Upgrade, downgrade, update your payment method, download invoices, apply promo codes, and cancel — all from one page without contacting support.
Your subscription determines which UniLink features are available to you. When something stops working — a feature goes locked, a payment fails, an invoice is needed for expense reporting — the answer is almost always in Billing. This guide covers every action you can take on the Billing page without needing to contact support, how billing cycles work, and what happens to your data and features when you change plans.
What Billing Does
The Billing section is your subscription control panel. It shows your active plan, renewal date, payment method on file, full invoice history, and any promotional credits or discounts applied to your account. From here you can upgrade or downgrade your plan, swap out an expired credit card, apply a promo code your received, or start a cancellation — all without a support ticket.
UniLink processes subscription payments through Stripe. Your card details are stored by Stripe, not on UniLink's servers, meaning they meet PCI compliance standards and you can update them without any security concern. Stripe sends a payment receipt to your account email automatically after each successful charge.
Billing is also where feature availability is enforced. If you downgrade to a plan that doesn't include Community or Smart Reply, those features are locked (data preserved, access removed) the moment the downgrade cycle completes. Upgrading restores access instantly. Nothing is permanently deleted on a plan change — your community posts, product listings, and analytics data all remain intact, just inaccessible until you're on the right plan again.
How to Get Started With Billing
- Open Billing — Go to Dashboard → Settings → Billing. You'll see your plan name, next billing date, monthly or annual price, and payment method (last four card digits).
- Review your current plan — Note which plan you're on and compare its features to what you actually use. If you're paying for Business but only using features available on Pro, a downgrade saves money. The plan comparison table is available by clicking Compare Plans.
- Check for failed payments — A red banner at the top of the Billing page indicates a failed payment. This is urgent — most plans enter a 3-day grace period after a failed charge before features start locking. Update your card immediately if you see this banner.
- Download a recent invoice — Click Invoice History, find the invoice you need, and click Download PDF. Invoices include your account name, billing address, and VAT number (if set) for expense reporting.
How to Use Billing
- Upgrade your plan — Click Change Plan → Upgrade. Select the new plan. You'll see a proration calculation: the remaining days on your current plan are credited, and you pay the difference for the new plan immediately. New features unlock as soon as the charge clears.
- Downgrade your plan — Click Change Plan → Downgrade. Select the lower plan. The downgrade is scheduled for your next billing date — you keep all current features until then. A confirmation email confirms the scheduled date.
- Switch billing cycle (monthly ↔ annual) — Under Plan → Change Billing Cycle, switching to annual saves approximately 20% versus monthly. Annual billing is charged immediately for the full year. Switching to monthly takes effect at the next billing date.
- Update payment method — Click Update Payment Method. Enter the new card details. The old card is replaced immediately. If a pending charge was declined on the old card, it will retry automatically on the new card within an hour.
- Apply a promo code — Click Apply Promo Code, enter the code exactly as given (codes are case-sensitive), and click Apply. Valid codes show the discount and new billing total before you confirm. Codes can apply a percentage off, a fixed discount, or extend your trial.
- Cancel your subscription — Click Cancel Plan at the bottom of the Billing page. You'll be asked to confirm and optionally provide a reason (this helps improve the product). Cancellation is effective at end of the current billing period. You will not be charged again. Your account data is retained for 90 days after cancellation in case you return.
Key Settings Explained
| Setting | What it controls | Best practice |
|---|---|---|
| Billing cycle | Monthly vs. annual charge frequency | Switch to annual as soon as you know you'll use UniLink long-term — typically saves two months per year |
| Billing email | Address where invoices and payment receipts are sent | Set this to your accounting email, not a personal address, for cleaner expense tracking |
| Billing address | Address printed on invoices | Use your registered business address — required for VAT invoices in the EU |
| VAT number | Applied to invoices for EU business customers (reverse-charge VAT) | Add VAT number under Billing → Tax Settings to avoid being charged VAT if you're a VAT-registered EU business |
| Payment method | Card charged at renewal and for upgrades | Use a business card or virtual card with a spending limit — avoids personal card declines disrupting your business account |
How to Get the Most Out of Billing
Plan changes are reversible but timing matters. If you upgrade on day 28 of a monthly cycle you pay a prorated charge for two days on the new plan, then your full new plan price kicks in at day 30. If you're planning a product launch and need features on the higher plan, upgrade at the start of your billing cycle to get the full month's value from the higher tier — not at the end.
Failed payments are the most common reason creators unexpectedly lose feature access. If your card expires and you don't update it before the next billing date, the charge fails and you enter a 3-day grace period. During grace period everything still works, but a failed payment banner shows in your dashboard. Update the card and the retry happens automatically. If the grace period expires the account downgrades to a limited free state until payment is resolved.
Annual billing is straightforward but has one gotcha: if you upgrade mid-year from a lower annual plan to a higher one, the proration is calculated against your annual price, not monthly. The credit from the unused portion of your annual plan is applied to the new plan cost. This is almost always in your favor — you're not paying double — but reviewing the proration summary before confirming the upgrade prevents surprises.
For team accounts where billing is handled by a finance department, the billing email and address settings are critical. Set the billing email to your accountant or AP address so invoices arrive in the right place automatically. Tax documents and renewal reminders go to this address too, so a wrong email means missed compliance documents.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Features suddenly locked despite active subscription | Payment failed and grace period expired, or plan was downgraded by a team member | Check Billing page for a red payment failure banner; update payment method or confirm current plan level |
| Promo code says "invalid" | Code expired, already used, or typed with wrong case | Promo codes are case-sensitive — copy-paste directly from the email or offer page; contact support if the code is fresh and still failing |
| Invoice missing business name or VAT number | Billing address or tax settings not configured | Go to Billing → Tax Settings, add your company name, billing address, and VAT number, then re-download the invoice — it regenerates with updated details |
| Charged after cancelling | Cancellation scheduled for end of period but card was charged at renewal | Check cancellation confirmation email for the effective date; if charged after that date contact support with the email as evidence for a refund |
Pros
- All subscription management is self-serve — no support ticket needed for plan changes
- Downgrades preserve all data — nothing is deleted when you drop to a lower plan
- Proration on upgrades means you never pay for overlap between plans
- Annual billing saves approximately 20% for long-term users
Cons
- 3-day grace period is short — a missed card update notification can lock features quickly
- Annual billing refunds are not available mid-cycle if you downgrade early
- VAT settings require manual input — not auto-detected from IP or account country
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a refund if I upgrade and then downgrade within a few days?
Refund eligibility depends on how much of the upgraded plan you used. Contact support within 48 hours of an accidental upgrade — refunds for unused plan periods are evaluated case by case. Intentional upgrades used for a launch and then downgraded are generally not refunded.
Will my content be deleted if I cancel?
No. Your account data — posts, products, community content, analytics — is retained for 90 days after cancellation. You can reactivate anytime during this window and everything is exactly as you left it. After 90 days data is permanently deleted.
Can I pause my subscription instead of cancelling?
Subscription pause is available on annual plans — contact support to request it. Pausing suspends billing for up to 60 days while preserving your account. Monthly plan users do not have a pause option; the best alternative is downgrading to free and upgrading again when ready.
How do I get a receipt for a specific charge?
Go to Billing → Invoice History. Every charge has a corresponding invoice. Click Download PDF for the specific date. The PDF includes charge amount, payment method last four digits, and a unique invoice number suitable for expense reports.
What happens to my custom domain if I cancel?
Custom domain settings are retained for 90 days (same as other account data) so you can reactivate without reconfiguring. However, your UniLink page will stop resolving on the custom domain immediately after the plan expires since custom domains require a Pro plan or higher.
Key Takeaways
- All plan changes, payment updates, invoice downloads, and cancellations are self-serve at Settings → Billing — no support ticket needed.
- Upgrades are immediate with proration; downgrades take effect at end of the current billing cycle.
- Failed payments trigger a 3-day grace period — update your payment method immediately to avoid feature lockout.
- Add your billing address and VAT number before downloading invoices for expense or tax purposes.
- Account data is retained for 90 days after cancellation — you can reactivate and pick up exactly where you left off.
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