Help & FAQs

Signing in

There is no password to remember. To sign in:

1. Click Sign in at the top of any page.
2. Enter your email address.
3. Open the email we send you, and either click the link or type in the code.

Not sure whether you already have an account? Just try signing in with your email. You'll either be signed straight in, or asked to complete a quick sign-up.

If you keep being signed out

This comes down to how your browser stores sign-in information, rather than a setting we can change. These usually help:

• Use the code in the sign-in email rather than the link, especially if you switch between phone and computer.
• Avoid private or incognito browsing, which forgets you as soon as you close the tab.
• On Safari, check that "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking" isn't stopping you staying signed in.
• Ad blockers can have the same effect. Try allowing this site.

Moved over from the old app?

The Garden Collective now lives here, on this website. The old app is no longer updated, so please delete it from your phone. Sign in here with the same email address you used before, and your membership will be waiting.

Put the Garden Collective on your phone's home screen

You can add the website to your home screen, so it sits alongside your apps and opens with one tap. It's the easiest replacement for the old app.

On an iPhone or iPad:

1. Open thegardencollective.uk in Safari.
2. Tap the Share button: the square with an arrow pointing up, at the bottom or top of the screen.
3. Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen.
4. Tap Add.

On an Android phone:

1. Open thegardencollective.uk in Chrome.
2. Tap the three dots at the top right.
3. Tap Add to Home screen (on some phones it says Install app).
4. Tap Add.

The Garden Collective icon will appear on your home screen. The first time you open it from there, you may need to sign in once more.

Your private podcast feed

Members have their own podcast feed, with the audio of every essay, read by the writer. It isn't available anywhere else.

Where to find it: in your account (click your account icon, top right), or in your welcome email.

Adding it to your podcast app:

• iPhone: Apple Podcasts is easiest. Tap the link and it will offer to add the show. Overcast, Pocket Casts, Downcast and Castro also work.
• Android: Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Podcast Republic and Castbox all work. Look for "add by URL".
• Computer: listen in your browser from your feed page. No app needed.

Your link is personal, so please don't share it. If your membership ends, the feed stops updating; if you rejoin, you'll get a new link.

Comments

Once you're signed in as a member, you can comment under any essay, like other members' comments, and reply to them. We'll email you if someone replies to you; you can switch this off in your account.

Choosing which emails you receive

Sign in, open your account, and switch individual newsletters on or off. Many members keep only Saturday's Pick of the Week during busy spells, and read the essays on the site when they have time.

Giving a membership as a gift

Give a membership and choose one month or one year, and check out. You'll get a link to send to the person you're giving it to. Neither of you needs an account to buy or redeem it, and it simply ends at the close of its term. There's nothing for them to cancel.

Your account and payments

Changing your email address: sign in, open your account, select your profile, and enter your new email address.

Changing your card details: sign in, open your account, choose Billing info, and enter your new card. Payments are handled securely by Stripe.

Switching from monthly to yearly: you can switch at any time. The change takes effect straight away, with a credit for the unused part of your monthly payment.

Refunds: if you join, read for a fortnight and find it isn't for you, write to us within those first two weeks and we'll refund your membership.

Cancelling your membership

You can cancel yourself at any time. There is no need to email us.

1. Click Sign in and sign in with the email address you joined with.
2. Click your account icon (top right) and choose Account settings.
3. Under Billing or Subscription, click Cancel subscription, and confirm.

You won't be charged again, and you keep full access until the end of the period you've paid for. After that you'll move to free membership: you'll still get Wednesday's essay and Pick of the Week.

Can't see "Cancel subscription"? Check you're signed in with the right email address. That is the most common snag.

Changed your mind? You can rejoin at any time from the same account page.

Still stuck?

• No sign-in email? Check your spam or promotions folder, then reply to any of our emails and we'll check your account.
• Not receiving newsletters? Check spam, then check the newsletters are switched on in your account.
• Anything else? Reply to any of our emails, or use our contact page.