FAQs

Having trouble? We’d be happy to assist you.

  • Call: (949) 361-0331
  • Email: membership@surfersjournal.com
  • Our office hours are Monday-Friday 9am-5pm PST
  • International members can reach us on: +1 (949) 361-0331



Memberships

What are the Membership options?

There are two Membership options available: Standard and Premium. 

The Standard Membership includes: 

  • The Surfer’s Journal delivered every eight weeks
  • Member-only access to every article we’ve ever published in The Archives
  • Email delivery of additional original TSJ content
  • 20% discount in The TSJ Company Store
  • Member-only film screenings
  • Exclusive sponsor offers and discounts

The Premium Membership includes all the benefits of Standard, plus:

  • An exclusive annual gift
    • Every year we cook up something special for our Premium Members—with an estimated value of $100, in year’s past we’ve sent out custom Leatherman tools, Patagonia backpacks, and limited-edition signed books
    • This year, all Premium Members will be able to keep their burritos dry and their cans cold with a TSJ-edition Yeti Daytrip cooler
  • 25% Discount in The TSJ Store
  • Listed as a TSJ supporter on surfersjournal.com

What are the benefits of a TSJ Membership?

You’ll receive a new issue every eight weeks while paying significantly less than you would buying single copies. Members have exclusive digital access to every article TSJ has ever published dating back to Volume 1, in addition to discounts on all merchandise (excluding prints) purchased through The Surfer’s Journal’s online store. Note: Members must be signed in to their account to receive their discount.

Do memberships auto-renew?

Yes. All memberships will auto-renew once the final issue in the subscription has been mailed. Members will be notified by email 14 days before the card on file is charged for the next year. 

Should you prefer your membership not to auto-renew, you can disable this function in your account settings. Simply log in, view your subscriptions, and click “Auto-Renew Off.” This will end the recurring payment but continue the membership for the remaining issues for which payment has already been received. After that, you will receive notices to manually renew your membership.

Do gift memberships auto-renew?

No. Memberships purchased for someone other than yourself will not auto-renew. Please note, only orders processed as Gift Memberships will be tagged as a gift in our system. All other memberships will auto-renew as described above.  

I had a membership but someone just gave me a gift, will I get two issues now?

If the gift membership was given to you with your name and address listed as we have in our membership records, then our system will find your account and add the new subscription to your existing subscription. You will not receive duplicates.

If the gift was given to you with a nickname or to a different address, our system will not find you as a duplicate. A new account will be started for you and you will likely receive two copies each issue. To correct this, call our office at (949) 361-0331 or email membership@surfersjournal.com.

How quickly will the first issue go out for a new members?

Your subscription will begin with the next issue in our schedule after the date of purchase. The schedule for our six issues are as follows:

  • First issue of the year: Feb/Mar
  • Second issue: Apr/May
  • Third issue: Jun/July 
  • Fourth issue: Aug/Sep 
  • Fifth issue: Oct/Nov 
  • Sixth issue: Dec/Jan

As an example, if you were to start a subscription on September 15th, your first issue would be the fifth of the year, the Oct/Nov issue. 

If you want to receive the issue that is currently on sale, you may add it to your subscription when you sign up, or purchase it in our store.

I’m a member, but the new issues sometimes get to the surf shops or bookstores first, why is that?

We fully understand that as a member it’s nice to get your magazine before anyone else can get their hands on it. We ship member copies 1-2 weeks before we ship to surf shops and bookstores. The only exception is in the month of December, when we ship to members, surf shops and bookstores at the same time to ensure holiday delivery.

My membership has ended. How do I renew?

If you are logged in to surfersjournal.com you can renew through the My Account page. To access your account, click the Account icon in the top right corner of surfersjournal.com, select Memberships, and then renew your membership and/or any gift memberships you have given.

If you are not logged in, you can renew by clicking on Renew Membership (under Join, in the navigation). If you enter the email address we have on file, you only need to select the membership you would like to renew and proceed to checkout. 

You can also call our Member Services team at 949-361-0331.


Account Management

I’ve moved, how do I change my address?

On surfersjournal.com:

  • Log in to your account (via the Member Login link in the top right of the page)
  • Click on the My Account icon (top right of the page)
  • Click on Memberships in the My Account page
  • Then click the Manage Membership link on the membership you want to update, and you’ll see a Change Address link.

Via email:

  • Email membership@surfersjournal.com with your name, old address, and the new address you’d like to have on file.

Please note that we are unable to accept responsibility for replacement issues if the correct information is not supplied.

Am I eligible to upgrade my membership?

If you are not already a Premium Member, you are eligible to upgrade and get more from your membership, including a custom annual gift, 25% discount in the TSJ Company Store, and your name listed as a TSJ supporter on surfersjournal.com.

How do I upgrade my membership?

You can upgrade your membership by following the below steps.

  • Visit the My Account page
  • Select Subscriptions on the My Account navigation
  • Select “Upgrade” to upgrade your current membership or select “Renew to Premium” if you are eligible to renew
  • Proceed and complete payment checkout to upgrade your membership

Will I receive the premium member gift if I upgrade?

Yes, once you complete your membership upgrade, you will be sent your Premium Member gift. Note that we change the gifts annually in the fall/winter.

How do I cancel my membership?

Please review our cancellation policy and contact our customer service team at membership@surfersjournal.com or via phone at (949) 361-0331.  


Shop

When should I expect to receive the merchandise I ordered?

We process merchandise orders continuously Monday-Friday, 9-5 PM PST.

Most merchandise orders delivering in the US will mail via USPS. Please expect 1-2 weeks for domestic delivery, and 2-4 weeks for international delivery.

How do I request a refund or exchange on my order?

To request a refund or exchange for unused or unworn products please contact our Member Services team via email at membership@surfersjournal.com or call (949) 361-0331 within 30 days of purchase. Refunds requested outside of the 30 day window will not be accepted. Returns for unused merchandise will be refunded the full amount of the order, less the original shipping cost once the item has been inspected and then approved by a member of our team.


General FAQ

I am a member, how do I log in?

Click Member Login at the top right of The Surfer’s Journal website. Either sign in with your account information or send a one-time login link to the email you used when purchasing your membership. Once logged in, and assuming you are a current member, you will see discounts applied within the TSJ Company Store and you will have unlimited access to The Archives.

I want to renew online, how do you keep my personal information safe?

All data processed by our site, including names, payment details, and addresses, is encrypted and secure. Further, we keep digital data collection to an absolute minimum, only capturing the information necessary to market and deliver TSJ effectively. 

We value the trust and respect of our members. We will never sell or rent your email address or any other personal information. We also promise not to abuse your trust by emailing you with irrelevant offers or content, and you can always manage your email preferences to adjust how frequently you hear from us.

I’m looking for a specific issue that you published a while ago. How can I find it?

Visit The Archives and use the search bar to find what you’re looking for. You can enter a name, place, keyword, or author, and any articles associated with that search will pop up. You can also order any specific back issue. Remember, The Archives are available exclusively to TSJ members and you need to be logged in to view them.

How do I submit a story/photo to you?

Contributions to The Surfer’s Journal are always welcome. We’re looking for writers, photographers, artists, and surfers to introduce us to the next great story.

Contributions to The Surfer’s Journal are welcome. For more information and guidelines, please visit our submission page. Due to volume, we cannot provide individual feedback on submissions, though we do closely consider each one and will notify you following our review.

Are you affiliated with any other publication?

We publish The Surfer’s Journal exclusively, and a variety of hard-cover books featuring surf photography.