The reasons invoked by patreon were a bit different (see the update in their blog post[1]), they argued that - the new model would make it easier to understand

The reasons invoked by patreon were a bit different (see the update in their blog post[1]), they argued that - the new model would make it easier to understand for creators (they are now certain to earn 95% of each pledge, where they could earn less before) - it also makes it clearer for patrons, because now they are paying exactly at the date they made the pledge. And it also avoids double spend for CUF (charge up front) payments, where you could pay twice the pledge within a few days. But your point is interesting, I hope patreon will give more details about this. If this is true, the business model itself is flawed, and competitors (drip, gratispay, liberapay) will face the same issue. [1] https://blog.patreon.com/updating-patreons-fee-structure/ https://blog.patreon.com/updating-patreons-fee-structure/