Fun stuff, no fluff (that goes for our policies too).
Here's exactly how your Spark subscription works. By subscribing, you agree to these terms.
Three ways to get happy mail
Renews: Every month until cancelled
Cancel: Anytime; stops the next renewal
Renews: Every 12 months until cancelled
Cancel: Anytime; stops the next renewal. Issues you've paid for keep coming
Renews: No – it ends on its own
Cancel: Nothing to cancel; it simply ends
How renewals work
Monthly plans renew automatically each month. Renewals are processed on your sign-up date each month, using the payment method on your account.
Annual plans are a one-time prepayment for 12 issues at a discounted rate. Your annual plan renews automatically for another 12 months at the then-current annual price, unless you cancel before the renewal date. We'll email you a reminder before your renewal processes so you can make any changes.
Price changes never affect a term you've already paid for. If your plan's price changes, we'll email you at least 30 days before it applies to your next renewal.
When happy mail arrives
Order by Nov 25 → ships Nov 28 → arrives the first week of next month
- We ship within the United States only.
- New issues ship on the 28th of each month and typically arrive during the first week of the following month. Weekends, holidays and carrier delays can add a few days.
- Subscribe by the 25th and your first issue ships on the 28th of that month. Subscriptions placed after that begin with the next month's shipment.
- Past issues in our shop are sold separately and can't be used to start a subscription.
- Issues ship via USPS and are not tracked.
- Shipping is included in your subscription price.
No phone calls, no hoops
You can cancel anytime from your subscriber portal. Log in here.
Monthly plans: cancel before your next renewal is processed and you won't be charged again. If you cancel after a renewal has been processed, that month's issue still ships and the charge stands.
Annual plans: cancelling turns off automatic renewal. You'll keep receiving every issue you've already paid for through the end of your 12-month term, and then your subscription simply ends. Cancelling does not trigger a refund.
Gift plans end automatically after the final prepaid issue, so there's nothing to cancel.
Refunds
All subscription payments are non-refundable. This includes monthly payments, annual prepayments, annual renewals and gift subscriptions. Annual plans are priced at a discount because they're a 12-issue commitment, and we print and plan each issue around it.
Exceptions are at our discretion. If you have a special circumstance, contact our customer service team. Every request is reviewed case by case, and approval is at the sole discretion of Spark's customer service team. Contacting us does not guarantee a refund.
How an approved annual refund is calculated:
- Every issue already shipped is repriced at the standard monthly rate, not the discounted annual rate.
- Any bonus issues received with your sign-up are also charged at the standard monthly rate.
- Those amounts are subtracted from what you paid. Any remaining balance is refunded to your original payment method, and your subscription ends immediately.
If the repriced total equals or exceeds what you paid, no refund is due, and you'll keep receiving your remaining issues.
Annual renewals: we send a reminder before every annual renewal so you have time to cancel. Because of that reminder, renewal charges are non-refundable once processed.
The fine print on freebies
Bonus issues, free gifts and promotional pricing offered with a plan are part of that plan's full-term price. They have no cash value and are counted at the standard monthly rate if a refund is ever approved. Discount codes must be applied at checkout; we can't adjust an order after it's placed.
Giving Spark
- Gift subscriptions are prepaid and non-refundable, and can't be exchanged for cash or credit.
- They end automatically after the final issue. They never renew and the giver is never charged again.
- The purchaser is responsible for entering the recipient's correct shipping address. Address changes follow the same deadline as all subscriptions.
- Need to send a gift to someone else, or to a new address? Contact us with the new name and address and we'll update it for upcoming issues.
- A gift's length is set when it's purchased. Issues ship every month in a row until the gift ends, so a gift can't be paused, started later, shortened or extended.
- You can add an optional gift message of up to three short lines when you choose a gift. It's printed on the back of every issue.
If a payment doesn't go through
If a renewal payment fails, we'll retry it automatically for a few days and email you a link to update your card. If payment isn't received by the 25th, that month's issue won't ship and your subscription may be paused or cancelled. Any promotional or locked-in rate on a cancelled subscription is forfeited.
Talk to us first
If something's wrong with a charge, please contact us first. We can usually sort it out within 2 business days.
Filing a chargeback with your bank does not cancel your subscription or end your commitment for a prepaid term. When a dispute is filed, we'll share your order history, your agreement to these terms at checkout and any renewal reminders sent with your card issuer. Accounts with an open or lost dispute may be closed, and any amount owed for issues already shipped may be pursued.
Moving? Tell us by the 25th
- Update your shipping address or payment method anytime in your subscriber portal under Manage Subscriptions.
- Address changes must be made by 11:59pm ET on the 25th to apply to that month's shipment.
- Payment method changes must be made before your next renewal is processed.
- Updating your store account address does not update your subscription address. Please update both.
- Once an issue has shipped, we can't change its address. If an issue is sent to an outdated or incorrect address because it wasn't updated by the deadline, Spark is not responsible for that issue and is not obligated to reship it. If a package is returned to us, we may reship it at our discretion, with postage paid by you.
Happy mail should arrive happy
If your issue arrives damaged, email us within 7 days of delivery with your order number and a photo, and we'll send a replacement while supplies last.
Missing an issue? If it hasn't arrived by the 15th of the month it was due, contact us by the end of that month and we'll work with you to reship it. A few exceptions: we can't reship issues sent to an address that wasn't updated by the deadline, packages the carrier marks as delivered are reviewed case by case, and reships are limited to twice per 12 months per account.
Check your inbox
Email is how we share shipping updates, renewal reminders and important account notices. Please keep your email address current and add hello@spark.kids to your contacts so our messages don't land in spam. Renewal reminders count as notice even if they go unread.
Made by people
Every page of Spark is hand-drawn by artists and protected by copyright. Activities may be copied for personal, at-home use by your own family. Reproducing, reselling or sharing pages for classroom or commercial use requires our written permission.
Safe checkout
Payments are processed securely through Shopify Payments and PayPal. Spark never sees or stores your full card number.
If anything changes
We may update these terms from time to time. If a change affects your billing, renewal or cancellation rights, we'll email you before it takes effect. Changes never apply retroactively to a term you've already paid for.
Questions?
We're real people and happy to help. Reach us at care@spark.kids. We reply within 2 business days.