If you’ve received an email from Buy Me a Coffee saying that someone sent you a gift, you’re probably wondering what this is and whether it’s legit. It is - and it’s actually kind of a big deal.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Wait - is this a scam?
Totally fair question. Unsolicited emails about free money do sound suspicious.
This is not a scam. Buy Me a Coffee is a real, established platform trusted by over a million creators worldwide to receive financial support from their audience. We are not asking you to install anything, provide personal financial details over email, or pay any fees. There’s nothing to buy and nothing to give.
You can verify us at buymeacoffee.com or search for “Buy Me a Coffee” - you’ll find us on Product Hunt, TechCrunch, and in the bios of a lot of creators you probably already follow.
So what actually happened?
Someone who follows your work decided to show their appreciation in a tangible way.
Since you didn’t have an account, they used your email address via Buy Me a Coffee to send you coffee(s). Each “coffee” is worth $5.
The person who sent this to you is just a fan who wanted to do something real to say thank you for your content. They found your email, came to our platform, and put money in for you. That’s it.
Why me? I don’t even have a Buy Me a Coffee account.
A lot of creators are putting out genuinely great work but haven’t set up a way for their audience to support them directly. Whoever sent you this coffee went an extra mile to send you their support. Perhaps this is a sign that you have more fans who’d love to show their appreciation for the work they do - you’re leaving genuine appreciation and money (literally) on the table if you don’t share your Buy Me a Coffee account in your bio for anyone to find easily.
You’re receiving this because someone thinks your work deserves to be supported. You’ll just need to create an account to collect it.
How do I claim my money?
Accepting your coffee and claiming your money won’t take more than 5 minutes.
Click the "Claim your coffee" button in the email you received. It will take you to a personalized claim page with your gift details.
Create a free Buy Me a Coffee account. All you need is an email address and a username.
Connect a payout method. We are partnered with Stripe and you’ll need to connect this to actually receive the funds.
That’s it. The amount will be paid out to you according to our standard payout schedule (typically within a few business days, depending on your bank and region).
⏰ Important: Gifts expire after 7 days from when they were sent. If you don’t create your account and claim before then, the funds are returned to the sender. Don’t wait too long.
How much will I receive?
You keep 95% of what was sent to you. Buy Me a Coffee takes a 5% platform fee. There are no other charges or hidden costs.
For example, if someone sent you 4 coffees ($20), you’ll receive $19.
What happens after I claim?
Once you’ve set up your account, a few things happen:
You get your own personal Buy Me a Coffee page at buymeacoffee.com/yourusername
You can add this link to your Instagram bio, YouTube about page, Twitter/X profile, or anywhere you share your work
Anyone who discovers your work - now or in the future - will have a direct, simple way to support you
You can also offer memberships, sell digital products, and do a lot more - but that’s entirely optional
The creators who put their Buy Me a Coffee link in their bio often find they were underestimating how many people wanted to support them and just didn’t have a way to. Buy Me a Coffee is more reliable and meaningful that any ad revenue and we have thousands of creators whose primary income is via Buy Me a Coffee.
Can I see who sent this?
Yes, if the sender has shared their name. The sender’s name and their personal message to you are included in the claim email. You can also see these on your claim page when you create your account.
Do I have to keep using Buy Me a Coffee after I claim?
No. Claiming your gift doesn’t lock you in to anything. You create a free account, collect your money, and you can do as much or as little with it as you like.
That said, a lot of creators who come in to claim a gift end up discovering that their audience is more willing to support them than they thought. Your link is yours, it’s free, and it doesn’t require any ongoing effort unless you want it to.
I have more questions
Our support team is happy to help. Reach us at [email protected] or visit help.buymeacoffee.com.