Understanding Billing Cycle

Understanding Billing Cycle

Your LobbyFlight subscription is billed monthly. This article explains when payments occur and how the cycle works.

Monthly Billing Cycle

How Does It Work?

Billing date = Registration date

Example:

Registration: January 15
→ First payment: January 15 (€149)
→ Second payment: February 15 (€149)
→ Third payment: March 15 (€149)
→ ...every 15th of the month

Not like other services (1st of month for everyone):

Billing Period

Definition: 30-day cycle (not calendar month)

Example:

Payment on: January 15
Service period: January 15 - February 14
Next payment: February 15
Next period: February 15 - March 14

For different month lengths:

Registration: January 31
→ February payment: February 28 (no Feb 31)
→ March payment: March 31
→ April payment: April 30 (no Apr 31)
→ May payment: May 31

Stripe adjusts automatically

Finding Your Billing Date

In Portal

Display:

Billing → Current Plan:
"Next payment: €149.00 on February 15, 2024"
      ↑                           ↑
   Amount                    Your billing date

Or:

Billing → Subscription Details:
Billing cycle: 15th of every month
Current period: Jan 15 - Feb 14, 2024
Current period ends: Feb 14, 2024 23:59 UTC
Next invoice: Feb 15, 2024

In Stripe Portal

Detailed view:

1. Manage Subscription
2. Stripe portal opens
3. "Subscription" section:
   - Billing period: Jan 15 - Feb 14
   - Renewal date: Feb 15
   - Amount: €149.00

Payment Timeline

Typical Monthly Cycle

Day 0 (Billing date):

00:00 UTC: New billing period begins
00:01 UTC: Stripe creates invoice
00:05 UTC: Payment attempt (default payment method)
00:06 UTC: On success → Status: 'active'
00:10 UTC: Invoice email sent
01:00 UTC: Display updates (if plan change)

Day 1-29 (Service period):

Service runs normally
Display active
Features available
No payment activity

Day 30 (Last day of period):

23:59 UTC: Current period ends
→ Preparation for next payment

Next Day 0:

Cycle repeats

On Payment Failure

See detailed guide: Payment Failures

Summary:

Day 0: Failure → Status: 'past_due'
Day 1-7: Automatic retries
Day 7-30: Grace period (service active)
Day 30: Cancellation if still unpaid

Viewing Next Payment

In Portal

Dashboard widget:

┌─────────────────────────────┐
│  Next Payment               │
│                             │
│  €149.00                     │
│  on February 15, 2024       │
│                             │
│  Payment method:            │
│  Visa ****1234              │
│                             │
│  [Manage Payment]           │
└─────────────────────────────┘

Billing page:

Upcoming Invoice:
Date: February 15, 2024
Amount: €149.00
Plan: Pro
Payment: Visa ending 1234
Status: Scheduled

Stripe Portal

"Upcoming invoice" section:

Upcoming invoice (Feb 15, 2024)
┌────────────────────────────┐
│ LobbyFlight Pro            │
│ Feb 15 - Mar 14, 2024      │
│                            │
│ Subtotal:         €149.00   │
│ VAT (20%):        €17.80   │
│ Total:            €106.80  │
│                            │
│ Payment method: Visa 1234  │
└────────────────────────────┘

Changing Billing Date

Is Change Possible?

Directly: No - Billing date is fixed

Workaround: Cancel subscription & restart

Current billing date: 15th of each month
Desired billing date: 1st of each month

Process:
1. Cancel on January 14 (before next payment)
2. Wait until February 1
3. Re-register on February 1
4. New billing date: 1st of each month

Disadvantage: Re-enter settings (or use export/import)

Better: Keep existing date

Why Not Changeable?

Stripe limitation:

Pro-rata Billing

When Does Pro-rata Occur?

On plan upgrade:

Current: Basic (€69)
Upgrade: Pro (€149) on January 15 (mid-period)
Next payment: February 1 (15 days remaining)

Pro-rata calculation:
Difference: €149 - €69 = €20
Days remaining: 15 of 30
Pro-rata: €20 × (15/30) = €10

Due immediately: €10
Next full invoice (Feb 1): €149

On plan downgrade (at period end):

On immediate cancellation:

Paid until: February 1
Cancellation: January 15 (17 days remaining)

Pro-rata refund:
€149 × (17/30) = €50.43 back

See detailed: Upgrade/Downgrade Guide

Annual Overview

Calculating Total Costs

Basic Plan:

Monthly: €69
Annually: €69 × 12 = €828

With VAT (20%): €828 + €165.60 = €993.60

Pro Plan:

Monthly: €149
Annually: €149 × 12 = €1,068

With VAT (20%): €1,068 + €213.60 = €1,281.60

Premium Plan:

Monthly: €199
Annually: €199 × 12 = €1,548

With VAT (20%): €1,548 + €309.60 = €1,857.60

Annual Payment

Available! Save 2 months with annual billing (pay 10x monthly price).

Basic Plan:
Monthly: €69 × 12 = €828/year
Annually: €690/year
Savings: €138/year

Pro Plan:
Monthly: €149 × 12 = €1,788/year
Annually: €1,490/year
Savings: €298/year

Premium Plan:
Monthly: €199 × 12 = €2,388/year
Annually: €1,990/year
Savings: €398/year

Select annual billing when subscribing or switch via Portal → Billing.

Billing Notifications

Email Types

Before payment (7 days):

Subject: Upcoming payment on February 15

Your LobbyFlight Pro subscription will renew
on February 15, 2024.

Amount: €149.00
Payment method: Visa ****1234

No action needed - payment is automatic.

[Manage Subscription]

After payment (immediately):

Subject: Payment receipt - February 2024

Thank you for your payment!

Amount paid: €149.00
Date: February 15, 2024
Invoice: INV-2024-002

[Download Invoice PDF]

On failure:

Subject: Payment failed - Action required

Your payment of €149.00 failed.
Reason: [Error reason]

We'll retry automatically. Please ensure your
payment method is up to date.

[Update Payment Method]

Notification Settings

In portal:

Settings → Notifications:
☑ Upcoming payment reminders (7 days before)
☑ Payment receipts (after successful payment)
☑ Payment failures (immediate)
☐ Plan upgrade opportunities (marketing)

Important notifications: Cannot be disabled

Frequently Asked Questions

When is my card charged?

On the same day each month as your registration (your billing date).

Can I move my billing date?

Not directly. Only via cancellation and re-registration (not recommended).

What is "current period end"?

Last day of your current billing period. Next day: New payment.

Does Stripe count calendar or 30-day month?

30-day cycle. Independent of month length (28/30/31 days).

Do I get a reminder before payment?

Yes, 7 days before (if enabled in notification settings).

What if billing date falls on 31st?

Stripe adjusts: Shorter months (Feb, Apr, Jun, Sep, Nov) = last day of month.

Next Steps

Billing cycle understood?

Support

Questions about billing cycle?