Billing & Plans
Proration and Plan Changes
When you move between plans, Kapsule works out the exact amount before anything is charged, shows it to you, and waits for you to confirm.
There are four different outcomes depending on which way you are moving and whether you are changing billing cycle. Knowing which one applies to you saves a lot of guessing.
Starting a Plan Change
- Go to Billing.
- Find the subscription in the Your plans table.
- Click Change plan.
- Choose the new plan and billing cycle.
- Review the preview, then confirm.
The confirmation screen is headed "Confirm Plan Change" and states its own rule: "Review the change below. Nothing happens until you click confirm." While it works out the figures it shows "Calculating the exact charge".
The Four Outcomes
Upgrading Within the Same Billing Cycle
You are charged the difference only, scaled to the part of your billing period that is left.
The calculation is exactly this: take the price difference between the two plans, multiply it by the fraction of the current period still remaining, and charge that. If you are eleven days into a thirty day month, you pay for the nineteen days you have left, not for the whole month again.
The panel labels this "Prorated for the remaining days" and states "Your renewal date stays the same." That last part matters: an upgrade does not restart your billing period or move your anniversary. The next renewal arrives on the date it always would have, at the new plan's full price.
Ending a Free Trial Early
If you are on a trial and move to a paid plan, the trial ends immediately and you are charged the full price of the new plan today. A new billing period starts from that moment.
The panel says "Your free trial ends today" and explains "Your current free trial ends now. You'll be charged the amount on the right, and your next renewal is on that date."
You need a card on file for this. Without one the change is refused. See Payment Options and Saved Cards.
Switching Billing Cycle
Moving between monthly and annual is treated as a fresh start, not a proration. Your current period ends today, a new one begins today, and you are charged the full price of the new cycle.
No credit is given for the unused remainder of the period you are leaving. If you switch from monthly to annual halfway through a paid month, that half month is not refunded or carried over. Switch on or near your renewal date to avoid paying twice for the same days.
The panel is explicit: "Your current billing period ends today. You'll be charged for a fresh annual period starting now."
Downgrading
A downgrade never charges you anything today, and never refunds or credits you either. It is scheduled, and takes effect at the end of your current billing period.
Your existing plan keeps running until then, with everything it includes. On your renewal date the cheaper plan takes over and that is what you are charged.
The panel calls this "Scheduled for renewal", says "You won't be charged anything today. Your current plan continues until then", and changes the confirm button to Schedule Change. The summary row reads "Takes effect" instead of "New renewal date", and today's charge shows No charge today.
There is no account credit, store credit, or wallet anywhere in Kapsule. A downgrade cannot produce a credit balance because there is nowhere to put one. If you want money back rather than a cheaper plan, look at Refunds and What Is Refundable instead.
What the Preview Shows You
Three blocks appear before you confirm.
What's Changing puts the current and new plan side by side, with the plan name, the billing cycle, and the recurring price excluding GST.
An explanation naming which of the four outcomes applies, in the wording quoted above.
Billing Summary listing the new plan, the billing cycle, when it takes effect or when it next renews, and finally Today's charge. That last figure is GST inclusive where GST applies to you, because it is what will actually leave your account. The footer reads "Price locked at renewal. Cancel anytime from the Billing page."
The recurring price in the comparison is exclusive of GST and today's charge is inclusive of it. They are deliberately different numbers, not an error. See GST and Tax Invoices.
Changes That Are Refused
Two situations stop a plan change before it starts.
Different products. You cannot change a web hosting subscription into a cloud server, or an email plan into hosting. The panel tells you to add the new product as a separate subscription instead of changing this one.
Legacy subscriptions. A small number of older subscriptions are managed outside the current billing engine and are directed to support instead.
Your Price After a Change
Kapsule locks the price you agreed at signup, and a plan change re-locks it to the new plan's price at the moment you confirm. A later catalogue price rise does not follow you onto your existing subscription. Renewals and Auto-Renew covers how this is enforced.
Practically: the number in the preview is the number you keep paying, until you change plan again.
Choosing the Right Moment
- Upgrading and want to pay less today? Upgrade later in your billing period. There is less of it left to charge for. The renewal amount is the same either way.
- Switching to annual? Do it on or just after a renewal, so you throw away as little of the current period as possible.
- Downgrading? It takes effect at period end whenever you do it, so there is nothing to gain by waiting. Schedule it as soon as you have decided.
- On a trial and sure about the plan? There is no proration to optimise. Converting simply starts a fresh period.
Troubleshooting
The change is asking me to add a card. Trial conversions and upgrades charge immediately, so a card must be on file. Add one on the Payment tab.
I expected a refund for the downgrade. Downgrades never produce a refund or credit. Your current plan runs until the date shown as "Takes effect".
I want to cancel the scheduled downgrade. Start another plan change back to your current plan before the effective date. If that does not clear it, open a support ticket.
Today's charge looks higher than the price difference. It includes GST if your account currency is NZD. Compare it against the invoice total, not against the ex-GST plan prices.
The change failed after I confirmed. Nothing is charged unless the whole change succeeds. Check the card on file and the subscription status, then try again. If a compute service is involved, the resize and the charge succeed or fail together, so a failed resize means no charge.
I want a different product, not a different plan. Buy it as a new subscription from the Store. Your existing one continues untouched.