How Pledgd works

Setting up a pact

A pact is a habit, a set of days and a stake. You can make one on your own or with friends.

On your own

1. The habit. Something you can say yes or no to each day, like “run 3k” or “no phone after 10pm”.
2. Your days. Every day, certain days of the week, or a number of times a week.
3. Your stake. £2 to £100 for each missed check-in.
4. The length. 4, 8, 12 or 16 weeks.
5. A summary to check, including the most you could be charged each week and over the whole pact.

With your mates

Pick what you're each doing, how often, and by when. If anyone doesn't, everyone's stake is charged: 85% donated to MSF UK, 15% Pledgd's fee.

1. The group. Whoever makes it picks a name, one stake for everyone (£10 to £500) and how often: Today, once by 23:59 UK time, or Every week, 1 to 7 times a week, where 7 is every day.
2. Your activity. Each person picks their own, like “gym” or “read 20 pages”.
3. One consent screen to agree to the shared stake, and a card saved.

A Today pact runs once, on one UK calendar day. It locks in and starts the moment at least two of you are in, and nobody can join after that or after 21:00. With fewer than two in by 21:00, it doesn't run and nobody is charged. If you're invited too late, you can start one for tomorrow instead.

In a weekly pact, a week runs Monday 00:00 to Sunday 23:59 UK time. It locks in at Monday 00:00 once at least two of you are in. With fewer than two, that week doesn't run and nobody is charged. Each Monday a new week starts, until you opt out.

Your card is saved when you sign up to a pact. Nothing is charged up front.

Choosing your days

On your own, pick when your habit happens: every day, certain days of the week, or a number of times a week. Nothing is charged for a day you didn't schedule. On a scheduled day you have until 11:59 PM your local time to check in.

In a group, there are no set days: everyone has the same target. In a Today pact, it's once, by 11:59 PM UK time that day. In a weekly pact, any day counts, and you have until Sunday 11:59 PM UK time to hit it.

Stakes

Your stake is the amount you're charged if you don't keep to your pact. On your own, you set it. In a group, it's one stake for everyone, set when the group is made.

• Solo pacts: £2 to £100 for each missed check-in.
• Group pacts: £10 to £500, the same for everyone, charged at most once for a Today pact, or once a week for a weekly pact.
• You see your maximum first. Before you confirm a solo pact, we show the most you could be charged each week and over the whole pact.

A miss is one card payment for your stake. On a £5 stake, £4.25 is donated to MSF UK and 75p is Pledgd's fee. Your emailed receipt shows both parts.

85% of every missed pledge is donated to the charity you chose, currently Médecins Sans Frontières (UK), registered charity no. 1026588. The other 15% is Pledgd's separate platform fee.

Solo and group pacts

There are two kinds of pact. Everyone in a pact stakes money.

Sharing a stake

Every group pact uses a shared stake: hit together, or pay together. To join a group, each person agrees to it.

• If anyone who's locked in for the day or week misses their target, it's lost for everyone. When it ends, each person is charged their own stake once.
• If everyone hits their target, nobody is charged.
• Sharing can mean you're charged for a day or week where you hit your target, because someone else missed.
• Nobody receives anyone else's money. Each person pays their own stake on their own card, and it only ever goes to MSF UK and Pledgd's fee.

Read more about money and shared stakes.

Checking in

On a scheduled day, open the app and tap Check in. You can check in any time up to 11:59 PM. In a group, tap once each UK day you do your thing: by 11:59 PM that day in a Today pact, or by Sunday 11:59 PM UK time in a weekly pact.

Check-ins are on your honour. Nobody asks for a photo or any proof. In a group pact, the others see each check-in, which is the point.

If you checked in on time but it wasn't recorded, or Pledgd was down when you tried, email [email protected] and we refund the charge in full. See refunds.

Reminders

On a solo pact, each scheduled day you haven't checked in by the evening gets one reminder, by email and push notification, about three hours before the deadline.

ReminderCheck in by 23:59

A missed day

If 11:59 PM passes without a check-in, the day is a miss. On a solo pact, your card is charged shortly after, just after midnight your local time. In a group pact, the day or week is a miss if anyone ends it short of the target, and everyone is charged once when it ends.

Your receipt£5 for missing Thursday: £4.25 donated to MSF UK, 75p Pledgd fee.

The charge is one card payment for your stake: 85% donated to Médecins Sans Frontières UK and 15% as Pledgd's fee. You get an email receipt showing both parts.

85% of every missed pledge is donated to the charity you chose, currently Médecins Sans Frontières (UK), registered charity no. 1026588. The other 15% is Pledgd's separate platform fee.

What changes after a miss

• A solo pact carries on. The next scheduled day is a fresh check-in.
• In a group, the others see who fell short. In a weekly pact, the next week starts fresh on Monday; a Today pact is over.

Pausing and illness

If you're ill, injured or something else comes up, pause the pact in the app. You can resume it when you're ready.

• Paused days are never charged.
• Days you missed before you paused are still charged.
• In a weekly pact, tap I'm out next week to sit the next week out. While you're out you can't cause the shared charge, but it doesn't change who's in for the current week.

If you couldn't check in because you were seriously ill, in hospital, or dealing with a family emergency or bereavement, email [email protected] within 14 days. We don't ask for medical evidence, and we refund the charge in full, up to 2 times in any 12 months. See refunds.

If things are hard right now

If money or your health is getting on top of you, you can talk to someone today:

• Samaritans: call 116 123, any time of day or night.
• MoneyHelper: call 0800 138 7777 for help with money worries.

Cancelling or leaving

You have a legal right to cancel within 14 days of signing up to a pact. The terms explain how.

After that, you can cancel a solo pact in the app:

• Nothing is charged for days after you cancel.
• Days you already missed have already been charged.

In a weekly pact, a new week starts every Monday. Tap I'm out next week or Leave pact any time before Sunday 11:59 PM UK time and you're out from the next Monday. The group's creator can also end the pact for everyone from the next Monday. Leaving, joining or ending always takes effect from the next Monday, so nothing done mid-week changes who's in for that week, and that week still settles.

A Today pact runs once. You can leave before it starts and you're not charged; once it has started, leaving or ending it doesn't change who's in, and it still settles once its 23:59 deadline has passed.

The one exception is cancelling within your 14 days: email us and it's immediate, your stake for that day or week is void and you're not counted. For a Today pact, that right ends at its 23:59 deadline.

What friends see

In a group pact, the others see your progress, because they're in the pact with you. Your card stays private.

There is no money leaderboard, and nobody wins anything.

You can also share a solo pact with friends or a group so they can follow along. Sharing is only so they can see it: that pact's money never goes on the group.