Billing and plan changes
Billing in Athenode is per project: the owner of a project buys a plan for that one project, billed monthly or annually, and the plan covers the project's members up to the plan's number. A person who owns several projects subscribes each one separately.
You make every plan change on the project's Plan & limits page, which opens from Plan in the project's sidebar. Every member can see the plan, the usage and the subscription details there. Changing the plan needs the owner role, and other members see "Only the project owner can change the plan." Plans and limits lists what each plan allows.
| Change | When it takes effect | What is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribe from the Free plan | As soon as the payment is confirmed | The first billing period |
| Upgrade to a higher plan, or from monthly to annual | Immediately | The difference for the rest of the current billing period |
| Downgrade to a lower plan, or from annual to monthly | At the end of the current billing period | No charge at the time of the change |
| Cancel | At the end of the current billing period, when the project moves to the Free plan | No charge |
Subscribe a project to a paid plan
Subscribe when a project on the Free plan needs more than the Free plan allows, such as other members, more than one agent setup or more than 100 specifications. You need the owner role.
- In the project, open Plan.
- Under Plans, choose Monthly or Annual. The toggle shows the saving of annual billing as a percentage.
- Select Subscribe on the plan you want.
- Complete the checkout.
The page shows "Processing your payment. The plan updates as soon as it is confirmed." When the payment is confirmed, Current plan shows the new plan and the project's limits change at once.
You can also subscribe when you create a project. The plan step that follows Add project offers the same plans with Choose, as Projects describes.
Upgrade a plan
Upgrade when the project has reached a limit or needs a capability of a higher plan. Moving from monthly to annual billing on the same plan is also an upgrade. You need the owner role and an active subscription.
- On the Plan & limits page, choose Monthly or Annual under Plans.
- Select Upgrade on the plan you want.
- Read the confirmation dialog. It states the amount that is charged now for the rest of the current billing period.
- Select Upgrade now.
The new plan applies immediately and its limits are available at once. If the payment is declined, the plan does not change. Update the payment method under Manage billing and upgrade again.
The Plan limit reached dialog, which appears when the project reaches a limit, offers the owner the same upgrade directly.
Downgrade a plan
Downgrade when the project needs less than its plan allows. Moving from annual to monthly billing on the same plan is also a downgrade. You need the owner role and an active subscription.
- On the Plan & limits page, choose Monthly or Annual under Plans.
- Select Downgrade on the plan you want.
- Read the confirmation dialog. It states the date on which the project moves to the new plan, and it lists every limit the project exceeds on that plan.
- Select Schedule downgrade.
The project keeps its current plan until the end of the current billing period and moves to the new plan on that date. Until then a banner on the page states the scheduled plan and date, and the subscription details show it under Scheduled change.
A downgrade keeps what the project has. Content, members and project tokens above the new plan's limits stay and remain usable, and adding more of that kind is refused.
Cancel a subscription
Cancel when the project should stop being billed. Cancelling moves the project to the Free plan at the end of the period you have paid for. You need the owner role.
- On the Plan & limits page, select Cancel subscription in the Current plan section.
- Read the Cancel the subscription? dialog. It states the date until which the project keeps its plan.
- Select Cancel subscription. To leave the subscription as it is, select Keep subscription.
The project keeps its paid plan until that date, and you are not charged again. On that date it moves to the Free plan with all of its content. Cancelling does not refund a payment already made.
A cancellation replaces a downgrade that was scheduled before it. While a cancellation is scheduled, the plan cannot be changed. Undo the cancellation first with Keep current plan.
Undo a scheduled downgrade or cancellation
A scheduled downgrade or cancellation can be withdrawn at any time before its date. You need the owner role.
On the Plan & limits page, select Keep current plan in the banner that states the scheduled change. The banner disappears, the project stays on its plan and the subscription renews as before.
Update the payment method and find invoices
The payment method and the invoices of a subscription are in the billing portal. You need the owner role, and the project must have a subscription.
On the Plan & limits page, select Manage billing in the Current plan section. The billing portal opens, where you change the payment method and open or download your invoices.
Fix a failed payment
When a renewal payment fails, the project shows the banner "The last payment for this project's subscription failed. Update the payment method to keep the plan." The subscription's Status reads Payment past due.
Select Update payment method in the banner and enter a working payment method. Until you do, the plan cannot be upgraded or downgraded.
Read the subscription details
The Current plan section of a subscribed project shows these details to every member.
| Detail | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Status | The state of the subscription: Active, Payment past due, Paused, Canceled or Expired. |
| Billing | Monthly or annual billing. |
| Next billing date | The date of the next charge. |
| Ends on | The date a cancelled subscription ends. |
| Scheduled change | A scheduled downgrade with its plan and date, or a scheduled cancellation with its date. |
Request a refund
The first payment of a subscription can be refunded in full within 14 days of that payment. Renewal payments and other later payments are not refundable, except where the law requires it.
To request a refund, email support@athenode.com within those 14 days from the email address of your Athenode account, and name the project the subscription belongs to. The refund policy has the full terms.
What deleting a project or an account does to a subscription
Deleting a project that has a paid subscription cancels the subscription immediately, without a refund. The Delete project? dialog warns you first. To use the period you have paid for, cancel the subscription and delete the project after it has moved to the Free plan.
Deleting your Athenode account cancels every subscription you pay for, immediately and without a refund, when the account is finally deleted at the end of its 30-day period. The Delete account? dialog lists those subscriptions. Your account describes the steps.