Twitch under fire for fixing SUBtember “bug” that saved viewers money

Now that September is here, Twitch’s SUBtember event is fully underway, granting users major discounts for paid subscriptions to their favorite channels — but a certain bug in the system has earned the video platform some major pushback.

SUBtember first kicked off in 2017, granting viewers whopping savings with half-off subscriptions. It’s important to note that not every SUBtember is the same; in 2018, Twitch allowed viewers to continue their gifted subscriptions for a mere 20% of their normal price point, while 2019 returned the half-price subs.

However, 2020 offers a totally different ball of wax: This year, users can snag up to 30% off new subscriptions, along with other discounts at all subscription tiers.

To break it down, this year’s SUBtember looks like this, with users receiving:

• 20% off the first month of new recurring 1-month subscriptions. ($3.99 instead of $4.99)
• 25% off the first 3 months of new recurring 3-month subscriptions. ($11.23 instead of $14.97)
• 30% off the first 6 months of new recurring 6-month subscriptions. ($20.96 instead of $29.94)

However, a certain bug has allowed viewers to completely cancel their subscriptions and re-subscribe using SUBtember promotional discounts — something Twitch claimed was *not* intentional.

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In a tweet from the Twitch Support account, the platform clarified that “SUBtember is reserved for first-time Subscriptions to channels, or Prime/Gift Subs continuing to a paid Subscription” — meaning that viewers can’t use the discount on their existing subscriptions.

However, those who did use the promo code for such a purpose will be able to retain their subscription with the promotional pricing, and there will be no impact on creator earnings due to the issue.

That isn’t stopping viewers from lashing out at the site, with many expressing disappointment in the development and others simply calling this year’s SUBtember “useless.”

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“Why?” one streamer asked. “This SUBtember is almost useless to us. Streamers are growing engaged, long-term communities and relationships. Why doesn’t Subtember support these types of viewers vs. solely new ones?”

“I think it would be good to revert it,” another chimed in. “As a platform, you say you want to promote the community — why not have SUBtember promote the community for both new and old subs?”

Despite Twitch’s apologies, it doesn’t look like users’ outrage around the “bug” isn’t dying down anytime soon — but luckily, those who took advantage of the glitch will get to keep their discounted subscriptions.