Membership terms

Version RC-MEMBERSHIP-2026-09-v2 · 12 September 2026

Your membership is with the organisation operating your local Circle, called the Circle Operator, identified above.

Membership supports regular purchasing through your Circle. It does not make you a shareholder or statutory member of the organisation. Your account is covered by the account terms, and purchases by the Terms of Sale.

Your regular contribution

Your chosen amount and payment frequency are shown before you join and in your membership details. Payments build your member credit for eligible purchases through your local Circle. Credit cannot be transferred to another member or used as a general-purpose payment account.

How we hold your money

The money behind your member credit is kept in a separate bank account, apart from operating money. Your individual balance is recorded separately, and your Circle Operator remains responsible for it. That money is used only to settle your purchases or return money to you when a refund is due. We do not use unused member credit to pay running costs or cover another member's purchases.

When you place an order, its value is deducted from your available credit. An order awaiting sufficient payment may show as Reserved. If an item is cancelled or short supplied, we restore the corresponding credit or provide another refund where required. An account entry does not, by itself, mean money has been paid to a seller.

Pausing or stopping

You can pause your regular contribution for up to eight weeks in a calendar year, or stop future payments. An agreed pause freezes your consecutive-weeks streak. Use the available membership controls and make any necessary change with your bank.

Stopping payments does not erase unused credit or normally convert it into cash. It remains available for eligible purchases. This does not limit cancellation or refund rights the law gives you; contact us about those rights or exceptional circumstances.

You can cancel within 14 days of joining by contacting us and receive a refund of unused payments within 14 days of your notice. Purchases already placed are dealt with under the Terms of Sale. This does not limit any longer cancellation right the law gives you.

We may mark membership inactive after missed payments and close it after six months from the overdue date, following contact with you. Unused credit does not expire because of inactivity. Contact us to arrange use of remaining credit or a refund where due.

Changes and Circle closure

We will explain material changes before they take effect. You can stop future contributions if you do not wish to continue.

If another organisation is proposed as your Circle Operator, we will identify it, explain the handover and obtain your agreement before transferring your membership and credit. If the old Circle service ends and you do not transfer, or if the Circle closes without a replacement, unused credit is repayable. Existing orders and claims remain the responsibility of the relevant contracting organisation unless validly transferred.

Contact and records

Contact us about membership, credit or closure. We retain records needed for outstanding money, orders and legal duties; see the privacy notice. English and Welsh law applies without removing mandatory rights or access to courts available where you live.