Rebates for Writers

My New Perspective

Image created by author and photo taken by author, all rights reserved Jeannie.Chambers

Two things before I get started.

• This is NOT clickbait, and as far as I know, there is NO Medium rebate, nor have I ever heard tale of a Medium rebate. This story is MY idea and in NO way sanctioned by any of the staff of Medium. The gist of this story is merely MY new perspective as explained below.
• Interesting tidbit. The coins shown in the main image add up to exactly $15.00, the amount I pay monthly for my Friends of Medium membership. That’s $180.00 when paid annually. (Regular membership is still just $5.00 monthly- or $60.00 when paid annually.)
• OK, I know this is the third thing, but it’s a biggie if you’re not a Medium member. You can click: SHAZZAMM and magically be transported to a page to read this story for free.

The Epiphany

It took me a long time to discover Money spent on words, I can’t recover Words written by me or words from others Words AND money…if I had my druthers

What it boils down to is the love of words Most of what’s left is simply for the birds With the exception of one major thing Writers I meet and the joy that they bring

It takes time to write — fingers to the bone Engagement tells me I’m never alone It takes time to read — stories to choose from Amazing tales, poetry, and then some

If time is money, then my point is this Spend both wisely, but try never to miss Things that bring you joy in life are treasures With reading and writing, there’s no measure

PJ Gordon ©June 2026

My epiphany may change from day to day, but I’ve been thinking about this one for a bit, or two bits as it seems to be. I am going to try to look at Medium in a different light. I pay $15.00 per month, and it stings when my account is ch-chinged for $180.00 for the annual renewal, but what do I really have to complain about? Medium never promised me a rose garden, a thorn, or anything in between. I’m here because I want to be here; nobody is forcing me to read and write.

The other night, I was scrolling through my TV’s menu trying to find something I wanted to watch. We stream, so any app I choose to watch is a subscription that I pay for in one form or another. Netflix is easy. I pay the base rate and watch ads. I watch Peacock for free, but we all know nothing is really free. I get that station free because I have a Walmart+ subscription. I get to watch almost anything on Amazon Prime because of my Amazon Prime subscription. Living in a somewhat remote area warrants Amazon and Walmart subscriptions, since both offer free shipping.

Most nights, I’d rather read and/or write than watch TV, which is what prompted my thoughts on the cost of Medium and the laments of so many writers who aren’t getting the payouts they used to get. My takeaway was just two words. So what. So what if Medium pays anything or not? Is my Medium subscription giving me anything for my money? Yes, it is.

• Medium gives me a platform to write/share almost any genre I want.
• Medium gives me a choice to read from thousands of writers.
• Medium allows connections between readers and writers.

I have given up several subscriptions due to cost, and I feel sure I will give up more. Medium was on the chopping block and was moving closer to the guillotine, but after my epiphany, I’ve decided to move it way back near the end of the line.

If reading and writing give me so much pleasure, I’ve got to take that into consideration when weighing the costs of the subscription. I am getting something in return for the money I’m spending.

In the beginning, I said this is not clickbait, and I don’t believe it is. But if you think it is, I hope you got hooked 🐠 🪝 into the story and read enough to know that just reading the title wasn’t my intent. The title of this story is Rebates for Writers. Let’s talk about that. I’m a big proponent of rebates. I use Fetch, which gives me points when I screen-capture my receipts in exchange for gift cards and other rewards, like charitable giving. I use Rakuten, which gives me money back when I shop in certain places. I try to go to Dollar General on Saturdays when I can get $5.00 off a $25.00 purchase. I will take the extra 5–10 minutes to set up an account if it means free shipping or a percentage off my purchase.

So, what do I mean when I say Medium has rebates for writers?

Any amount that I earn as a payout from Medium, I am going to start looking at it as a rebate. I’ve already paid my monthly subscription cost, and at the end of the month, Medium pays me a sum based on the number of reads, comments, shares, etc., on the stories I’ve written. My new way of seeing things: I freely gave my money to Medium for the purpose of reading the works of others and sharing my own writing. Any amount given to me at the end of the month is my rebate.

Image created by author and photo taken by author, all rights reserved Jeannie.Chambers

In June of 2026, I got a rebate of .30 cents. I have a rollover amount of $6.26 from previous months. As soon as I get to $10.00, my ‘rebate’ will appear in my bank account.

When I started to look at the payout as a rebate, my whole perspective of Medium changed.

Thanks for reading!

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