Client Red Flag BingoCheap Client Edition
How many have you heard? Tap each one that sounds familiar.
Today’s board · 25 Oct
What is Client Red Flag Bingo?
Client Red Flag Bingo is a free BrieflyGo game for freelancers: a 5×5 board of the things difficult clients say — “it’ll be great for your portfolio”, “just one more small change”, “we’ll sign the contract later”. Tap the ones you’ve heard, get your score and a shareable card, and see a practical way to protect yourself from each flag. There’s a new board every day, drawn from over 50 client lines. No sign-up, nothing you tap is linked to you.
Glossary: what a “client red flag” is →Client red flags for freelancers with tight-budget clients, and what to do
General practices freelancers use — put them in your quote or contract before the project starts.
| Red flag | Practice | How to protect yourself |
|---|---|---|
| We can pay you in exposure | Fixed fee | Quote your rate. Exposure is a bonus, never the fee. |
| It’ll be great for your portfolio | Paid trial only | Offer a small paid starter package. If you do work free, cap it in writing. |
| My nephew could do this cheaper | Tiered packages | Restate the scope and value — then let price shoppers go. |
| Asks for a discount up front | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. |
| Can you match this cheaper quote? | Tiered packages | Hold your rate. Offer a smaller package. |
| Can you do a free sample? | Paid trial only | Point to your portfolio or offer a paid test. |
| Lots more work coming later! | Fixed fee | Price this project on its own. |
| Can we pay you in equity? | Fixed fee | Cash fee. Equity only under a separate written agreement, with advice. |
| Haggles after delivery | Fixed fee | The signed quote is the price. |
| Won’t name any budget | Tiered packages | Ask for a range, then send tiered options. |
| Can you do it for half the price? | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. Offer good, better and best options. |
| My budget is $50. Make it amazing. | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. Offer good, better and best options. |
| Fiverr does it for $5 | Fixed fee | Your fee stands on its own — no discounts for promised future work, no exposure instead of pay. |
| Can we pay after it works? | Payment terms | Put a due date, a late fee and “work pauses if overdue” in writing. |
| It’s only a small job, right? | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Friends and family rate? | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. Offer good, better and best options. |
| Free revisions forever? | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| We’re a startup, no money yet | Fixed fee | Your fee stands on its own — no discounts for promised future work, no exposure instead of pay. |
| You’ll get a great testimonial | Fixed fee | Your fee stands on its own — no discounts for promised future work, no exposure instead of pay. |
| I’ll tip you if I like it | Fixed fee | Your fee stands on its own — no discounts for promised future work, no exposure instead of pay. |
| Discount if I refer friends? | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. Offer good, better and best options. |
| Can you throw in the logo free? | Change order | Every new request gets a short written quote before any work starts. |
| AI can do this for free | Fixed fee | Your fee stands on its own — no discounts for promised future work, no exposure instead of pay. |
| Why is it so expensive? | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. Offer good, better and best options. |
| Sends a cheque for too much | Payment terms | Never refund an “overpayment”. Wait for the funds to clear. |
| Should only take five minutes, right? | Written scope | Price the deliverable, not their guess at the effort. |
| It’s a favour, not really a project | Change order | Every request gets a mini-quote. |
| Wants the source files for free | Source files priced | Source files are a priced line item. |
| Can you split the payment in 10? | Payment terms | Put a due date, a late fee and “work pauses if overdue” in writing. |
| Bulk deal: 20 for the price of 10 | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. Offer good, better and best options. |
| Charity project, so it’s free? | Fixed fee | Your fee stands on its own — no discounts for promised future work, no exposure instead of pay. |
| Pay you in crypto, maybe? | Payment terms | Put a due date, a late fee and “work pauses if overdue” in writing. |
| Can I pay you next month? | Payment terms | Put a due date, a late fee and “work pauses if overdue” in writing. |
| The last guy was cheaper | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. Offer good, better and best options. |
Already signed with a red-flag client?
Check what your contract says about payment, revisions and rights — free, in about a minute.
Questions
What is a client red flag?
A sign early in a project that a client may cause trouble later: refusing a contract, pushing for free samples, haggling before you’ve quoted, vague briefs, or “we pay when we get paid”. One flag isn’t a verdict, but several together usually mean scope creep or late payment ahead.
How do I protect myself from difficult clients?
Most red flags are handled by a few habits put in writing: a clear scope, a set number of revision rounds, a deposit before you start, payment terms with a late fee, change orders for new requests, and rights that transfer only on full payment. Each square on the board links its own tip.
Is Client Red Flag Bingo free? Do I need an account?
Yes, it’s free and there’s no sign-up. Your board is kept in the link itself — there’s no account to tie it to. We only keep anonymous usage stats, like how often each square is tapped.
Which boards are there?
A general board for every freelancer, plus boards for designers, developers, writers and copywriters, and photographers and videographers. Each one has 24 squares and a free centre square.
Does the board change?
Yes. Every board draws its 24 squares from a larger pool of client lines, and there’s a new board every day — the same for everyone, so you can compare scores with friends. “New board” deals fresh lines from the same edition, and each edition (Agency, Cheap Client, Payment Nightmare, Worst of 2026 and the profession boards) has its own set. The classics show up on most boards.
How do I challenge a friend?
Finish a board and press “Challenge a freelancer”. Your friend gets the exact same board, sees your score, and when they finish, both scores appear side by side.
Is this legal advice?
No. The tips are general business practices freelancers use. For a contract with real money at stake, have it checked — you can run a free risk check on BrieflyGo or talk to a lawyer.
Just for fun. Tips are general business practices, not legal advice — for a contract with real money at stake, get it reviewed. Last updated .