Payment Terms

Last updated: 2026-05-14 · These terms are reviewed by Astra periodically and effective on the Last updated date above.

These Payment Terms apply to all paid transactions on Astra — subscriptions, Star (coin) top-ups, gifts, tips, shop purchases, reader sessions, embed widget licences. Read together with the Subscription Terms (auto-renewal specifics), Refund Policy (when refunds apply), Coin Terms (Stars rules), and Shop Terms (physical / digital goods).

1. Who you are paying

The merchant of record is Sunstone Venture Capital LLC dba Sunheir Culture ([Sunstone Venture Capital LLC, address — fill in], United States). For reader-marketplace sessions Astra is acting as the limited payment collection agent of the independent reader pursuant to Reader Agreement § 4.

2. Currency and pricing

Prices are shown in USD unless noted.
For users in supported regions we may display local currency at checkout; the converted price is set by Stripe's daily rate plus a transparent FX fee disclosed at checkout.
All prices exclude sales tax, VAT, GST, consumption tax, service tax, or other applicable transaction taxes, which are added at checkout where required.

3. Payment methods

Cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners, UnionPay (where supported by Stripe).
Wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link.
Local methods: SEPA Direct Debit, iDEAL, Bancontact, EPS, giropay, P24, sofort, Multibanco, Boleto (Brazil), OXXO (Mexico), Konbini (Japan), Alipay, WeChat Pay (where Stripe supports).
Payment-card data is processed by Stripe (PCI-DSS Level 1). Astra does not receive or store full card numbers, CVV, or bank account numbers.

4. Authorization

By submitting payment you authorise Astra (acting through Stripe) to charge the payment method for the amount disclosed at checkout, plus applicable taxes. For recurring subscriptions you additionally authorise recurring charges per the Subscription Terms. You may revoke authorisation by cancelling in Settings → Billing (subscriptions) or contacting hello@astraplatform.ai (other recurring charges).

5. Failed payments

If a payment fails (declined card, insufficient funds, expired card), we will retry up to four times over fourteen days. We will email you to update payment method. After fourteen days we may suspend access to paid features. Failed-payment retries follow Stripe's network rules and your bank's authorisation logic.

6. Receipts and invoices

Receipts are emailed automatically.
For European VAT, Japanese qualified-invoice (適格請求書), and similar regimes, we issue a compliant invoice. Submit your business registration number at checkout or hello@astraplatform.ai to add it to your invoices.

7. Sales tax / VAT / GST

We collect sales tax, VAT, GST, consumption tax, and service tax where we are required to and where our nexus thresholds are met. The applicable tax is determined by the billing address, and is calculated by Stripe Tax.

8. Chargebacks

If you dispute a charge with your card issuer before contacting us, your account may be suspended pending resolution. Please contact hello@astraplatform.ai first — we resolve most issues within 48 hours.

If you win a chargeback, we reinstate access. If we win, the disputed amount plus a $25 chargeback fee (or actual processor fee, whichever is higher) may be assessed against your account balance or future credits.

Repeat or fraudulent chargebacks result in account termination.

9. Currency conversion and FX

For international payments not in USD, Stripe handles conversion at its daily rate plus the FX margin disclosed at checkout. Card- issuer FX fees may apply separately.

10. Promotional pricing

Promotional prices ("first month $9", trial extensions, holiday discounts) are introductory and revert to standard pricing at the end of the disclosed window. Renewal pricing is shown at checkout per the Subscription Terms § 3.
Coupon codes are single-use unless stated otherwise.
We may revoke promotional pricing for abuse (stacking multiple coupons, ban-evasion).

11. Refunds

Refunds are governed by the Refund Policy. By default digital content and completed readings are non-refundable, with explicit carve-outs for the EU 14-day right of withdrawal and reader no-show situations.

12. Reader-marketplace payments

Astra holds reader-session payment in escrow until session completion plus the 24-hour seeker dispute window.
Reader payouts go through Stripe Connect on the standard 70/30 split; see the Reader Agreement § 4.

13. Live gifts and tips

Gifts (paid via Stars) are non-refundable once received by the broadcaster, except for accidental sends reversed within 5 minutes via in-app Undo.
Tips are final on send.
70/30 split applies to gifts and tips.

14. Shop

Physical goods follow the Shop Terms and ship from US warehouses unless noted. Customs duties and import taxes are your responsibility.
Digital goods follow the Shop Terms refund window.

15. Disputes between you and Astra

Contact hello@astraplatform.ai first. We respond within 48 hours on business days. If we cannot resolve, dispute mechanism is the same as Terms of Service § 12 (JAMS arbitration with EU/UK/Brazil/AU/KR/JP consumer-court reservation).