Billing & Subscription Guide

This guide covers how users manage their subscriptions and payments in TotalMeet.

Overview

The billing interface allows you to:

• View your current subscription
• Subscribe to a plan
• Upgrade or downgrade your plan
• Add personal and workspace add-ons to your subscription
• Manage add-on reductions/removals directly inside the subscription card
• Access your invoice history
• View referral program details (if enabled in your plan)
• View reseller program details (if enabled in your plan)

Access

• Access URL: ?page=billing
• Required rights: None (authenticated users only)

My Subscription Tab

View Your Current Subscription

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. The "My subscription" tab is displayed by default
3. View your current subscription details:

• Plan name and description
• Price and billing cycle
• Subscription status (Active, Pending payment, etc.)
• Start date and next billing date
• Plan features

Subscribe to a Plan (New Users)

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. If you have no active subscription, you'll see "No active subscription"
3. Browse available plans in the "Available plans" section
4. Each plan card shows:

• Plan name
• Description
• Price and billing cycle
• Features list

1. Click "Subscribe" on your desired plan
2. You'll be redirected to the payment page

Note: Some plans (such as the default Free plan) are hidden from user selection and will not appear in the available plans list. These plans are automatically assigned by the system or managed by administrators.

Complete Payment

1. After selecting a plan, you'll be on the payment page
2. Review your subscription details (plan, price, status)
3. Choose your payment method:

• PayPal: "Pay with PayPal" (one-time) or "Subscribe with PayPal" (recurring)
• Stripe: "Pay with Stripe" (one-time) or "Subscribe with Stripe" (recurring)

1. Click the payment button
2. Complete the payment on the provider's website
3. You'll be redirected back to the billing page
4. Your subscription status changes to "Active"

Pay for Pending Subscription

If your subscription status is "Pending payment":

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. You'll see a "Pending payment" badge on your subscription card
3. Click the "Pay now" button
4. Complete the payment process (see "Complete Payment" above)
5. Your subscription becomes active

Upgrade Your Plan

Upgrades take effect immediately with prorated billing:

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. In the "Available plans" section, find a plan with a higher price than your current plan
3. Click "Upgrade now" on the desired plan
4. Confirm the upgrade in the modal
5. You'll be redirected to the payment page
6. Pay the prorated difference
7. Your subscription is upgraded immediately

Zero-payment upgrades: If credit covers the upgrade amount and there are no pending add-on payments, your subscription switches immediately without additional payment. A $0.00 invoice is still created for accounting purposes, and remaining credit is applied to future billing cycles.

Downgrade Your Plan

Downgrades are scheduled for the end of your current billing period:

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. In the "Available plans" section, find a plan with a lower price than your current plan
3. Click "Schedule downgrade" on the desired plan
4. Confirm the downgrade in the modal
5. The downgrade is scheduled for your next billing date
6. You'll see a "Scheduled subscription change" card with an Effective on date pill
7. You can cancel the scheduled change before the effective date

Downgrade billing behavior: Scheduled downgrades do not create immediate prorated credit. Current entitlements stay active until the effective date. The modal for downgrades hides the "Due now (prorated)" column since all changes are scheduled for the next billing date. The "Subtotal" row is also hidden for downgrades since no credit is being subtracted.

Important note about credit timing: When you remove add-ons during a downgrade, any credit earned from those removals is not available immediately. The credit will be applied to your next billing cycle invoice (the iteration after the downgrade takes effect). This is because downgrades are scheduled for the end of your current billing period, and the credit from add-on removals becomes available only when that scheduled change is processed.

Plan Change Modal Preview

When you open upgrade, downgrade, or subscribe modals:

1. New subscription features updates live as you select or unselect add-ons.
2. When at least one add-on is selected, the title becomes New subscription features with selected add-ons.
3. Additive add-ons include compact + / - controls so you can request multiple units during the same plan change.
4. Add-on rows can display helper notes such as:

• already in the new plan
• new plan: X, with this add-on: Y
• already in the new plan; current add-on will be removed

1. For currently active add-ons, use the Remove tick next to the add-on name.

• Ticked: that active add-on is removed in this plan change.
• Unticked: that active add-on is retained.

If the selected plan already includes an add-on feature (for example can host), that add-on is automatically marked for removal and cannot be re-added in the same plan change.

"Already in the new plan" behavior:

• When upgrading to a plan that includes an add-on feature, that add-on is disabled in the modal
• The add-on shows "Already in the new plan" to indicate it will be included after the upgrade
• This prevents duplicate purchases of features you'll already have
• The system prioritizes "Already in plan" (current plan) over "Already in the new plan" (pending plan)

This preview helps you decide if a selected add-on is still needed after the plan change.

On the subscription card, the Subscription features section shows a small legend:

• Pending = active after payment

Cancel Scheduled Downgrade

If you've scheduled a downgrade and want to cancel it:

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. Look for the "Scheduled subscription change" card
3. Click "Cancel change"
4. Review the modal preview of plan and add-on schedules that will be reverted
5. Confirm the cancellation
6. The scheduled change is removed

Cancel Your Subscription

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. Click the "Cancel" button on your subscription card
3. Confirm the cancellation in the modal
4. Your subscription is cancelled

Note: You retain access to all features until the end of your paid billing period. No automatic renewal will occur.

Cancel Auto-Renew

If you have a recurring subscription and want to disable automatic renewal while keeping your subscription active until the end of the current period:

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. Click the "Cancel auto-renew" button on your subscription card
3. Confirm the cancellation in the modal
4. Your subscription will expire at the end of the current billing period

Note: This is different from cancelling your subscription entirely. Cancel auto-renew keeps your subscription active until the paid period ends, but prevents automatic renewal. You can re-enable auto-renew or subscribe to a new plan at any time.

Important: When you cancel auto-renew, any scheduled downgrades are also automatically cancelled. This is because scheduled downgrades require auto-renew to be enabled to take effect at the next billing date. If you want to schedule a downgrade, auto-renew will be automatically re-enabled.

Auto-Pay Prompt

After you complete a payment or subscription change that clears your provider subscription (e.g., adding an add-on, upgrading your plan, or switching payment providers), you'll see a prompt card above your subscription details.

When the prompt appears:

• After adding an add-on to your subscription
• After upgrading your plan mid-cycle
• After switching payment providers
• Any time the provider subscription is cleared to prevent automatic charges

Prompt card options:

• Enable automatic payments: Click to set up recurring billing with PayPal or Stripe. You'll be redirected to the provider's approval page to authorize the subscription.
• Dismiss: Dismiss the prompt for this session. The prompt will reappear if you make another subscription change later.

What happens when you enable automatic payments:

• The system calculates the full subscription amount (plan + add-ons)
• A recurring subscription is set up with the payment provider
• Future billing cycles will be charged automatically
• No duplicate invoice is created for the current period

What happens if you cancel at the provider:

• If you cancel on the PayPal or Stripe approval page, the auto-pay prompt will reappear
• No charges are made if you cancel before approving
• You can try again or choose to pay manually instead

Important: If you manually disable automatic payments (for example, by clicking "Cancel auto-renew"), the auto-pay prompt is suppressed until you make a new payment that changes your subscription. This avoids showing the prompt immediately after you have just chosen to disable it.

Understanding Billing Totals

The billing summary on your subscription card shows the current and projected totals so you can see what changes after a payment.

• Current total: The amount your subscription will cost per cycle before the pending change is applied. This is your base plan + currently active add-ons.
• Total after payment: Shown when a payment is due. It is the recurring total after the change is applied (for example, after an upgrade or add-on addition).
• Due now: The immediate amount you need to pay. This is the most prominent number in the summary and is shown in red so you can see it quickly.

The "Current total" and "Total after payment" are shown in normal text size and blue. The "Due now" amount is larger and red. This visual hierarchy helps you understand what is recurring and what is payable right now.

Add-ons

The billing page allows you to purchase and manage add-ons directly from the main interface.

View Available Add-ons

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. Scroll to the "Available add-ons" section
3. View all available add-ons in a grid showing:

• Add-on name
• Description
• Type (e.g., "Additional members", "Storage", "Recording hours")
• Price and billing cycle
• Limits (if applicable)
• Status (already subscribed or available)

Subscribe to an Add-on

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. Scroll to the "Available add-ons" section
3. Find an add-on you want to purchase
4. Click "Add to subscription"
5. Confirm the addition in the modal
6. You'll be redirected to the payment page
7. Complete the payment process
8. The add-on is added to your subscription

Note: You must have an active subscription to purchase add-ons.

View Your Subscribed Add-ons

Your subscribed add-ons are displayed in the subscription card:

1. Personal add-ons section:

• Add-ons with account-wide scope
• Not tied to a specific workspace

1. Workspace add-ons section:

• Add-ons grouped by workspace name
• Apply to the listed workspace only

1. Each add-on line includes quantity, pricing, pending/scheduled indicators, and management actions.

Manage Add-ons from the Subscription Card

All add-on actions are now handled from the subscription card add-on lines:

1. For active add-ons, use:

• Manage (for multi-quantity add-ons)
• Cancel at period end
• Undo reduction / Undo removal when already scheduled

1. For pending add-ons, use Cancel pending.
2. Scheduled labels (for example, reduction or removal at period end) are shown inline on the same add-on line.

Schedule Add-on Cancellation

1. Navigate to ?page=billing
2. In the subscription card, locate the add-on line
3. Click Cancel at period end (or use Manage for multi-quantity add-ons)
4. The add-on remains active for the current paid period
5. The line shows the scheduled reduction/removal state
6. If needed, click Undo reduction or Undo removal before period end

Note: Active add-ons are not cancelled immediately after payment. Removal is scheduled for the next billing boundary.

Billing Change Notifications

• When a plan/add-on change is scheduled, you receive an in-app bell notification.
• When a scheduled billing change is applied, you receive:
• an in-app bell notification
• an email notification

Subscription Lifecycle Notifications

The billing system keeps you informed at every stage of your subscription lifecycle:

• Renewal reminder — sent a few days before an auto-renewing subscription renews.
• Expiry reminder — sent a few days before a one-time or cancelled subscription ends.
• Add-on expiry reminder — sent a few days before a one-time add-on ends.
• Renewal failed — sent when a renewal payment could not be processed.
• Grace started — sent when a subscription or add-on enters the grace period after its paid-through date.
• Grace reminder — sent a few days before grace ends.
• Grace ended — sent when grace ends and access is removed.
• Service restored — sent when a lapsed subscription is reactivated.
• Add-on activated — sent when a new add-on becomes active.

Grace Periods

After a subscription or add-on reaches its paid-through date, you keep full access for a configurable grace period (default 7 days). During grace you can renew to avoid losing access. When grace ends:

• Plan features and add-ons are removed.
• If you had an expert profile, it is archived.
• You can re-subscribe at any time to restore access.

Invoices Tab

View Your Invoice History

1. Navigate to ?page=billing&tab=invoices
2. View all your invoices in a table showing:

• Invoice number
• Date
• Amount
• Status (Paid, Pending, Failed)
• Download link

View Invoice Details

When you view an invoice (either in the modal or download the PDF), you'll see:

• Line items: Detailed breakdown including:
• Plan base cost
• Individual add-on items with quantities and per-unit pricing
• Subtotal (sum of all line items)
• Total (final amount after discounts/credits)
• Snapshot fields: Audit integrity information captured at invoice generation:
• Account holder name and email
• Billing period start and end dates

These details ensure invoices remain accurate even if your account details change later.

Download an Invoice

1. Navigate to ?page=billing&tab=invoices
2. Find the invoice you want to download
3. Click the download button
4. The invoice PDF will be downloaded

Payment Methods

TotalMeet supports multiple payment providers:

• PayPal: One-time payments and recurring subscriptions
• Stripe: One-time payments and recurring subscriptions

One-time vs Recurring Payments

• One-time payment: Pay for a single billing period manually. Your subscription will expire at the end of the billing period unless you renew manually. This option is useful if you prefer not to have automatic charges or only need the service for a limited time.
• Recurring subscription: Automatic payments at each billing cycle. Your subscription renews automatically unless you cancel auto-renew. This is recommended for uninterrupted service.

Mid-cycle plan changes:

• Upgrades: When you upgrade your plan during an active billing period, the payment is typically processed as a one-time payment for the prorated difference. Your existing recurring subscription continues with the new plan price from the next billing cycle.
• One-time to recurring transition: If you have a one-time subscription and select "recurring" during a plan change, a new recurring subscription will be created (Stripe only).
• Downgrades: When you downgrade your plan during an active billing period, the change is scheduled for the end of your current billing period. No immediate payment or credit is applied. Your plan changes automatically at the next billing date.
• PayPal recurring mid-cycle changes: When you have a PayPal recurring subscription and want to upgrade mid-cycle, you'll see a choice between:
• Schedule for next billing cycle (default): The upgrade takes effect at your next billing date with no immediate payment. Requires approval to recreate your PayPal agreement.
• Pay once now: Pay the prorated difference immediately as a one-time payment. Your recurring subscription continues with the new plan price from the next cycle.

Billing Cycle

• Monthly: Billed every month
• Yearly: Billed annually (often with a discount)

Your billing cycle is determined by your selected plan.

Proration

When you upgrade your plan, you're charged only the difference between your current plan and the new plan for the remaining time in your billing period. This is called proration.

Example:

• Current plan: $10/month, 15 days into the month
• New plan: $20/month
• Prorated charge: $5 for the remaining 15 days

Credit from add-on removals: When you remove add-ons during a plan change, credit is calculated based on the timing:

• Same-day upgrades: Full add-on price credited
• Mid-cycle upgrades: Prorated add-on price credited

This credit is stored in a centralized credit ledger and applied to your current payment or future billing cycles until exhausted.

Troubleshooting

Payment Failed

If your payment fails:

1. Check your payment method details
2. Ensure you have sufficient funds
3. Verify your payment provider account is active
4. Try the payment again

Subscription Still Pending

If your subscription is still pending after payment:

1. Wait a few minutes for the payment to process
2. Check your email for payment confirmation
3. Contact support if the issue persists

Can't See Available Plans

If you don't see any available plans:

1. Ensure you're on the correct tab ("My subscription")
2. Contact your administrator to verify plans are configured
3. Check that plans are set to "Active" status

Plan Change Not Applied

If a scheduled plan change hasn't been applied:

1. Verify the effective date has passed
2. Check the "Scheduled plan change" alert for details
3. Contact support if the change should have been applied

Add-on Sections Missing After Plan Change

If add-ons sections appear to disappear after upgrade/downgrade:

1. Refresh ?page=billing
2. Check your subscription status badge (Active or Pending payment)
3. Complete payment if a plan or add-on is pending

The billing page keeps add-on sections visible for both active and pending subscriptions, and all add-on actions are available directly in the subscription card.

Security Tips

• Never share your payment details with others
• Use strong passwords for your payment provider accounts
• Monitor your invoice history for unauthorized charges
• Report suspicious activity to support immediately