Cashing out credits

The numbers

Credits earned from fans sit in your balance until you request a cash-out. The rules are fixed and worth memorising:

• Rate: 75 cents per credit
• Hold: credits become eligible 7 days after they were earned
• Minimum: 20 credits per cash-out ($15)
• Maximum: 1000 credits per week ($750)
• Destination: the payout method you have chosen in your settings

So if a fan tips you 40 credits on Monday, those credits are eligible the following Monday, and you can include them in any cash-out of 20 credits or more.

The hold and the weekly cap

The 7 days give time for the fan's credit purchase to settle and for obvious fraud to surface before money leaves the platform. Card disputes on credit packs are between the fan and VestaCreate rather than you, and the hold is part of what makes that workable. The trade is that you do not need your own high-risk merchant account to accept these sales.

Plan around it rather than against it. Earnings from last week are what you cash out this week.

The 1000-credit weekly cap means a maximum of $750 a week through credits. Most creators never approach it. If you do, you have two options: cash out in successive weeks, or steer higher-ticket items such as large customs toward your direct payment links, where there is no cap and no cut.

Choosing a payout method

Before your first cash-out, set up your payout method. Choose one that:

• Belongs to a dedicated business account, not your main personal account
• Is at a provider you are confident will accept the deposits
• Has details you have double-checked, since a bounced payout costs you days

If you change banks, update the payout method before you request the next cash-out, not after.

Problems and records

If an amount does not match your expectation or a payment has not arrived in a reasonable time, use the support form at /support with the date and the credit amount. A person reads it. Check your balance history first; the 7-day hold and the minimum explain most apparent discrepancies.

Each cash-out is income on the day you receive it. Record the dollar amount, the date, and the number of credits it represented. Your balance history on VestaCreate helps, but keep your own copy too; your tax records should never depend on a single login. A simple spreadsheet with one line per cash-out is all it takes, and your accountant will thank you.