How to Enable Bits on Twitch

Twitch remains one of the most popular platforms to try and monetize your game playthroughs. It offers a great deal of features, for both streamer and viewer alike, in regards to the financial side of game streaming.

An example of one of those features is bits, an alternative currency that allows Twitch viewers to donate to creators during the actual stream. Below, we’ll tell you how to enable bits on Twitch, along with all the other details you need to know to use this handy feature.

How to Enable Subs and Bits on Twitch

Whether you’re a viewer or a streamer, subs and bits are features that are great to familiarize yourself with. The details regarding these Twitch options can differ depending on whether or not you create content for Twitch. These specifics are as follows:

Enabling Subs and Bits for Streamers

If you wish to create content for Twitch, it’s important to remember that you aren’t going to be able to use some of the creator-centric features off the bat. Before the ability to do so is unlocked, you will need to either be a Twitch partner, or an affiliate.

Being a Twitch partner isn’t easy, and to even qualify you’ll need to achieve the following tasks:

1. Stream for at least 25 hours in a 30-day period.
   
   
2. Stream for at least 12 different days in a 30-day period.
   
   
3. Get an average of at least 75 viewers on your streams in those same 30 days.
   
   

Once you accomplish these, you’ll earn the Path to Partner achievement, but it doesn’t immediately make you a Partner; it only gives you the ability to apply for the program.

To be a Twitch Affiliate, you also need to do a few tasks, but these are comparably easier than the Twitch Partner requirements. These are:

1. Get at least 50 followers.
   
   
2. Stream for at least eight hours in a 30-day period.
   
   
3. Stream for at least seven days in a 30-day period.
   
   
4. Get an average of three viewers for the stream in the same 30 days.
   
   

Once you qualify, you will get the Path to Affiliate achievement and will be notified after some time through notifications and via email. Once you accept the invite, you will have the ability to enable subs and bits. Once you’re accepted as an Affiliate or Partner, a subscribe button will appear on your channel.

Now… on to bits. So, what exactly are they? Well, think of them as a Twitch exclusive online currency that gives people the ability to give you monetary tips, while streaming. Essentially, viewers pay Twitch to get a certain number of bits, then they can give content creators some of them while watching the stream. As with subscriptions, you’ll need to be either an Affiliate or Partner to be able to accept bits.

If you’re already an Affiliate of Partner, then you can enable bit cheering by doing the following:

1. On your Twitch channel, click on your profile icon on the upper right corner of the screen.
   
   
2. From the dropdown menu, click on Creator Dashboard.
   
   
3. Depending on your status, look for and click on Affiliate or Partner Settings.
   
   
4. From the menu, click on Bits & Cheering. Then, toggle Enable Cheering with Bits. Your channel can now accept bits from your viewers.
   
   

Subbing and Buying Bits for Viewers

So, what exactly are subscriptions or subs? Essentially, a viewer pays a regular fee to get perks for the content that streamers produce. A sub costs $4.99 per month, though there are options for multiple month subscriptions too.

These are primarily broken down into the following:

• Recurring subscription – the most common type, this kind charges viewers $4.99 a month for subscription perks. Twitch also offers viewers a three-month recurring sub for $14.97 and a six-month recurring sub for $29.94.
• One Time subs – some channels only ask viewers to pay once for the ability to get the subscriber perks.
• Gift Subs – these are exactly what they sound like. These are subs that can be gifted from one viewer to another.
• Prime Gaming subs – these are one-month subs given to Twitch Prime users for free. They don’t have recurring options, so they will automatically be unsubscribed after a month unless the users resubscribe.

So, what are the perks of being a subscriber? That actually depends on the channel that you’re subbing to. Common perks are as follows:

• No more ads on channels that you’re subscribed to.
• The ability to chat when ‘subscriber-only mode’ is turned on by the streamer.
• Custom emotes.
• Twitch subscription badges.

Other perks can be unlocked by subscribing to higher sub tiers, like additional emotes and badges. Some streamers also offer their own perks for subscribers, such as subscriber-only chat rooms, polls, or giveaways.

Regarding bits, as mentioned above, they’re Twitch currency that you can use to tip your favorite streamer, while they’re doing a stream. You can buy bits directly from Twitch, or get them for free by doing several tasks.

Regarding paid bits, they come in these denominations:

• 100 bits for $1.40.
• 500 bits for $7.00.
• 1,500 bits for $19.95 for a 5% discount.
• 5,000 bits for $64.40 for an 8% discount.
• 10,000 bits for $126.00 for a 10% discount.
• 25,000 bits for $308.00 for a 12% discount.

Although the actual exchange rate for a bit to a dollar is one cent for one bit, Twitch charges about 40% as their cut. Streamers who receive bits get them at advertised value so they know exactly how much they’re earning.

So, what about free bits? Well, you can get them by doing the following:

Watching ads. You can earn 5 bits each time you watch an affiliated ad on Twitch. To do so, follow these steps:

• On a channel that allows cheering with bits, click on the cheer icon. It’s on the lower right side of the screen on the chatbox right beside the emotes icon.
• Click on Get Bits.
• If there’s an available ad on the channel, the Watch Ad button should be enabled. If it’s grayed out, then there’s currently no affiliated ad on the channel.
• Watch the ad all the way through, and click on it at least once. When it’s over, you’ll be shown how many bits you earned.
  
  

Completing surveys. You can also receive 5 bits each time you do a survey for Twitch RPG or research power group. They’re a community of over 60 thousand users worldwide, who answer short surveys in exchange for bits. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Sign up for a Twitch RPG account by going to their Join page.
2. Once signed up, they’ll notify you of any available survey, either via mail or your Twitch RPG member page.

Sometimes, there are also limited surveys that are offered to the first few people who can complete them. These surveys are worth about 500 bits per survey, but, as you can imagine, they can get completed by others rather quickly.

Once you’ve got the bits, you can give them to your favorite streamer by clicking on the aforementioned cheer button and then selecting the number of bits you want to give.

Additional FAQ

Here are a few of the common questions asked whenever discussions regarding Twitch bits come up.

How Do You Donate Bits on Twitch?

As mentioned above, once you already have some bits on your account, either by paying for them or earning them for free, just find a channel that has them enabled. Click on the cheer icon on the bottom right of the streamer’s screen and then choose the amount that you wish to give. Twitch has already earned their cut during the purchase of the bits, so all the bits you give go to your favorite streamer at a rate of one cent per bit.

How Do You Get Free Bits on Twitch?

This is covered above in the viewer portion of subs and bits. You can get them either through ads or surveys, by following the steps detailed in that section.

Can You Give Yourself Bits on Twitch?

Technically, no. Twitch has disabled people from giving bits to their own channel. This is to discourage streamers from bit farming on their own. However, this doesn’t stop people from making dual accounts and then giving themselves bits, and there really isn’t a concrete rule from Twitch that bans this activity.

Better safe than sorry, though. Although there may not be rules against it, giving yourself bits earned from surveys or ads is generally frowned upon. If a Twitch mod finds out, they have a blanket power to ban you as per their end user license agreement.

Earning Compensation

Twitch bits are another way for streamers to earn compensation for providing their viewers with entertaining content. Although the road to enable them on your channel does take effort to achieve, knowing that you can get paid for doing something you love is a great form of motivation. Knowing how to enable bits on Twitch, along with information regarding subs, is a great tool for those who wish to break into the streaming scene.