DISPLAY TIPS · SETUP GUIDE
How to accept tips on Twitch before Affiliate
You can receive direct tips before becoming a Twitch Affiliate. Share an appropriate payment link with viewers, then add an overlay if you want their support to appear on stream.
Viewers can support you through payment services they already have, including Venmo, Cash App and PayPal, where available. The payment goes to your payment account. Display Tips adds the on-screen recognition by turning supported incoming payment emails into alerts in your streaming app.
You do not need Display Tips just to receive a payment. Use it when you want supported direct tips to show up in your stream alongside the support you already receive.
Do you need Twitch Affiliate to receive tips?
No. Direct tips through a separate payment service do not depend on Twitch Affiliate status. You still need to meet that payment provider’s account and payment requirements.
This makes direct tipping useful while you work toward Affiliate. It can also remain an option afterward: viewers can choose a familiar payment service, and Display Tips takes no percentage of their tips. Its subscription and your payment provider’s fees still apply.
1. Choose a payment option your viewers can use
Choose a service that works for you and your audience. Check availability, account eligibility and whether your intended use is supported. Use the public payment link, handle or QR code that the provider offers for receiving payments. Review what account details a viewer will see before you share it.
| Payment option | What viewers use | How to add an alert |
|---|---|---|
| Venmo | Your appropriate public Venmo payment details | Venmo stream-alert guide |
| Cash App | Your public $cashtag or payment link | Cash App stream-alert guide |
| PayPal | Your appropriate public PayPal payment link | PayPal stream-alert guide |
A link or QR code gives viewers a way to pay; it does not automatically create an OBS alert. For Display Tips alerts, your connected Gmail inbox must receive a supported incoming payment receipt. Supported receipt formats and currencies matter, especially for PayPal; check the relevant guide before choosing your setup.
2. Put your tip link on your Twitch channel
Give viewers a clear, optional way to support your stream. A panel on your channel’s About section is one place to keep your payment link easy to find.
- Open your Twitch channel on desktop and visit About when you are offline.
- Turn on Edit Panels and add a panel.
- Give it a title such as Support the stream. Add your public payment link in the description, or link a panel image to it.
- Save with Submit, turn panel editing off and check the finished link.
Twitch provides the current controls in its Info Panels guide.
Only publish your payment details here. Your Display Tips overlay URL is private and belongs in your streaming app.
3. Add on-screen tip recognition in OBS
To show supported direct tips in your broadcast, create a Display Tips account and choose a plan. Connect the Gmail inbox receiving your payment receipts and enable the services you want it to recognize. Connecting Gmail requires a separate Google permission step; read the privacy details before connecting.
Copy your private overlay link from the dashboard. In OBS Studio, add a Browser source to the scene you broadcast and paste the link into its URL field. Start with width 2000 and height 560, then resize and position it in your scene. Follow the complete OBS tip-alert setup for source settings and troubleshooting.
The alert becomes part of the video you send to Twitch. It does not require a Twitch tipping feature or an Affiliate account.
4. Test before you go live
Use Test your alert in the Display Tips dashboard while every stream using the overlay is off air. Check the name, amount and message in your OBS preview. A sample alert moves no money and does not check whether a real payment receipt will be recognized.
To check the whole setup, confirm a new genuine incoming payment and its supported email receipt after listening is enabled. Receipt delivery can be delayed or missing. Your payment account remains the transaction record; an alert alone is not proof that a payment completed.
5. Make support easy to find during the stream
Check your panel link from a viewer’s perspective before your next broadcast. Mention the support option naturally when someone asks, and thank viewers without making tipping a condition of participating. If an alert is missed, you can still acknowledge a payment after checking it in your payment account.
Common questions
Can I get tips with fewer than 25 Twitch followers?
Direct tips are handled by your payment provider, so Twitch’s follower requirements for Affiliate do not determine whether you can receive them. Your payment account must meet its own requirements.
Does Display Tips take a cut of my tips?
No. Display Tips charges a flat subscription and takes no percentage of tips. Payments go through your chosen provider; that provider’s fees may apply.
Will direct tips show in Twitch’s Bits or subscription activity?
A direct payment is separate from a Cheer or subscription. Display Tips shows supported receipts through the overlay in your broadcast video; it does not turn a Venmo, Cash App or PayPal payment into a Twitch event.
Can I keep using direct tips after becoming an Affiliate?
Display Tips does not depend on Affiliate status, so becoming an Affiliate does not require changing your overlay. You can keep giving viewers a direct payment option alongside the Twitch features available to you.
Are these charitable donations?
This guide covers personal support paid to a creator. For a charity fundraiser, use a direct-to-charity flow and follow Twitch’s charity guidance.
Put your tips on screen
Connect supported payment receipts, add your overlay and test your scene.
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