In short
- Paid features open in stages. This document applies to each paid feature from the moment the Service offers it with a price and a checkout.
- Flitt processes every payment. When you buy from a Seller, Flitt splits your payment at once between the Seller and Sphere Cinema (section 4).
- The price you see is the price you pay: it includes taxes and any Platform Fee, and nothing is added for the payment method. Buyers in Georgia see and pay prices in GEL.
- You can cancel a Sphere Plan or a Fan Subscription at any time, and it ends at the end of the period you have paid for.
- If a charge looks wrong, contact us before you dispute it with your bank. We can usually put it right faster.
1. Scope and status of payments
Paid features open in stages. This document applies to each paid feature from the moment the Service offers it with a price and a checkout. Where it describes the checkout, receipts, reminders, Payouts or delivery records, it describes how they will work from that moment.
This Payment Policy explains how payments, the Platform Fee, Payouts, recurring payments and Chargebacks work in Sphere Cinema. It is the payment policy you accept at checkout, together with the other documents listed in Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds, section 3 "Before you pay". Capitalised terms have the meanings given in the Terms of Service, section 2 "Definitions".
There are two kinds of sale in the Service:
- Sphere Paid Services. We sell them in our own name: Sphere Plans, paid SPHERIK features and Promotion (section 7).
- Third-Party Sales. A Seller offers a Rental, Purchase, Ticket or Fan Subscription, or a Festival charges a Submission Fee, and we collect the payment as the Seller's Limited Payment Collection Agent (section 4).
This policy applies together with the Terms of Service, whose section 1 "About these Terms" explains how all the Legal Documents fit together, and with these documents:
- Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds: buying, withdrawal, Refunds and Complaints;
- Delivery Policy: how you get access to what you paid for;
- Transaction Security Policy: how payments and Accounts are protected;
- Legal Compliance Policy: sanctions, anti-money laundering and prohibited sales;
- Creator and Organizer Terms: the full rules for Sellers.
If you are 16 or 17, you need a Guardian's express consent before you pay for anything in the Service (see the Terms of Service, section 3 "Who can use the Service").
The law of Georgia governs this policy, and Consumers keep the mandatory protections of the law of their country of residence, as set out in the Terms of Service, section 14 "Complaints, disputes and governing law".
2. Payment Processor and payment methods
Card payments are processed by Flitt, a payment service of Tpay LLC (TBC Group, Georgia). You enter card details only on Flitt's payment page; Sphere Cinema never receives or stores full card numbers or security codes.
Flitt is our Payment Processor for every payment method. Depending on what Flitt offers at checkout, you can pay with:
- Visa and Mastercard cards;
- Google Pay or Apple Pay;
- open banking, which means paying straight from your bank account;
- TBC installments.
The methods available for your Order, and any limits on them (for example a method that works only on some devices or in some countries), appear at the start of checkout, before you enter any payment details. An installment plan is a separate agreement between you and the bank that offers it, under that bank's terms. If you withdraw from an Order paid in installments, or get a full Refund for it, we tell the bank, and the installment plan follows the bank's terms and the law. The other steps of an Order, the boxes you tick and the final payment button are described in Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds, section 3 "Before you pay".
Details we collect for the Payment Processor. At checkout we ask for your name, address and phone number, because the Payment Processor requires them. We keep them for at least 6 months, then as long as accounting law requires (see the Privacy Policy, section 9 "How long we keep data"). Flitt runs its payment page under its own terms and processes payment data as an independent Controller (see the Privacy Policy, section 1 "Who is responsible for your data").
Sanctions. Sanctioned Persons, and anyone located or ordinarily resident in a country or region under comprehensive sanctions, cannot buy, sell, use paid features or receive Payouts. Sanctions screening and what happens on a match are set out in the Legal Compliance Policy, section 2 "Sanctions and export controls".
How card data is protected is described in the Transaction Security Policy, section 2 "Card payments".
3. Prices, currencies and taxes
Sellers set the prices of their Listings, and we set the prices of Sphere Paid Services. Every price in the Service follows this section.
Currencies. Prices appear in GEL, USD or EUR. Buyers in Georgia see and pay prices in GEL. USD and EUR prices are offered only where Order No. 93/04 of the President of the National Bank of Georgia allows it, for example to Buyers who are not resident in Georgia. The currency shown at checkout is the currency charged, and Refunds are made in the same currency. The amount of a Refund follows section 5 and Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds, section 12 "How refunds are paid". Sphere Cinema charges no conversion fee, and the Buyer's bank may convert and charge its own fees.
What the price includes. Prices include VAT where VAT applies. The price shown before checkout is the total you pay: it includes all taxes and, for a Third-Party Sale, the Platform Fee (section 5). For Sphere Plans and Fan Subscriptions, the price for each billing period is shown as well.
No surcharges. There is no fee for using a particular payment method, no separate service or processing fee and no pre-ticked paid extra. An optional paid extra is added to an Order only if you choose it yourself. These rules bind Sellers as well.
Obvious price errors. If a price is obviously wrong, for example because a digit is missing, we or the Seller may cancel the Order before access starts and refund it in full, and we tell you at once.
4. How payments for Third-Party Sales work
When you buy from a Seller, the Seller is the party you contract with. Sphere Cinema collects your payment as the Seller's Limited Payment Collection Agent, and paying Sphere Cinema counts as paying the Seller.
Who the Seller is. The Seller's name and country appear on the Listing and in the purchase steps, and the checkout shows Georgia as the merchant country (see Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds, section 2 "Who you buy from").
The split. Flitt splits each Third-Party Sale at the moment of payment into the Seller's Share and Sphere Cinema's part: the Platform Fee and any tax that Sphere Cinema must pay on the sale (Creator and Organizer Terms, section 9 "Fees, Payouts and taxes"). Sphere Cinema holds no Seller money, runs no wallet or stored balance and pays no Payout from its own funds. Third-Party Sales run only through the Payment Processor's split service and only with its agreement.
Your payment settles the Order. Once your payment succeeds, you owe the Seller nothing more for that Order, whenever the Seller's Share reaches the Seller. The Seller must honour the Order as if you had paid them directly.
Your statement. Your card or bank statement shows a payment to Sphere Cinema (SPHERE.ART LLC), also when you buy from a Seller.
Limits of our role. As agent we collect payments, make Refunds and handle Chargebacks. The Seller stays responsible for what they sell (see the Creator and Organizer Terms, section 3 "Our role as your limited payment collection agent").
5. Platform Fee
Rate and base. The Platform Fee is 2.5% of the Order total (the full price the Buyer pays, taxes included).
Included in the price. The Platform Fee is included in the price the Buyer sees. At the moment of payment it is deducted from the Order total, and the rest, less the Payment Processor's acquiring fee and any tax that Sphere Cinema must pay on the sale, is the Seller's Share. The Platform Fee does not include the acquiring fee: the Payment Processor charges it separately at its own rate, and it is never added to the price the Buyer pays. The Platform Fee rate is the same whatever payment method the Buyer uses.
Free items. Nothing offered free carries a Platform Fee, including free Tickets and Submissions entered free or with a full fee waiver.
Refunds. On a full Refund the Buyer gets the whole price back: the Seller returns the Seller's Share and Sphere Cinema returns its Platform Fee. Partial Refunds reduce both in proportion. How and when the money reaches the Buyer is set out in Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds, section 12 "How refunds are paid".
Changes. Fee changes need 30 days' notice to Sellers and apply only to Orders placed after the change.
Example. A Buyer rents a Film for 12.00 GEL and pays 12.00 GEL, nothing more. At the moment of payment, 2.5% of 12.00 GEL, that is 0.30 GEL, goes to us as the Platform Fee, and the rest, less the Payment Processor's acquiring fee, is the Seller's Share.
Sphere Paid Services carry no Platform Fee: their full price is paid to us.
6. Payouts to Sellers
Timing and account. Flitt transfers the Seller's Share for each calendar month to the Seller's verified bank account held in the Seller's own name by the 15th day of the following month, unless a Payout Hold applies. The Seller's bank may need extra time to credit the money.
Verification first. No Payout is made before Verification is complete (see the Creator and Organizer Terms, section 2 "Becoming a Seller and verification"). Payouts go only to the bank account confirmed in Verification. If that account changes, the Seller tells us, and Payouts resume once the new account has been checked.
Payout Holds. The Seller's Share of Ticket sales, and of Submission Fees for a Festival's first edition in the Service, is paid after the event (event hold), and a Payout can also be held while the risk of Refunds or Chargebacks is high (risk hold). These holds apply only where the Payment Processor supports delayed settlement. Every case of hold, its limits and what the Seller is told are in the Creator and Organizer Terms, section 10 "Amounts you owe us, set-off and Payout Holds".
Statements. For every month with Orders, the Seller receives an invoice for the Platform Fee and an itemised statement of their Orders, Refunds, Chargebacks, held and released amounts and Payouts (section 11).
7. Sphere Plans and other Sphere Paid Services
We may offer these Sphere Paid Services in our own name:
- Sphere Plans for creators and companies, which can include SPHERIK features;
- paid SPHERIK features: SPHERIK is free today, and any paid SPHERIK feature we add becomes a Sphere Paid Service under this policy;
- Promotion: paid placement in the Service, always labelled as advertising (see the Community Guidelines, section 6 "Advertising and Promotion").
When one is offered, its price, billing period and contents appear on its page and at checkout. When you buy a Sphere Paid Service, you buy from SPHERE.ART LLC.
The Sphere Plan. We offer one Sphere Plan. It costs 10 US dollars (USD 10) a month, billed monthly in advance, and it includes selling in the Service as a Seller (Creator and Organizer Terms) and the Project Workspace. Each Account gets the first 2 months of the plan free, once. The first charge comes when the free period ends, only if you have agreed to recurring payments at checkout (section 8.1), and we remind you 7 days before it (section 8.2). Until the Service offers the Sphere Plan with a checkout, selling and the Project Workspace are free to use and nothing is charged.
Ending a plan or feature. We give at least 30 days' notice before we end a Sphere Plan or a paid feature without cause (Terms of Service, section 12 "Suspension, termination and ending the Service"). Refunds of the unused part follow Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds, section 8 "Refunds for Sphere Paid Services".
Refunds. Withdrawal and other Refunds for Sphere Paid Services follow that section as well.
8. Recurring payments
Sphere Plans and Fan Subscriptions renew automatically and are charged at the start of each billing period until you cancel. For a Fan Subscription the Creator is the Seller, and we collect each payment as the Creator's Limited Payment Collection Agent (see the Creator and Organizer Terms, section 7 "Delivering what you sell"). Every rule in this section applies to both.
8.1 Before you subscribe
The checkout shows the recurring terms apart from the other terms:
- the price and currency for each billing period;
- the billing period;
- the length of any free trial or introductory price, and the price after it ends;
- the date of the first charge and of each renewal;
- how to cancel.
You agree to recurring payments by ticking a separate box that is never ticked in advance. Without it, no recurring payment starts.
8.2 After you subscribe
- We confirm your subscription by email, with its recurring terms.
- You get a receipt by email for every charge, including each renewal.
- We email you 7 days before a free trial or an introductory price ends.
- For a Sphere Plan or Fan Subscription with a billing period of 6 months or longer, we email you 7 to 30 days before each renewal.
Flitt charges each renewal with the payment details you gave on its payment page; we never receive your full card number.
8.3 Cancelling
You can cancel at any time by writing to support@sphere.art or, where your Account settings show a cancel option, there. Cancelling stops the next renewal, and you keep access until the end of the period you have paid for. If you cancel during a free trial, you pay nothing. A cancellation counts from the moment you make it or send your email, and we refund in full any charge made after that moment.
Consumers may also have the Withdrawal Right (see Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds, section 5 "Your right to withdraw"). Other Refunds follow its section 8 "Refunds for Sphere Paid Services" for Sphere Plans and its section 9 "Refund Floor for purchases from Sellers" for Fan Subscriptions.
8.4 Price changes
If the price of your Sphere Plan or Fan Subscription changes, we email you at least 30 days before the first renewal at the new price. You can cancel before that renewal and pay nothing at the new price.
8.5 Failed renewals
If a renewal payment fails, we tell you by email and try again within 7 days. If it still fails, the plan or Fan Subscription ends at the end of the period you last paid for, and you owe nothing for the new period.
9. Failed, pending and duplicate payments
An Order exists only once the payment succeeds. Each Order is confirmed on screen and by email (see Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds, section 4 "Order confirmation and records").
- Failed payment. A failed payment creates no Order and no charge. Your bank may still show a temporary hold on the amount, which it releases under its own rules.
- Pending payment. If you are not sure whether a payment went through, for example because the page closed, check your email and your Account before you pay again.
- Duplicate payment. A duplicate charge, or a second Order for access you already hold, is refunded in full, for Sphere Paid Services and Third-Party Sales alike. For Third-Party Sales, duplicate charges are also part of the Refund Floor in Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds, section 9 "Refund Floor for purchases from Sellers".
- Errors. Report a payment error to support@sphere.art with the date, the amount and the Order number if you have one. Never send us your full card number.
10. Chargebacks and payment disputes
Contact us first. If a charge looks wrong, write to support@sphere.art before you dispute it with your bank: a Refund is usually faster. This request leaves your right to dispute a charge with your bank intact. If your card was used without your permission, contact your bank at once and follow the Transaction Security Policy, section 6 "If something goes wrong".
How a Chargeback is handled. Sphere Cinema answers the bank through Flitt and decides whether to contest the Chargeback. As evidence we use:
- the delivery record of the Order, which shows when access was granted and when playback first started (see the Delivery Policy, section 4 "Confirmation and proof of delivery");
- the consent and acceptance records from checkout, such as the boxes ticked and the version of the terms accepted;
- the confirmation email and receipts.
Access to the disputed item may be paused while the Chargeback is open.
Who bears a lost Chargeback. For a Third-Party Sale, the Seller bears the Seller's Share and any chargeback fee charged to us when the Chargeback is lost, and Sphere Cinema bears its Platform Fee. The Seller sends evidence within 5 working days of our request and must never encourage Buyers to dispute charges. We recover what the Seller owes as set out in the Creator and Organizer Terms, section 10 "Amounts you owe us, set-off and Payout Holds". For a Sphere Paid Service, we bear the Chargeback in full.
Limits. Chargebacks above 1% of a Seller's Orders in a calendar month may suspend selling (see the Creator and Organizer Terms, section 13 "Suspension and ending your selling"). Repeated unfounded Chargebacks may restrict a Buyer's paid features. We give reasons for such a decision, and it can be appealed (see the Community Guidelines, section 10 "Appeals").
11. Invoices and tax documents
- Receipts. You get a receipt by email for every charge.
- Invoices for Sphere Paid Services. On request to support@sphere.art, we issue an invoice for a Sphere Paid Service, with your company details if you bought it for a business.
- Platform Fee invoices. For each month with Orders, we send the Seller an invoice for that month's Platform Fee, together with the itemised statement described in section 6.
- VAT. Our invoices show any VAT that applies to a Sphere Paid Service or to the Platform Fee.
- Sellers' taxes. Sellers are responsible for the taxes on their own sales. The rules, including the case where tax law makes us liable for a tax on a Third-Party Sale, are in the Creator and Organizer Terms, section 9 "Fees, Payouts and taxes".
12. Payments between Producers and Talent
Pay for work on a Project, such as a fee, a day rate or a revenue share, is agreed and paid directly between the Producer and the Talent, outside the Service. Sphere Cinema holds, transfers and guarantees none of it and does not arbitrate it.
- Amounts written in Engagement Terms record what the parties agreed (see Electronic Agreements and Signatures, section 4 "What the signed record contains"). The Service neither collects nor pays them.
- The protections of this policy and of Purchases, Cancellations and Refunds, such as Refunds, the Refund Floor and Chargeback handling, do not cover pay for work.
- Disputes about pay are for the parties to settle (see the Casting and Hiring Terms, section 14 "Disputes between Producers and Talent").
- Talent never pays to apply or audition (see the Casting and Hiring Terms, section 5 "What is not allowed in casting").
The "Through Sphere" option marked "Coming soon" in Project budgets is unavailable. If it launches, it will come with its own terms.
13. Changes and contact
We may update this document. We tell you about material changes by email and in the Service at least 14 days before they take effect, and at least 30 days before for changes to Seller fees, Payouts or selling rules, as set out in the Terms of Service, section 15 "Changes to the Service and the Legal Documents". Earlier versions of this document are available on request at legal@sphere.art.
For questions about payments, Orders, Refunds or Payouts, write to support@sphere.art. Our postal address is on the Company Details page.