CineMake Refund Policy

Version: v1.3.0

CineMake Refund Policy

Effective Date: May 13, 2026 Version: 1.3.0

  1. Overview; Where You'll See This

    1. We present a clear summary of this Refund Policy before purchase (desktop and mobile) and link to the full policy near the purchase/renew button.
    2. This policy complies with the 2026 Digital Fairness Regulations for digital goods and virtual currencies, implementing the Vaulted Credit System for credit pack refunds.

  2. Payment Processor as Merchant-of-Record

    1. Our designated Payment Processor processes all payments, refunds, and tax remittance as our Merchant-of-Record. Your receipt will identify the Payment Processor as the seller.
    2. The Payment Processor handles payment processing securely and is PCI-DSS compliant. CineMake does not store your payment card details.
    3. Refund requests are processed through the Payment Processor. Processing time is typically 5-10 business days depending on your payment method and bank.

  3. Subscriptions — Non-Refundable

    1. Subscriptions are non-refundable once activated or renewed.
    2. You may cancel anytime via your CineMake billing settings page or the subscription management link in your receipt email. Cancellation requires no more steps than the original sign-up process (FTC Negative Option Rule compliance). Cancellation stops future renewals only; you retain access through your paid period.
    3. Monthly credit grants. All subscription credits — whether on a monthly or annual billing cycle — are dispensed on a monthly basis. Annual subscriptions dispense the same monthly credit amount as the equivalent monthly plan, once per month for twelve months. Annual billing provides a price discount; it does not change the credit dispensing schedule.
    4. Dispensed subscription credits are non-refundable. Unused subscription credits remain available through the end of your paid period but are not carried forward after the subscription ends.
    5. Plan Changes — Refund and Proration Rules. When you change your subscription plan, the refund and proration treatment depends on the type of change. An "Upgrade" is a change to a plan with a higher credit allocation (higher tier). A "Downgrade" is a change to a plan with a lower credit allocation (lower tier). A "Sidegrade" is a change between plans at the same tier.
      • Immediate changes (upgrades from any plan, monthly-to-monthly downgrades, monthly-to-annual switches, same-interval sidegrades): Your billing cycle resets immediately and you are charged the new plan rate. For changes from monthly plans, no refund, credit, or proration is issued for any unused time remaining on your previous monthly billing period. For upgrades from annual plans, proration applies as described below. Your new plan's full monthly credit allocation is dispensed at the time of the change. This is clearly disclosed in the plan change confirmation screen.
      • Deferred changes (all downgrades from annual plans — including annual-to-annual and annual-to-monthly downgrades — and annual-to-monthly interval switches at the same tier): The change takes effect at the end of your current annual term. No early exit refund or partial-term refund is available. You continue to receive monthly credit dispensements under your current plan until the annual period ends. You may modify or cancel a pending deferred change at any time before it takes effect.
      • Proration (upgrades from annual plans only): Upgrades from an annual plan — whether to a higher-tier annual or monthly plan — are handled with proration. The unused portion of your current annual term is credited toward the new plan price. Your billing cycle resets and the new plan's credits are dispensed immediately. You will not lose the financial value of your remaining annual commitment. No other plan change type involves proration.

  4. Credit Packs — Vaulted Credit System

    1. How It Works. All credit packs are purchased as "Unopened" (vaulted) items. Credits inside an unopened pack are not yet dispensed to your usable balance. To use credits, you must explicitly choose to "Open" a pack, which dispenses the credits into your account. Once dispensed, credits are non-refundable under any circumstances. Only unopened packs may be refunded.
    2. 14-Day Refund Window. Credit packs are eligible for a 100% refund within 14 days of purchase, provided the pack remains "Unopened."
    3. Opening a Pack (Breaking the Seal) — Express Consent. When you choose to "Open" a credit pack, the following occurs:
      • A confirmation dialog is presented stating: "By opening this pack, you expressly consent to the immediate delivery of digital content (credits) and acknowledge that you lose your right of withdrawal for this pack."
      • You must actively confirm this action (it cannot happen accidentally).
      • The refund right for this pack is permanently waived at the moment of confirmation.
      • Your express consent, the timestamp, and your user identifier are recorded in the immutable Ledger.
      • This satisfies the requirements of EU Directive 2011/83/EU, Article 16(m) for waiver of the right of withdrawal for digital content.
    4. Automatic Dispensing After 14 Days. To prevent long-term liability and ensure a clear accounting lifecycle, any pack that remains "Unopened" after 14 days from the date of purchase is automatically dispensed (opened). Once auto-dispensed, the pack is non-refundable and the credits are added to your usable balance. You will be notified before auto-dispensing occurs.
    5. Order History & Pack Status. Your order history clearly displays:
      • Which packs are "Unopened" (eligible for refund if within 14 days)
      • Which packs are "Opened" (non-refundable, credits dispensed)
      • Whether a pack was opened manually by you or auto-dispensed after the refund window
      • Days remaining in the refund window for unopened packs

  5. Organization-Level Refunds

    1. Scope. Refunds for credit packs purchased for an Organization's credit pool follow the same rules as personal refunds described in Section 4. The Vaulted Credit System and 14-day cooling-off period apply equally to org-level credit pack purchases.
    2. Payment Method. Org-level refunds are processed exclusively to the Organization's payment method — the payment method used for the original org-level purchase. Refunds are never issued to any individual member's personal payment method.
    3. Eligibility. Only unopened credit packs within the 14-day refund window are eligible for org-level refunds. Once an org-level pack is opened (manually or auto-dispensed), it is non-refundable.
    4. Authorization. Only the Organization Owner or administrators with the can_manage_billing privilege may request refunds for org-level purchases.
    5. Credit Pool Adjustment. Refunded credits are deducted from the Organization's org pool balance only. Refunds do not affect any individual member's personal credit balance.
    6. No Cross-Entity Refunds. Org-level purchases cannot be refunded to personal accounts, and personal purchases cannot be refunded to an Organization's payment method. Billing relationships are strictly per-entity. If you believe a purchase was charged to the wrong entity, contact support@cinemake.ai for assistance.

  6. Pay-on-Delivery Guarantee (Credit Restoration)

    1. Credits are only charged upon successful delivery. When you submit a render or generation request, credits are verified but not deducted until the output is successfully delivered to your account. If a render fails due to a system error, provider outage, or any cause not attributable to you, no credits are consumed.
    2. Digital Content Directive Compliance. Per EU Directive 2019/770 (Digital Content Directive), Article 14: if we fail to supply the digital content you paid for, your credits are preserved. Our pay-on-delivery architecture guarantees this programmatically — there is no scenario in which credits are taken without a corresponding delivered output.
    3. Transparency. Your credit balance, transaction history, and render status are available at all times in your account dashboard. Every credit deduction is recorded in the Ledger with the associated render job ID for auditability.

  7. How to Request a Refund

    1. For Credit Packs (Unopened, Within 14 Days):
      • In-App Self-Service: Open the Shop → Inventory tab, find the unopened pack, and click Refund. A confirmation prompt will appear before processing.
      • Via Email: Contact support@cinemake.ai with your transaction ID from your receipt.
    2. For Organization-Level Credit Packs (Unopened, Within 14 Days):
      • In-App Self-Service: The Organization Owner or an authorized billing admin can open the Workspace → Payments tab, find the unopened org pack, and click Refund.
      • Via Email: Contact support@cinemake.ai with the Organization name and transaction ID.
    3. Verification: We verify the pack is "Unopened" in our Ledger before approving the refund.
    4. Processing: Approved refunds are processed by our Payment Processor. The unopened pack is removed from your account (or the Organization's pool) upon refund. Refunds are typically returned to the original payment method within 5–10 business days.
    5. Self-Service Limits. Self-service refunds are available for packs up to a configured dollar threshold. For larger purchases or special circumstances, contact support@cinemake.ai for assisted refund processing.

  8. Chargebacks and Disputes

    1. If you dispute a charge with your bank (chargeback), we may suspend your account pending resolution.
    2. We encourage you to contact us first to resolve any billing issues.
    3. The Vaulted Credit System provides a clear, verifiable record of user intent (pack opened vs. unopened), which serves as evidence in any dispute resolution.

  9. Variable Pricing Acknowledgment

    1. Credit costs may vary based on the costs of the underlying technology stack that powers the Service. These costs include, but are not limited to:
      • Video generation providers (Google Veo/Vertex AI, OpenAI)
      • Cloud storage and content delivery (Google Cloud Storage, CDN egress, storage class transitions)
      • Database and backend services (Supabase PostgreSQL)
      • Compute and hosting infrastructure (Vercel serverless functions, edge network)
      • Authentication and identity services (Clerk)
      • Payment processing fees
      • AI/ML inference and prompt processing costs
      • Market demand and operational conditions
    2. Refunds are issued at the original purchase price, regardless of current pricing.
    3. Credits retain their value regardless of price fluctuations after purchase.
    4. We reserve the right to adjust credit rates as underlying infrastructure costs change. Price changes apply only to new purchases.

  10. Exceptions

    1. Dispensed Credits: All dispensed credits — whether from opened packs, subscriptions, or promotions — are non-refundable.
    2. Promotional Packs: Free or promotional packs are non-refundable regardless of opened/unopened status.
    3. Fraud: Refunds may be denied if we detect fraud, abuse, or violation of our Terms of Service.

  11. Regional Consumer Rights

    1. Nothing in this policy limits any statutory consumer rights that cannot be waived under applicable law (e.g., EU Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, 2026 Digital Fairness Act).
    2. EU Right of Withdrawal. You have the right to withdraw from a credit pack purchase within 14 days without giving any reason (Article 9, Directive 2011/83/EU). To exercise this right, request a refund via the in-app self-service button or by contacting support@cinemake.ai. No withdrawal form is required. We will process the refund without undue delay and no later than 14 days after receiving your withdrawal request.
    3. Waiver of withdrawal right for digital content. By choosing to "Open" a credit pack before the 14-day period expires, you give your express prior consent to begin performance of the digital content contract and expressly acknowledge that you lose your right of withdrawal once the credits are dispensed (Article 16(m), Directive 2011/83/EU). This consent is obtained via a clear confirmation dialog, recorded in the Ledger, and cannot occur accidentally.
    4. Confirmation of contract. Upon purchase of a credit pack, we provide confirmation on a durable medium (email and in-app order history) that includes: the credit pack details, the price paid, your right of withdrawal, and the conditions under which the withdrawal right is lost.
    5. The 14-day cooling-off period and explicit "Open" action satisfy EU right-of-withdrawal requirements for digital content, providing a clear moment of consent to begin performance.
    6. FTC Click-to-Cancel Rule. Consistent with the FTC's Negative Option Rule (16 CFR Part 425, as amended), cancellation of any subscription or recurring purchase requires no more steps than the original sign-up. You may cancel at any time via the billing settings page or the subscription management link in your receipt email, without contacting customer service by phone or completing additional surveys.

  12. Contact

    1. For refund requests or billing questions: support@cinemake.ai
    2. For immediate self-service: Use the Shop → Inventory tab to refund unopened packs instantly.