Upgrade or Downgrade Plan

Upgrade or Downgrade Plan

You can upgrade or downgrade your LobbyFlight plan at any time to adjust to your needs. This article explains the entire process.

Overview: Plan Changes

Upgrade vs. Downgrade

Upgrade (e.g., Basic → Pro or Pro → Premium):

Downgrade (e.g., Premium → Pro or Pro → Basic):

Available Plans

Basic - €69/month:

Pro - €149/month ⭐ Most Popular:

Premium - €199/month:

Upgrading Your Plan

Step-by-Step: Performing an Upgrade

- Log in to the hotel portal

- Click "Billing" in the navigation

- You'll see your current plan

- Click the "Manage Subscription" button

- You'll be redirected to Stripe

- Stripe portal opens in a new tab

- In Stripe portal: Click "Update plan"

- Choose the desired higher plan

- Review: New features and price

- Stripe shows pro-rata calculation

- You only pay the difference for remaining days

- Click "Confirm upgrade"

- Upgrade is active immediately

- Email confirmation received

- Back to portal: New plan displayed

Example: Basic to Pro Upgrade

Current plan: Basic (€69/month)
New plan: Pro (€149/month)
Remaining days: 15 of 30

Pro-rata calculation:
€149 - €69 = €20 difference
€20 × (15/30) = €10 due immediately

Next invoice: €149 in 15 days

What Happens Immediately After Upgrade?

Features are activated:

Basic → Pro:
✅ Max Airports: 1 → 3
✅ Weather Widget: Enabled
✅ Info Slides: 0 → 5
✅ Languages: 1 → 2
✅ Refresh Rate: 60 min → 30 min

Visible in portal:

No action required:

Downgrading Your Plan

Step-by-Step: Performing a Downgrade

- Log in

- Click "Billing"

- Click "Manage Subscription"

- Stripe portal opens

- Click "Update plan"

- Choose lower plan

- Warning: Features will be restricted

Stripe offers 2 options:

Option A: At Period End (Recommended):

- Features remain available until billing end

- No refund

- Lower price starting next cycle

Option B: Immediately (Not recommended):

- Features are restricted immediately

- Partial refund (pro-rata)

- Risks display issues

- Choose desired timing

- Click "Confirm downgrade"

- Receive confirmation

Example: Pro to Basic Downgrade

Current plan: Pro (€149/month)
New plan: Basic (€69/month)
Remaining days: 20 of 30

Option A (Recommended): Downgrade at period end
- Pro features remain 20 days available
- Next invoice: €69 in 20 days
- No refund

Option B: Immediate downgrade
- Pro features locked immediately
- Refund: €20 × (20/30) = €13.33
- Risks feature loss

What Happens at Downgrade?

Features are restricted (on downgrade date):

Pro → Basic:
❌ Max Airports: 3 → 1 (2 airports removed)
❌ Weather Widget: Disabled
❌ Info Slides: 5 → 0 (slides hidden)
❌ Languages: 2 → 1 (EN only)
❌ Refresh Rate: 30 min → 60 min

Important notes:

Downgrade Warning in Portal

When downgrade is scheduled:

⚠️ Your subscription will downgrade to Basic on [Date]

Your Pro features will remain available until then.
After [Date], your display will switch to Basic features.

[Cancel Downgrade] [Manage Subscription]

Common Upgrade/Downgrade Scenarios

Scenario 1: Basic → Premium (Direct Upgrade)

Why?:

Process:

1. Open Stripe portal
2. Select Premium
3. Pro-rata payment: (€199 - €69) × days
4. Active immediately
5. Unlimited features available

Scenario 2: Premium → Pro (Downgrade)

Why?:

Process:

1. Open Stripe portal
2. Select Pro
3. Choose downgrade at period end
4. Premium features until month end
5. Starting next cycle: Pro limits

Preparation:

Scenario 3: Pro → Premium → Pro (Testing)

Use Case: Test Premium, then back to Pro

Costs:

Month 1 (Pro): €149
Upgrade to Premium (mid-month): +€20 pro-rata
Month 2 (Premium): €199
Downgrade to Pro (at period end)
Month 3 (Pro): €149

Total: €149 + €20 + €199 + €149 = €327 for 3 months

Understanding Pro-rata Billing

What is Pro-rata?

Definition: Proportional calculation based on remaining days

Formula:

Pro-rata amount = (New price - Old price) × (Remaining days / Days in month)

Examples

Example 1: Basic → Pro (10 days remaining):

Difference: €149 - €69 = €20
Pro-rata: €20 × (10/30) = €6.67
Due immediately: €6.67
Next invoice: €149 in 10 days

Example 2: Pro → Premium (20 days remaining):

Difference: €199 - €149 = €99
Pro-rata: €99 × (20/30) = €26.67
Due immediately: €26.67
Next invoice: €199 in 20 days

Example 3: Premium → Basic (5 days remaining, immediate):

Difference: €69 - €199 = -€60
Pro-rata refund: €60 × (5/30) = €10
Credit: €10
Next invoice: €69 in 5 days

Stripe Shows Calculation

In Stripe portal you'll see:

Current plan: Pro (€149.00/month)
New plan: Premium (€199.00/month)

Due today:
Prorated charge: €26.67
(For 20 days at Premium rate)

Next billing date: [Date in 20 days]
Amount: €199.00

Feature Access After Plan Change

Feature Matrix

Feature Lock Behavior

When downgrading from Pro to Basic:

Settings → Airports:
"You can add up to 1 airport on the Basic plan.
Upgrade to Pro for 3 airports."

Content → Info Slides:
"Info slides are not available on the Basic plan.
Upgrade to Pro to create slides."

Settings → Languages:
"Multiple languages require Pro or Premium plan.
Upgrade to unlock."

Upgrade Prompts in Portal

When feature is locked:

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  ⚠️ Feature Locked              │
│                                 │
│  Weather Widget requires        │
│  Pro plan or higher.            │
│                                 │
│  [View Plans] [Upgrade Now]     │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

Error Handling

Error: "Unable to change plan"

Problem: Stripe cannot change plan

Possible causes:

Solution:

1. Check payment method in Stripe portal
2. Update credit card if needed
3. Wait 5 minutes and try again
4. Contact support if problem persists

Error: "Payment failed"

Problem: Pro-rata payment failed

Solution:

1. Stripe shows error reason (e.g., "Insufficient funds")
2. Update payment method
3. Upgrade will automatically retry
4. Or: Try upgrade again manually

Warning: "Features will be restricted"

At downgrade:

⚠️ Warning: Downgrading to Basic will restrict features

You currently have:
- 3 airports (Basic allows 1)
- 5 info slides (Basic allows 0)
- 2 languages (Basic allows 1)

Please adjust your settings before downgrade to avoid
display issues.

[Adjust Settings] [Cancel] [Continue Anyway]

Best Practices

Before Upgrading

Checklist:

☐ Check which features you need
☐ Compare plans in pricing section
☐ Ensure payment method is valid
☐ Budget for higher price
☐ Read feature limits

Before Downgrading

Checklist:

☐ Remove excess airports
☐ Delete or deactivate info slides
☐ Reduce languages to allowed limit
☐ Document current settings
☐ Inform your team
☐ Choose "At period end" for seamless transition

After Plan Change

Test:

1. Open display preview
2. Verify new features are available/removed
3. Test display on actual device
4. Check settings portal
5. Confirm email notification received

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I upgrade/downgrade multiple times per month?

Technically yes, but not recommended. Each change creates pro-rata calculation. Better: Choose plan carefully.

Will I lose my settings when downgrading?

No. Settings remain saved. If you upgrade again later, all settings are still there.

Can I undo a downgrade?

Yes, as long as downgrade hasn't taken effect yet. In Stripe portal: "Cancel scheduled change".

What happens to my info slides when downgrading to Basic?

Slides remain saved in database but won't be displayed. When re-upgrading to Pro: Immediately available again.

Is there a discount for annual payment?

Yes! Annual billing gives you 2 months free (pay for 10 months instead of 12). Select annual billing when subscribing or contact info@lobbyflight.com to switch.

Can I upgrade directly from Basic to Premium?

Yes! You don't have to go through Pro. Direct upgrade is possible.

Technical Details

API Endpoint

Plan change occurs via:

POST /api/stripe/change-plan
Body: { targetPlan: 'basic' | 'pro' | 'premium' }
Response: {
  success: true,
  newPlan: 'pro',
  effectiveDate: '2024-01-15'
}

Database Updates

On plan change, the following are updated:

hotels table:
- subscription_tier: 'basic' | 'pro' | 'premium'
- max_airports: 1 | 3 | 999
- max_info_slides: 0 | 5 | 999
- languages_enabled: false | true | true
- weather_enabled: false | true | true
- analytics_enabled: false | false | true
- updated_at: current timestamp

Webhook Events

Stripe sends:

customer.subscription.updated
→ Trigger: Plan change
→ Action: Update database
→ Email: Send plan change confirmation

Next Steps

After plan change:

Support

Questions about plan changes?