription fees from everyone, including mine!
One of those subscribers replied to the post, claiming that Twitch also refused to refund them.
They stated that they asked for a refund because their account was permanently banned on autorenewal, but were denied. They believe this is against their policy and unjust business practice, and are considering a collective legal action to address the issue.
– I asked for a refund because my account was automatically renewed when the channel was permanently banned, but I was denied. This appears to be their standard policy and business practice, which suggests a potential class action lawsuit might be warranted.
— GYRECK GAMING (@GYRECK) March 8, 2025
“I usually sub for 6 months so they didn’t refund my months you got banned for,” another added.
ya i usually sub for 6 months so they didn’t refund my months you got banned for.
— Hime ✨🌸🌹(桜姫) (@Hyunmihime) March 8, 2025
Following contact with Twitch, the bans imposed on SokkzVR and xJappa were rescinded within 24 hours, as confirmed by TopMob.
Users haven’t just raised this concern once on Twitch; instead, it’s a recurring topic on Twitch’s ‘User Voice’ page, where users express their feedback to the platform’s team. There, many users have spoken up about the issue of recurring subscriptions for creators who have been banned.
1. “It’s only fair to give back some of the subscription fee when a streamer gets banned.” – This was suggested in 2024.
2. “It’s ridiculous to keep charging for a channel that’s been suspended,” expressed a post from November 2022.
Additionally, not only are the banned streamers still receiving payments, but so are those streamers who chose to delete their own accounts.
Occasionally, it happens that a user who terminated their account continues to receive payments from their subscribers.
Regardless of the fact that the user’s account has been deactivated more than 90 days back, they can still enjoy their subscriber benefits, which encompass their unique emotes.
Twitch confirms subscribers are billed after permabans
TopMob reached out to Twitch regarding two issues: accounts that were deleted and streamers who were banned but still receiving subscription payouts. In response, Twitch stated that according to their policy, recurring subscriptions should be terminated in both scenarios. The company further clarified that when a channel is either removed or permanently suspended, the subscriptions do not get renewed. They added that they are currently addressing these exceptions as they seem to be unusual cases.
In specific situations where subscriptions remain active despite no longer being necessary, it’s expected that users will be issued a refund.
Twitch declined to comment on how many edge cases it is aware of, or how they slip through.
Twitch mentioned they provide a specific timeframe for permanently banned streamers to potentially keep their recurring subscriptions if an appeal is successful. Once this timeframe ends, these subscriptions will no longer be automatically renewed.
Despite not specifying whether the grace period is fixed, variable, or of an indeterminate length, it’s clear that it exists and users continue to be billed by Twitch during a streamer’s indefinite ban. This contradicts the public perception that subscriptions would be suspended under such circumstances.
Additionally, many streamers permanently banned from the platform may find that their subscribers were billed during a leniency period, but subsequently had their appeals denied or chose not to appeal. It remains uncertain whether these subscription fees will be reimbursed.
Twitch did not clarify why the grace period isn’t mentioned publicly on the help page or T&Cs.
As a devoted viewer, I’ve come to understand that subscribing to channels on Twitch isn’t about gaining entry to content, but rather it’s a way to offer support to my favorite streamers. Yet, the broadcasters themselves have the option to make their live streams, chats, and VODs exclusive only for subscribers by setting the “sub-only” mode.
No telling how much Twitch has accepted in recurring subscriptions for banned streamers
It’s impossible to determine the precise number of people who have paid for, or continue to pay for, subscriptions on channels that have been banned.
It’s uncertain when instances occurred where banned or removed streamers started getting recurring subscription payments, nor is it clear what triggers this issue. A streamer reported to TopMob that they didn’t receive any payment from Twitch following their ban in 2020.
According to our research, the first known case of a permanently banned streamer still receiving payments occurred in September 2022. If all banned streamers since then have had their subscriptions auto-renew, and viewers haven’t manually unsubscribed, it is probable that the revenue from subscriptions for these banned channels would reach into the millions of dollars.
Lawyer says Twitch could be committing fraud
Lawyer Andrew Esquire from the YouTube channel ‘Legal Mindset’ suggests that Twitch might potentially be engaging in fraudulent practices if they fail to automatically cancel recurring subscriptions.
He pointed out that not cancelling online subscriptions is a relatively recent issue in legal terms. However, there’s been significant pushback, particularly at the governmental levels of both nations and states, aiming to penalize American companies for neglecting to adhere to cancellation policies.
This scenario might encompass federal or state authorities like the Federal Trade Commission taking stern regulatory measures against companies that neglect to terminate subscriptions as required. Remarkably, cases akin to this have previously been initiated against Adobe and Amazon, following allegations of ‘dark patterns’ made by the FTC. These ‘dark patterns’ refer to misleading subscription and cancellation procedures.
He noted that if this practice extended beyond just the exceptional situations, it could be considered pervasive and systematic deceit. Such behavior might attract unwanted attention from both government oversight and class-action lawsuits due to its clear disregard for responsibility.
For Amazon customers, the Federal Trade Commission discovered that it was challenging to cancel a Prime membership due to the platform’s design. Additionally, some transactions failed to explicitly mention that by selecting specific payment methods, users were automatically enrolling in a recurring Prime subscription.
According to Esquire, consumers can assert their rights in two ways: firstly, by invoking consumer protection laws that enable private lawsuits when businesses fail to deliver services they’ve been paid for; secondly, by filing a lawsuit due to a straightforward breach of contract if the service they’re paying for isn’t being provided.
Twitch subscriptions are a fundamental part of the platform’s revenue.
2023 saw Twitch revealing their decision to abolish the previous 70/30 revenue share for subs, stating that this model was no longer financially viable given escalating operational expenses. Consequently, all streamers on the platform were switched to a more equitable 50/50 revenue split instead.
Moreover, Twitch has been increasing its subscription costs. In 2024, Tier 1 subscriptions in the US went up from $4.99 to $5.99, while mobile subscriptions saw a 33% rise from $5.99 to $7.99.
2024 found me grappling with unexpected financial hurdles, despite Twitch raking in a whopping $2 billion in yearly revenues that same year.
come January 2024, the company was forced to reduce its staff by 35%, letting go of 500 employees, because the site wasn’t making a profit, as announced by CEO Dan Clancy.
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2025-04-03 21:50