Terms of Service

These Terms govern your access to and use of the Chipin Hive websites, applications, and related services (collectively, "Chipin Hive" or the "Service"). "We," "us," and "our" mean the operators of Chipin Hive.

By accessing or using Chipin Hive, creating a Hive, joining a Hive, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use Chipin Hive.

If you use Chipin Hive on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

You must be at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, if higher) to use Chipin Hive, and you must be able to form a binding contract under applicable law.

You may use Chipin Hive only in compliance with these Terms, all applicable laws, and payment-network rules. Organizers who complete payout onboarding must also satisfy Stripe Connect identity, banking, and eligibility requirements for the relevant country and account type.

Chipin Hive is a group commitment and payment product. An organizer creates a shared financial goal called a Hive, sets how many people are needed and how much each person contributes, shares a link, and invites participants to pay their share.

When participants pay and commit, Chipin Hive collects those payments through Stripe. If the Hive reaches its contribution target under the rules below, the organizer may complete payout setup and withdraw eligible contribution funds. If a Hive expires, is cancelled, or is otherwise closed under these Terms before withdrawal is completed in the ordinary course, eligible refunds may be issued as described in the Refunds section.

Chipin Hive is not a bank, savings account, investment product, or escrow service. Funds movement is processed by Stripe under Stripe's terms. Contribution amounts intended for organizers are held and moved according to Chipin Hive's payment architecture with Stripe (platform charges and later transfers or payouts to organizers), not as a traditional bank deposit in your name.

If you create a Hive, you are an organizer. You are responsible for:

• providing accurate Hive titles, descriptions, amounts, spot counts, and deadlines;
• using Chipin Hive only for lawful purposes;
• keeping your management link and recovery credentials secure;
• completing Stripe Connect onboarding when required to withdraw funds;
• using withdrawn funds only for the stated or otherwise lawful purpose of the Hive; and
• complying with these Terms, our policies, and payment-provider rules.

When you create a Hive, Chipin Hive provides a private management link (and may provide a recovery code). Anyone with the management link can manage that Hive. Treat it like a password. Recovery codes are shown once and are not emailed.

If you join a Hive, you are a participant. By paying and committing, you authorize Chipin Hive (through Stripe) to charge the amount shown at checkout for that commitment, including applicable fees displayed before you pay.

You are responsible for providing accurate contact information, using a payment method you are authorized to use, and reviewing the Hive details before paying.

When you are charged. Participants are charged when they successfully complete payment and commitment for a Hive (pay on commit). The charge amount is the total shown at checkout for that commitment.

Payment methods. Payments are processed by Stripe using Stripe's payment interfaces (such as Payment Element). Chipin Hive does not receive or store your full card number or CVC. Chipin Hive may store Stripe identifiers and limited payment-method display information (for example, brand and last four digits) as needed to operate the Service, including rejoining with a saved method where available.

Authorization and confirmation. A commitment is counted toward the Hive only after payment succeeds and Chipin Hive confirms the commitment. Failed, abandoned, or incomplete checkouts do not reserve a spot.

Saved payment methods. Where supported, Chipin Hive may allow you to reuse a previously saved payment method for a later commitment to the same Hive (for example, after a permitted rejoin). You can choose a different payment method when offered.

Chipin Hive may charge a service fee. Payment-processing costs may also be allocated to the participant as a processing fee. Fee amounts and labels are shown before you pay for a given commitment. The amount displayed at checkout for that transaction controls for that charge.

Fees and the Hive goal. The Hive funding goal and organizer withdrawal amount are based on participant contributions (each person's share of the goal). Service and processing fees charged to participants are in addition to the contribution and do not increase the organizer's Hive contribution total.

Fee rates may change over time for new Hives or as disclosed in the product.

Each Hive has a contribution share, a number of spots, a contribution target (spots × share), and a contribution deadline set by the organizer. The contribution deadline governs whether participants complete required payments on time. It is separate from when card processors make collected funds available for organizer withdrawal.

• A Hive is open for new commitments while it remains open, spots remain, and the contribution deadline has not passed.
• When the required number of successful paid commitments is reached before the contribution deadline, the Hive is treated as funded under product rules and participant cancellation is no longer available in the ordinary open-Hive flow. Later card settlement timing does not reopen or expire that funded Hive.
• If the contribution deadline passes before the Hive fills, the Hive expires and Chipin Hive may issue refunds to paid participants as described below.
• After a Hive fills, the organizer may need to complete payout setup within a limited grace period. If payout setup is not completed in time, the Hive may be cancelled and refunds issued under product rules.

Participant cancellation. While a Hive is still open and before the deadline, a participant with an active paid commitment may cancel. Cancellation releases the spot and, where the participant was charged, initiates a refund of the charged total for that commitment.

When commitments become final for participants. After a Hive is fully funded (or otherwise no longer open for ordinary participant cancellation), participants generally cannot cancel through the self-serve cancel flow.

Organizer removal. While a Hive is still open and has not yet reached its funding goal, an organizer may remove a participant. Removal cancels that commitment and, if the participant was charged, initiates a refund. After the Hive successfully reaches its goal, ordinary participant removal is no longer available; unused contribution principal may instead be returned through the leftover-funds flow when offered. Removed participants typically cannot rejoin unless the organizer later allows rejoining.

Organizer Hive cancellation. Before payout processing has started, an organizer may cancel the entire Hive. Active paid commitments are cancelled and refunds are initiated for charged participants as applicable.

Organizer refund or cancellation actions may be unavailable after payout has started or completed, as enforced by the product.

Where Chipin Hive issues a refund under these Terms or product rules (for example, participant cancellation while open, organizer removal, Hive cancellation, expiration before fill, or payout-setup timeout), the refund amount for a charged commitment is generally the total amount charged for that commitment (contribution plus applicable fees shown at checkout), returned to the original payment method through Stripe.

Chipin Hive may show a refund as processing until the refund has been successfully created with Stripe, and as issued after that confirmation. An issued refund does not mean the funds have already posted to your bank or card statement.

After a refund is issued, it typically takes 5–10 business days to appear on your card, depending on your bank or card provider. Weekends and holidays are not business days. Some banks may post sooner. Chipin Hive does not guarantee an exact arrival date.

If you cancel your own commitment while a Hive is still open, you may generally rejoin later if the Hive remains open, spots remain, and the deadline has not passed. Payment for a new commitment is required.

If an organizer removes you, you generally cannot rejoin unless the organizer allows you to rejoin. Where a refund is still processing, Chipin Hive may require the refund to be issued before you can pay again.

After a Hive is funded, organizers must complete Stripe Connect onboarding (Express connected account) before withdrawing eligible funds. Onboarding and payout eligibility are subject to Stripe's requirements and reviews.

Chipin Hive does not automatically withdraw funds. Organizers request withdrawal in the product. Eligible withdrawals transfer contribution amounts to the organizer's connected Stripe account under Chipin Hive's separate-charges-and-transfers model. Available withdrawal options (such as standard transfer or instant payout where offered) and any related costs or limitations are shown in the product at the time of withdrawal.

Funds may be delayed, held, limited, or unavailable because of pending refunds, incomplete onboarding, Stripe or bank reviews, risk checks, network rules, or legal requirements. We do not promise immediate availability.

Payments may be subject to disputes, chargebacks, or similar procedures through card networks and Stripe. If a dispute occurs, Chipin Hive and/or Stripe may investigate and may reverse, withhold, offset, restrict, or otherwise adjust amounts or access where permitted by law, network rules, and Stripe's terms.

You agree to cooperate reasonably with investigations. Filing an improper dispute may result in restriction of your use of Chipin Hive.

You may not use Chipin Hive to:

• violate any law, regulation, or payment-network rule;
• engage in fraud, deception, or misrepresentation;
• collect funds for illegal goods or services, or other categories restricted by Stripe or applicable law;
• launder money or finance unlawful activity;
• evade sanctions or trade restrictions;
• abuse payment systems, including unauthorized payment methods or stolen credentials;
• circumvent Chipin Hive safeguards, rate limits, or access controls;
• interfere with or disrupt the Service, or attempt unauthorized access to systems or data; or
• use Chipin Hive in any manner inconsistent with these Terms or Stripe's prohibited or restricted business lists.

This list is not exhaustive.

Organizers are responsible for the accuracy of Hive details and for the legitimacy of the intended use of funds. Organizers must not create misleading Hives or use Chipin Hive to solicit funds under false pretenses.

Nothing in this section transfers to organizers obligations that applicable law assigns to Chipin Hive as operator of the Service, or that Stripe assigns to Chipin Hive as a Stripe platform customer.

Payment collection, refunds, connected-account onboarding, and related money movement are provided using Stripe. Stripe is a third-party payment processor. Stripe does not endorse Chipin Hive merely because Chipin Hive uses Stripe.

Your use of payment features may also be subject to Stripe's terms and policies, including materials available at stripe.com/legal and Connect-related terms for organizers who onboard.

We may take steps we reasonably consider appropriate to protect users, Chipin Hive, and payment partners, including investigating suspicious activity; delaying, reversing, or restricting transactions where permitted; preventing contributions; restricting payouts; cancelling Hives; requesting additional information; and cooperating with Stripe, banks, or authorities where legally required.

Some actions depend on Stripe or other third parties and may not be fully controlled by Chipin Hive.

Chipin Hive, including its software, design, branding, and documentation, is owned by us or our licensors. These Terms do not grant you any right to use Chipin Hive trademarks except as needed to use the Service as offered.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or reverse engineer the Service except to the extent applicable law prohibits that restriction.

You retain ownership of content you submit (such as Hive titles and descriptions). You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive license to host, store, display, and otherwise use that content as needed to operate and improve Chipin Hive and to provide the Service to you and other users of the relevant Hive.

You represent that you have the rights needed to submit the content and that it does not violate law or third-party rights.

We aim to keep Chipin Hive available, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted, secure, or error-free operation. Maintenance, outages, third-party failures (including Stripe, hosting, or email providers), and events beyond our reasonable control may affect the Service.

Chipin Hive depends on third parties such as Stripe (payments), cloud hosting and related infrastructure providers, and email delivery providers. Those services have their own terms and privacy practices. We are not responsible for third-party services beyond our reasonable control, except as required by law.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CHIPIN HIVE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." WE DISCLAIM WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.

We do not warrant that Hives will fill, that organizers will complete payouts, or that any particular outcome will occur for a group plan.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CHIPIN HIVE AND ITS OPERATORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, REVENUES, GOODWILL, OR DATA, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO CHIPIN HIVE IN SERVICE FEES (EXCLUDING AMOUNTS PASSED THROUGH TO ORGANIZERS OR PAYMENT PROCESSORS) DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (US $100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; in those cases, our liability is limited to the fullest extent permitted by law.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Chipin Hive and its operators from and against claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to your misuse of the Service, your Hive content, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of law or third-party rights.

We may suspend or terminate access to Chipin Hive, particular Hives, or payout features if we reasonably believe you violated these Terms, pose risk to other users or payment partners, or as required by law or Stripe. You may stop using Chipin Hive at any time. Provisions that by nature should survive will survive termination.

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue features of Chipin Hive. Where a change materially affects an in-progress Hive, we will try to handle outstanding commitments, refunds, or payouts in a manner consistent with these Terms and applicable law.

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the updated Terms with a revised "Last updated" date. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms, except where applicable law requires a different process.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, except where mandatory consumer protections of your jurisdiction apply.

Except where prohibited by law, you and Chipin Hive agree that disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in California, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there.

Nothing in these Terms requires arbitration or waives any right to bring a claim as a class or representative action unless required by applicable law.

Questions about these Terms: support@chipinhive.com.

Product overview: How Chipin Hive works.