Patreon & WordPress Access: Issues & Fixes

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summit selfie

Sean on the summit of Giant Mountain in the Adirondacks, June 2021

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For my Patreon subscribers, problems with unlocking content on this WordPress website are not common — but they are frustrating.

I will work with you to resolve any issues. Just reach out via DMs, or email, and I’ll get right on it.

In general, keep in mind that access is granted on a per-browser and per-device basis. 

For example, if you’re logged into patreon.com on on your desktop computer and enjoying access on that computer, you’ll need to log in separately on your laptop to get access on that device.

The same goes for smartphone access.

Each browser and device is granted access independently.

Other issues you may come across include…

“I can’t unlock content on the website”

The first thing to test and confirm is that you’re actually registered on mountain-hiking.com as a user. Patreon normally takes care of this for you but there are circumstances where you may need to do it manually.

Sometimes, the connection between your Patreon account and mountain-hiking.com can also break. You may need to log back in to your patreon.com account to unlock content on mountain-hiking.com.

Here’s how to fix both issues…

The Fix: First, log into your Patreon.com account using your Patreon account logins. Then — using the same browser on the same device — click a BECOME A PATRON button on any locked post on this website.

For your convenience, I’ve added one here…

Get full access now and enjoy member-only benefits.
hiking trail

Click the button and you’ll be taken to the Patreon sign-up page. You may see a billing form, but don’t freak out. Just look for the LOG IN button and use your Patreon account credentials to log in there.

That should be enough to establish an account connection between Patreon.com and Mountain-Hiking.com.

Other important things to check…

  • Make sure you’ve allowed cookies for both sites: patreon.com and mountain-hiking.com
  • In Safari, I have an option in the main Safari menu to adjust settings for whatever website I happen to be on, so check there — or for a similar setting on your preferred browser.
  • Make sure you’ve cleared any caches which may be storing outdated data; check your browser’s options for clearing caches and try quitting/rebooting your browser.
  • Reboot your computer and your router. I know it’s a drag but, if issues remain, it needs to be factored out.

“Is my VPN blocking Patreon?”

It might be! A new wrinkle a patron discovered is that VPNs can cause access issues. When this supporter switched off his VPN, he was able to access this website’s locked content.

Many posters on Reddit have reported issues with accessing Patreon-locked content over a VPN.

If you switch off your VPN and can then access locked content on mountain-hiking.com, that’s the issue in play.

“I can’t access locked content from inside the Instagram app”

Access issues can arise here because of the way Instagram’s in-app browser works. For best results, use your phone’s dedicated browser app: Safari, Chrome, etc.

“I’ve increased my level of support but I’m but not getting increased access”

While logged into your Patreon account please go here:

Click on the button “Change tier” . You will not be charged extra since you have already been charged.

Patreon sometimes doesn’t update access levels automatically which is clunky and annoying.

“I tried all the above but I still can’t access the locked content!”

Here’s how to help me troubleshoot the issue.

  1. Make a note of the URL you’re trying to access — this is the most helpful thing
  2. Make a note of which device you’re using and which browser you’re using
  3. If you can take a screenshot of what you’re seeing, that’s super helpful
  4. Email these details to me at sean @ this website’s domain and I’ll reply a.s.a.p.

We’ll definitely get it sorted out.

Sean