Introducing Pledge Over Time — Now Available to all Creators

Earlier this month, we introduced a suite of new features designed to improve the crowdfunding experience for both creators and backers. ICYMI, here’s a quick recap of what’s new.

Today, we’re unveiling another major improvement: Pledge Over Time, a smarter way to support ambitious projects on Kickstarter.

Pledge Over Time allows backers to split their pledge into three equal, interest-free monthly payments. That means premium rewards become more accessible, and creators can hit bigger funding goals without changing how they build.

Why We Built Pledge Over Time

The most ambitious ideas deserve to be seen. But as projects evolve from epic board games to cutting-edge hardware so do their funding goals. Higher-tier rewards often require a larger upfront investment, making them harder for backers to commit to in one go.

We heard this challenge loud and clear.

Some backers held off on pledging altogether. Others paused at checkout, not because they were bored, but because the cost felt out of reach in a single payment.

Pledge Over Time is our answer. It removes one of the most significant barriers in crowdfunding, the upfront cost, without adding complexity for creators or requiring interest-bearing loans for backers.

Here’s how it works:

• For Backers: The first payment is charged when a project successfully funds. The remaining two payments are collected automatically each month.
• For Creators: After the campaign ends, you receive your standard payout and a payout of the first set of Pledge Over Time payments. Once the remaining Pledge Over Time payments are all collected, you will receive a final payout

What Creators Are Saying

Before rolling it out, we piloted Pledge Over Time with a select group of beta testers across multiple categories. The feedback? Immediate and enthusiastic.

“First of all, thank you so much for making PLOT available to Kickstarter backers and to my campaign. We’ve received a good number of pledges we would not have otherwise received because of your new payment option.”

— Rachel Rener (3X Publishing Creator)

“I would appreciate using it again. It gives more flexibility and can improve the campaign performance, especially for the ones with high reward tiers.”

— Damian Korus (Games Designer of Exploration by Ply)

When backers are given more flexibility in how they pledge, especially in ways that fit their lifestyle, they tend to aim higher. During our closed beta, campaigns that offered this payment feature saw average pledge amounts that were 42% higher, and backers who used Pledge Over Time pledged more than double the amount of those who paid upfront.

For creators launching ambitious projects, it’s a simple shift that can lead to big results and make it easier for more backers to take part in bringing those ideas to life.

Ready to Reach Higher? 

Pledge Over Time is live now and built to help you unlock more funds, make premium rewards more accessible, and reduce the friction at checkout.

If you’re ready to give backers more ways to say yes, we’d love to see what you’ll build.