Welcome to eChama. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the eChama platform, website, and related services (collectively, the "Services") operated by eChama ("we," "us," or "our").
By creating an account or using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.
Summary: eChama is a savings group management platform. We provide tools for groups to track contributions, manage membership, and process payments. We are not a bank, and we do not hold or guarantee your funds.
To use the Services you must:
By using the Services you represent and warrant that you meet all of the eligibility requirements above.
You must create an account to access the full Services. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information and to keep your account information up to date.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at support@echama.com if you suspect any unauthorised access to your account.
Each person may maintain only one eChama account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions or policies is prohibited.
Your email address is your permanent identity on the platform and cannot be changed after registration. Choose your registration email carefully.
eChama provides software tools for cooperative savings groups ("chamas") to:
Important: eChama is a software platform, not a bank, financial institution, or money transmitter. We do not hold, pool, or guarantee any funds. All money movement occurs between your members and your group's own bank account via third-party payment processors (Stripe) and bank-linking providers (Plaid). eChama is not responsible for the actions or failures of Stripe, Plaid, or any financial institution.
Members may submit contribution payments through the platform via ACH bank transfer. Payments are processed by Stripe and are subject to Stripe's terms of service. ACH transfers typically settle within 3–5 business days. eChama does not guarantee settlement timelines, which are determined by the banking system.
Stripe charges standard payment processing fees for ACH transfers. These fees are separate from any eChama platform fees and are governed by your agreement with Stripe.
Details of any eChama platform subscription or service fees will be disclosed to group administrators at the time of subscription. We reserve the right to introduce or modify fees with at least 30 days' written notice to affected account holders.
If a payment fails (for example due to insufficient funds or a bank rejection), the failed transaction will be recorded in the platform but will not be credited as a contribution. You will be notified by email. Failed payments may incur Stripe return fees, which are the responsibility of the member whose payment failed.
Contribution payments processed through eChama represent voluntary transfers from a member to a group's savings account. Because these funds are deposited directly into your group's bank account and are not held by eChama, refunds of contribution payments are at the sole discretion of your group administrator. To request a refund of a contribution, contact your group administrator directly.
If you believe a payment was processed in error or without your authorisation, you must notify us within 30 days of the transaction date by contacting support at support@echama.com or calling 651-317-9215. We will investigate and work with Stripe to resolve the dispute. We aim to respond to dispute enquiries within 3 business days.
Platform subscription fees are non-refundable after 30 days from the billing date. If you believe you were charged in error, contact us within 30 days and we will review your request.
If you are enrolled in Auto-Pay, an ACH debit will be initiated automatically when your group administrator approves a case event. You will receive an email notification prior to and following the deduction. To dispute an Auto-Pay charge, contact us within 30 days. To prevent future Auto-Pay deductions, unenroll from Auto-Pay in your Payments settings before the case event is approved.
How to raise a dispute: Email support@echama.com with the subject line "Payment Dispute — [Your Name] — [Transaction Date]", or call 651-317-9215. Include your name, group name, amount, and date of the transaction.
You may cancel your eChama account at any time by contacting us at support@echama.com. Before cancellation, you should ensure that:
Upon account cancellation your access to the platform is terminated and your profile is deactivated. Your personal account information (name, email, phone) is deleted within 90 days of the cancellation request.
Contribution and payment records associated with your account are retained for 7 years from the transaction date in accordance with applicable financial recordkeeping requirements. This data is retained even after account cancellation and is not subject to deletion requests during the retention period. This is required to maintain the integrity of group financial records and to support regulatory compliance.
If a group administrator cancels their account, they must first transfer the administrator role to another active member or contact us to arrange orderly group closure. A group cannot be left without an active administrator.
Platform subscriptions may be cancelled at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. No partial-period refunds are issued unless required by applicable law.
You agree not to use the Services to:
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms without prior notice.
The eChama platform, including its software, design, text, graphics, and logo, is owned by eChama and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any part of the Services without our prior written consent.
You retain ownership of all data you input into the platform, including group names, contribution records, and member information. You grant eChama a limited licence to store and process this data solely to provide the Services to you.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, eChama and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of funds, loss of data, or interruption of service, arising out of or related to your use of the Services.
eChama's total liability to you for any claims arising under these Terms shall not exceed the greater of (a) the fees paid by you to eChama in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) USD $100.
eChama is not responsible for the actions, errors, or omissions of third-party service providers including Stripe and Plaid. Your use of those services is governed by their respective terms of service.
No warranty: The Services are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranty of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of security vulnerabilities.
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes we will notify registered users by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Services after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
If you do not agree with the revised Terms, you may cancel your account before the effective date.
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States. Any disputes arising under these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in the United States.
If you have questions about these Terms, a payment dispute, or a cancellation request, please contact us:
eChama Support
Email: support@echama.com
Phone: 651-317-9215 · Mon – Fri, 9 am – 5 pm CT
For payment disputes include subject line: Payment Dispute — [Your Name] — [Transaction Date]
For cancellation requests include subject line: Account Cancellation — [Your Name]