A practical guide to switching plans on UniLink — how upgrades work instantly, how downgrades take effect at renewal, and how to choose the right plan for your needs.
Changing your UniLink plan is a straightforward process, but the timing and billing mechanics differ depending on whether you are upgrading or downgrading. Upgrading is immediate — you get access to new features right away and are billed the prorated difference. Downgrading is deferred — you keep your current features until the billing period ends, then the new plan takes effect. This guide covers both scenarios so you know exactly what to expect before making the change.
What Changing Your Plan Covers
UniLink offers multiple subscription tiers — typically a free plan and one or more paid tiers with increasing feature sets. The core features that vary between plans include custom domain support, analytics depth and history, digital product sales, email capture and list management, number of links and blocks allowed, custom fonts, priority support, and AI-powered tools. A higher tier unlocks all of these; moving down removes access to features not included in the lower plan.
Changing your plan does not affect the content you have already built. If you downgrade and have features that exceed the lower plan's limits — for example, if your page uses a custom domain and you move to a plan that does not support it — those features become inactive rather than deleted. If you upgrade again later, they come back automatically without any rebuild required.
Billing changes are handled through Stripe, UniLink's payment processor. Upgrades generate an immediate prorated charge for the difference in plan cost for the remaining days in the current billing cycle. Downgrades do not generate a credit — the lower plan simply starts at the next renewal date. Switching from monthly to annual billing generates a new annual invoice immediately at the annual rate.
How to Get Started
- Review the plans — Visit unilink.us/pricing to compare all current plan features and prices before changing. Make note of what you need and what you can live without.
- Check your billing cycle — Go to Settings → Billing and note whether you are on monthly or annual billing and when your current period renews. This affects when a downgrade takes effect.
- Find your promo code — If you have a promotional or discount code, keep it handy. Promo codes are applied during the plan selection step before payment.
- Log in to UniLink — Open the Dashboard at unilink.us and sign in with your credentials.
- Navigate to Billing — Open Settings → Billing to see your current plan details and the Change Plan option.
- Select your new plan — Choose the target plan and billing frequency (monthly or annual) in the plan selector.
- Confirm the change — Review the billing summary and confirm. Upgrades charge immediately; downgrades confirm the scheduled switch.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Open Settings — Click your profile avatar in the top-right corner of the Dashboard and choose Settings from the dropdown.
- Click the Billing tab — In the Settings sidebar, select Billing. Your current plan name, billing frequency, next renewal date, and payment method are shown here.
- Click Change Plan — This opens the plan selector modal showing all available tiers, their included features, and pricing for monthly and annual billing.
- Select your target plan and billing frequency — Click the plan you want. Toggle between Monthly and Annual using the billing frequency switch at the top of the modal. Annual pricing is displayed as a monthly equivalent with the total annual charge shown below.
- Enter a promo code if applicable — If you have a discount code, click Add Promo Code below the plan pricing. Enter the code and click Apply. The discounted price updates before you confirm.
- Review the billing summary — The summary shows the prorated charge (for upgrades) or confirms the scheduled switch date (for downgrades). Verify the amount and effective date are correct.
- Click Confirm Change — For upgrades, Stripe charges your saved payment method immediately for the prorated amount. For downgrades, the new plan is scheduled to start at your next renewal with no immediate charge.
Key Settings Explained
| Setting | What it controls | Best practice |
|---|---|---|
| Change Plan button | Opens the plan selector to switch between UniLink subscription tiers | Review the features comparison table before selecting to avoid switching back and forth |
| Monthly vs Annual toggle | Sets billing frequency — annual saves up to 40% vs monthly equivalent | Choose annual if you plan to use UniLink for 6+ months — the savings cover roughly 5 months free |
| Promo code field | Applies a promotional discount to the new plan price | Apply promo codes before confirming — they cannot be applied retroactively after a payment is processed |
| Prorated charge | The immediate charge for upgrading mid-cycle — calculated as (price difference × days remaining in period ÷ total days in period) | Upgrade near the start of your billing cycle to spread the prorated cost over more days |
| Downgrade effective date | The date the lower plan takes effect — always the next renewal date, not immediately | Use the remaining paid period to export data or adjust content before features lock |
How to Get the Most Out of It
Upgrading mid-cycle is often cheaper than waiting for renewal. Because UniLink prorates the upgrade charge, you pay only for the remaining days in the current period at the higher plan rate. If you are 20 days into a 30-day monthly cycle and you upgrade, you pay approximately one-third of the monthly price difference for the current period, then the full new plan rate at renewal.
Annual billing is the most cost-effective option if you plan to use UniLink for more than six months. The annual discount is typically 30–40% off the monthly equivalent. Switching from monthly to annual generates a new annual invoice immediately, and your billing cycle resets to the annual renewal date. You do not receive a credit for unused days on your current monthly period — factor this in when deciding when to switch.
When downgrading, all features from the higher plan remain active until the renewal date. Use this window strategically. If you have digital products listed, export your product files and customer order history. If you use a custom domain, decide whether to remove the DNS mapping or upgrade again before it breaks. Advanced analytics data beyond what the free plan retains should be exported during this period.
Promo codes are applied at the plan level, not the billing-frequency level. A code that gives 20% off applies to whichever billing frequency you select — monthly or annual — making annual billing with a promo code an exceptional value. If you receive a promo code through a UniLink campaign or partner offer, apply it the next time you switch or renew, as codes typically have an expiry date.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Change Plan button is not available | Account is in a trial period or has a pending downgrade already scheduled | Check Billing for a pending change notice — cancel the pending change first, then re-select your target plan |
| Promo code shows as invalid | Code has expired, was already used, or applies only to a specific plan tier | Check the code source for expiry details — contact support if the code should still be valid |
| Unexpected charge after plan change | Prorated upgrade charge was not anticipated, or annual billing reset generated a full invoice | Review the billing summary in the confirmation step before clicking Confirm — the exact charge is shown before payment |
| Features still locked after upgrading | Page reload required or Stripe payment is still processing | Hard-refresh the Dashboard (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R) — if features are still locked after 5 minutes, contact support with your payment confirmation email |
Pros
- Upgrades are instant — new features are available immediately after payment
- Prorated billing means you only pay for what you use in the current cycle
- Annual billing saves up to 40% compared to paying month-to-month
- All page content and configuration is preserved through any plan change
Cons
- Downgrades do not generate a credit — you keep the current plan until renewal at no discount
- Switching from monthly to annual resets the billing cycle with no credit for unused monthly days
- Promo codes cannot be applied retroactively after a payment has been processed
Frequently Asked Questions
Does upgrading affect my existing page content?
No. Upgrading unlocks additional features and increases limits, but does not modify any content you have already built. Your links, blocks, products, and settings all remain exactly as they were.
When does a downgrade take effect?
Downgrades are always deferred to your next billing renewal date. You keep full access to your current plan features until that date. This gives you time to prepare for any feature changes before they occur.
Can I switch from monthly to annual billing at any time?
Yes. Go to Settings → Billing → Change Plan and toggle the billing frequency to Annual. A new annual invoice is generated immediately and your billing cycle resets. There is no credit for unused days on the current monthly period.
How do I apply a promo code to my plan?
During the plan change flow — after selecting your target plan and billing frequency — click Add Promo Code, enter the code, and click Apply. The discounted price appears in the billing summary before you confirm. Codes cannot be applied after payment.
What happens to features that exceed the lower plan's limits after a downgrade?
Features that exceed the lower plan's limits become inactive but are not deleted. For example, if you downgrade from a plan that supports a custom domain to one that does not, the domain mapping is deactivated. If you upgrade again later, the configuration is restored automatically.
Key Takeaways
- Upgrades are immediate and prorated — you pay only for the remaining days in the current billing cycle
- Downgrades take effect at the next renewal date — you keep current features until then
- Annual billing saves up to 40% versus monthly and is worth switching to if you plan to stay 6+ months
- Apply promo codes during the plan selection step — they cannot be added after payment is processed
- All page content is preserved through any plan change — nothing is deleted when switching tiers
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