Help Center

Open Account (or the chat window), enter your email address and choose Email me a code. We send a 6-digit code that works for 10 minutes. Enter it and you're signed in. If you didn't have an account, this creates one. There's no password to remember.

Wait a minute, then check your spam or junk folder for a message from support@theaskbuddy.com. Make sure the address you typed is correct. You can ask for a new code after a few minutes; only the newest code works. If it still doesn't arrive, contact us.

Go to Account › Profile. Experts see only your first name.

Go to Account › Privacy and choose Download my data. You get a file with your account details, chat transcripts and billing records.

Go to Account › Privacy and choose Request account deletion. If you have an active subscription, cancel it first so you aren't charged again. We delete your chats and anonymize your account; payment records are kept as accounting law requires. See the Privacy Policy.

Choose Chat with a Human Expert at the bottom of any page. Sign in, choose a topic, describe your question, and join the queue. The chat shows your place in the queue and the expert's name when they join.

Your first chat is free: one conversation with an expert, up to 30 minutes.

• One free conversation per person. You need a free Ask Buddy account with a verified email address, so we can tell whether you have used it.
• The free conversation ends when your question is answered and the chat is closed, when you or the expert close it, or 30 minutes after an expert joins, whichever comes first.
• The 30 minutes start only when an expert joins. If no expert joins, or you leave the queue before one does, your free chat isn't used up.
• No payment card is needed for the free chat, and nothing is charged when it ends.
• After the free chat you can keep using Ask Buddy by subscribing. Subscribing is always a separate step that you choose, with the full terms shown first.

The chat button tells you honestly whether an expert is online for your topic. If none is, you can leave a message and we reply by email. If you're in the queue and nobody joins within 20 minutes, the chat closes; a free chat isn't used up in that case.

In Account › Chats. Transcripts are kept for 365 days after a conversation ends, then deleted automatically.

Choose End chat at the top of the chat window. Afterwards you can rate the conversation from 1 to 5. Ratings are private and are used to review quality; low ratings are always looked at.

Your conversation isn't lost. Reopen the chat window or go to Account › Chats; it reconnects and shows every message. The expert sees your messages as soon as you're back.

Ask Buddy Monthly is $39.99 per month. It includes chats with available human experts in the topics marked Available, one conversation at a time. See Pricing for the full terms.

Go to Pricing and choose Review terms and subscribe. The checkout page shows every term; you tick a box to agree and then pay on our payment provider's secure page. Your subscription starts once the provider confirms the payment.

Go to Account › Subscription, choose Cancel subscription and confirm. No call or email needed. You keep access until the end of the paid month and are not charged again. You can undo it before then.

We email a receipt for every payment. Your billing history, with links to each invoice, is in Account › Subscription.

If a monthly payment doesn't go through, chats pause until it succeeds. Our payment provider retries automatically and may email you to update your card. If you'd rather stop, you can cancel from your account.

Read the Refund Policy, then use the contact form (choose "Billing") or email support@theaskbuddy.com.

Your passwords or sign-in codes, payment card or bank details, government ID numbers, or remote access to your device. Experts also won't ask you to pay them directly or move to another website or phone number. If anyone does, end the chat and tell us at support@theaskbuddy.com.

We only email from addresses ending in @theaskbuddy.com, and we never phone customers. We never ask for passwords or remote access. If you're unsure, forward the message to support@theaskbuddy.com.

No. Ask Buddy is an independent business. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorized by any manufacturer or brand mentioned on this website, and we are not an official support channel for any of them.