How to Donate on Twitch - Support Your Favorite Creators

Twitch streamers are much more like entertainers and influencers than they are like elite athletes. They try to leverage their online following into financial support. The popularity of the platform and the selection of games being played are undoubtedly important factors in this process. 

But it’s equally important for the viewers to show their support to their favorite streamers by learning how to donate on Twitch. Keep reading to find out how to make your contribution count.

A Star to Subscribe

One of the ways to support a streamer you follow is to subscribe to their channel. Subscriptions or Twitch subs cost between $4.99 and $24.99, with a portion of that cash going to Twitch. Subscribers get unique benefits, such as emotes, chat options, and more. You can get the full list of perks in the streamer’s “About me” section below the streaming video. 

The process is equally straightforward whether you’re trying to figure out how to donate through subs on Twitch mobile or via desktop.

On the Twitch website, in the top-right corner of the video player, you’ll see the Subscribe button. Click on it to select one of the subscription tiers. Currently, there are three tiers with a unique set of benefits. Make sure you scroll down the list and read about the costs and services before choosing one of the options.

Next, you’ll be redirected to the Twitch payment page, where you can use both PayPal and credit cards. If you don’t need to know how to donate on Twitch with PayPal and use other payment types, click the “More Methods.” Here you can subscribe using Apple Pay, bank transfers, paysafecard, or digital currencies. The list of available payment methods depends on your location.

You have a choice between a one-month, three-month, or six-month subscription. Bear in mind that you can only subscribe to channels that have Twitch Affiliate or Twitch Partner status. Don’t be surprised if you don’t see this option with smaller Twitch streamers who host bigger streaming channels.

You can also get a subscription to your favorite streaming channel for free. Users looking at how to donate on Twitch for free will need an Amazon Prime account that they can link to their Twitch account to activate Prime Gaming. With Prime Gaming, you can subscribe to one channel per month for free. And if you’re a fan that’s unable to afford a subscription, someone can get one for you as a gift.

On the other hand, you can give subs to followers on any channel where you already have a subscription. Instead of the subscribe button, you’ll get the Gift Subs button. You can choose between a preset number of subs or enter any number between 1 and 100. 

Before figuring out how to get to the donate button on Twitch, you’re probably wondering how much of your subscription payment goes to your favorite streamer. Typically, the streamers will take home  50%, while the remainder of the money is collected by Twitch. This means a Twitch streamer gets $2.50 from the $4.99 monthly subscriptions. Highly popular streamers can get a better deal from Twitch, with their cut going up to 70%. This is a solid donation for those who stream mobile games on Twitch.

Send Out a Cheer

Another way to donate to streamers is to cheer with Twitch Bits. This is the platform’s own digital currency that can be used to reward streamers through microtransactions. They can also be used by viewers to get acknowledgments from streamers through badges and leaderboards, as well as unlock loot during esports tournaments.

If you’re looking at how to donate on Twitch with this online currency, start with the diamond-shaped cheering icon on the right side of the chat box. If the streamer cannot accept Bits, the diamond-shaped icon won’t appear. Once you click on the icon in the Bits menu, you can choose which emotes to use with the cheer. Here, you’ll also select the number of Bits, either by clicking on one of the pre-approved options or typing in the number yourself. In addition, there is an option to buy Bits.

Let’s assume you have 500 Bits earmarked for your favorite streamer, and you want to know how to donate Bits on Twitch. Simply type in “Cheer500” in the chat box, and the amount will be deducted from your account. This method will work on both computers and the Twitch mobile app. If you accidentally enter the wrong number of Bits, you can click on Cancel within five seconds of sending out the message.

The maximum number of Bits you can send to a streamer with a cheer is 10,000. Meanwhile, the max number of Bits per chat message is 100,000. Now that you know how to donate a cheer on Twitch, the only thing left to do is buy them.

The actual rate is one cent for one Bit, but the price is higher since Twitch takes its cut. Right now, that cut is 68% of the total price viewers pay. You can only purchase Bits in packages.

• 100 Bits - $1.68
• 500 Bits - $8.40
• 1,500 Bits - 23.94 (5% discount)
• 5,000 - $77.28 (8% discount)
• 10,000 - $151.20 (10% discount)
• 25,000 - $369.60 (12% discount)

Fortunately, there are ways to get Twitch free Bits by watching ads and taking part in surveys. Of course, this option may not be available if you’re blocking Twitch ads on your browser. Streamers have Twitch donations setup options, which enable them to change these Bits to Dollars on Twitch. The rate is $1 for every 100 Bits or $10 for 1,000 Bits and so on. 

Bits can be purchased using PayPal and Amazon Pay. Go to the top-right corner, next to the subscribe button, and click on “Get Bits.” From here, you can select which Bits package you wish to buy.

Direct Donation for Salvation

With a third-party link, streamers get to keep 100% of the viewers’ donations since Twitch doesn’t take a cut. You can support the streamer directly via the donation link. Streamers need to use a third-party company payment service for donation links. Depending on the streamer, you can use cash or cryptocurrencies to make your donation.

If you’re looking at how to donate directly on Twitch, you’ll need to go to the streamer’s channel page. Next, scroll down until you see a donation link, which is usually located next to the profile info. Click on it to go to the third-party site, select the amount, and enter any other required details. Then click on the Donate button to complete the transaction. 

Merchandise and Affiliate Links

For many streamers still searching for sponsorship deals, one of the primary sources of income is affiliate links. Here, you can usually buy t-shirts, coffee mugs, and more. Most affiliate links have a 10-15% discount on the gaming and streamer-related merchandise, with a piece of the profits going to the streamers.

Of course, there is no shortage of viewers who simply want to know how to donate on Twitch with a credit card. In these instances, using an affiliate link is the way to go. The important thing that up-and-coming streamers need to remember is that the road to a lucrative sponsorship deal is a long one, and it’s important not to delete a Twitch account out of despair.

Show Your Twitch Support

Twitch has made it easy to fund your favorite streamers, the pioneers of the new age of entertainment. As our world continues to experience extensive technological advances, talent is being redefined. Thankfully, it’s never been easier to figure out how to donate to a streamer on Twitch and reward their hard work.