Effective date: July 9, 2026

1. Agreement to these terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) are an agreement between you and tethrd (“tethrd,” “we,” “us”). By joining our waitlist, creating an account, or using our website at tethrd.ioor our services, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't use tethrd.

tethrd is currently in early access. Features described here may roll out over time, and we may update these Terms as the service grows (see Section 14).

2. What tethrd does

tethrd provides payment protection for deals between two parties. When a deal is struck, the buyer's payment is held until the agreed conditions are met — then it's released to the seller. If the conditions aren't met or the deadline passes, the payment is returned to the buyer.

tethrd is a technology service, not a bank, money transmitter, or fiduciary. We are not a party to the underlying deal between you and the other person, and we do not take ownership of the money. Funds are processed and held through our payments partner, Stripe. Your use of the payment features is also subject to Stripe's applicable agreements, including — for those receiving funds — the Stripe Connected Account Agreement.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract to use tethrd. By using the service you confirm that the information you provide is accurate and that you'll keep it up to date.

4. Your account

You're responsible for your account and for keeping your login credentials secure. You're responsible for everything that happens under your account. Tell us promptly at hello@tethrd.io if you suspect unauthorized use.

5. How payment protection works

• Fund. The buyer submits payment, which is held through Stripe rather than sent directly to the seller.
• Hold. The payment stays protected while both parties do their part, up to the deadline set for the deal.
• Release.When the agreed conditions are confirmed, the payment is released to the seller. If the conditions aren't met or the deadline passes, it's refunded to the buyer.

You and the other party are responsible for agreeing on the terms of your deal — what's being exchanged, the amount, the deadline, and what “done” means. tethrd does not verify, guarantee, or take responsibility for the quality, legality, or delivery of any goods or services exchanged.

6. Fees

tethrd charges a flat fee of 2% per protected deal, applied when the payment is released. There are no subscription fees, and if a deal never goes ahead there is nothing to pay. Payment processing may involve additional charges from Stripe; we'll make the total clear before you commit to a deal. We may change our fees in the future, but changes won't affect a deal already underway.

7. Your responsibilities and acceptable use

You agree not to use tethrd to:

• break any law or facilitate an illegal transaction;
• buy or sell prohibited, stolen, counterfeit, or restricted items, or anything Stripe's rules don't allow;
• commit fraud, launder money, or deceive the other party;
• infringe anyone's intellectual property or other rights;
• interfere with, probe, or disrupt the service or its security.

We may suspend or close accounts, and hold, refund, or reverse payments, where we reasonably believe these Terms or the law have been broken.

8. Disputes between users

tethrd's role is limited to holding and releasing the payment according to the agreed conditions and deadline. We are not a judge of your deal and do not provide arbitration. If a deal doesn't go ahead, the payment returns to the buyer; if it does, it releases to the seller. Any dispute about the goods or services themselves is between you and the other party. Where the law gives you rights against a payment provider (for example, card chargebacks), those remain available to you through Stripe and your bank.

9. Refunds and cancellations

Because the outcome of a deal is driven by its agreed conditions and deadline, refunds happen automatically when conditions aren't met or a deal expires. Once a payment has been released to the seller, it is no longer held by the service and any further refund is a matter between you and the other party.

10. Service availability

We work to keep tethrd available and reliable, but we provide the service “as is” and can't promise it will always be uninterrupted or error-free. We may change, suspend, or discontinue features, and we'll try to give reasonable notice of significant changes.

11. Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by law, tethrd disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant the conduct of any user or the outcome of any deal.

12. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, tethrd will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits or lost data. Our total liability for any claim relating to the service will not exceed the greater of the fees you paid to tethrd for the deal at issue or one hundred US dollars (US $100).

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold tethrd harmless from claims, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your deals, your use of the service, or your breach of these Terms or the law.

14. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we'll update the effective date above and, where appropriate, notify you. Continuing to use tethrd after an update means you accept the revised Terms.

15. Termination

You may stop using tethrd at any time. We may suspend or end your access if you breach these Terms or use the service in a way that creates risk or legal exposure. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — such as fees owed, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and indemnification — will continue to apply.

16. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable to tethrd's governing business entity, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Any dispute that isn't resolved informally will be handled in the courts of that jurisdiction. Nothing here removes any consumer protection you're entitled to under the mandatory laws of your home country.

17. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email hello@tethrd.io.