Auto-renew via card on file

Subscriptions renew automatically. The card you used to set up the subscription (during marketplace checkout) is on file with Stripe, and Stripe charges it on each renewal date. You don't need to pay each renewal manually — the cycle continues as long as the card is working.

The sequence per renewal:

1. A few days before the renewal date, Stripe emails you an upcoming-charge notice with the amount, the date, and which subscription it covers. This is your chance to update the payment method or contact us if anything looks wrong.
2. On the renewal date, Stripe charges the card on file.
3. If the charge succeeds, Stripe emails you a payment confirmation and the subscription's Next Payment date moves forward to the end of the new period.
4. The corresponding invoice appears in your Invoices list once it's issued on our side.

The Next Payment field on each subscription card in the Subscriptions list is the best place to see when your next renewal is due.

Managing payment methods

You can add, update, or remove cards yourself from the Billing Details menu item (under Billing in the customer menu — Admin role only).

Billing Details opens our Stripe-hosted billing portal, where you can:

• Add a new card.
• Update card details — useful when your existing card is reissued or its expiry changes.
• Delete a card you no longer want on file.
• Set the default card — the one Stripe charges for renewals.
• See billing history from Stripe's side, separate from the portal's Invoices view.

Changes apply immediately to all upcoming renewals. Update your card before the next renewal date if it's expiring — Stripe's pre-charge notice is your reminder window.

Past Due

If Stripe can't charge the card on file when a renewal comes due — expired card, insufficient funds, blocked transaction, anything that bounces the payment — the subscription flips to Past Due. Stripe retries the charge a few times over the following days; if every retry fails, the service may eventually be suspended.

To clear a Past Due state, the usual fix is to update your payment method in Billing Details. Stripe will retry the charge with the new card automatically.

If you've updated the card but the status hasn't cleared after a day or two, or if you're not sure why the charge failed, reach out and we'll look into it.

When a service is suspended

What happens when a Past Due reaches the end of Stripe's retry window depends on the service:

• Hosting / email — there's a grace period after the retries fail. After that, the service can be suspended pending payment.
• Maintenance / SEO retainer — work pauses on the account until billing is settled, but nothing technically breaks.
• Domains — domain renewals are time-critical. If a domain subscription goes past due and into expiry, recovery costs go up and at some point the domain can be released by the registrar. We chase you proactively but don't ignore an email on a domain.

Cancelling

There's no self-serve cancel button on the customer side of the portal — most subscriptions are tied to a live service (your hosting, your maintenance plan) and cancelling without a conversation tends to break things.

To cancel, email us at [email protected] with which subscription you want to stop. We'll:

• Confirm what happens when it stops (e.g. site goes offline, mailboxes get suspended) so there are no surprises.
• Set the subscription to cancel at period end — it'll show as Active (Cancellation Pending) with a Cancels At date. The auto-charge stops; no new invoice is generated after that date.
• Or, if you'd rather stop sooner, cancel immediately with a prorated credit for the unused portion of the current period.

We don't charge cancellation fees on standard subscriptions. If your engagement had a minimum commitment in the proposal, the terms in the proposal apply.

Changing or upgrading

Same path — email us. Common changes:

• Tier change (Basic → Standard maintenance, Light → Standard hosting). We prorate the difference for the current period and apply the new rate from the next cycle.
• Quantity change (more email seats, more support hours). Same proration approach.
• Billing interval change (monthly → annual to save). We end the current cycle, refund any unused portion, and start fresh on the new interval.

All three are handled on the staff side after a short email exchange to confirm the change.