> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brudcast.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Subscribe to a plan

> Pick a plan and billing cycle for Email, Push or Mailbox, check out with a card, read your subscription's status, and change or cancel it later.

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Put a product on a plan so its features and allowances switch on. This applies to Email, Push and
Mailbox. SMS and WhatsApp have no plans; they run on [wallet credits](/billing/credits-and-wallet).

<Screenshot id="ss-billing-plans-and-subscriptions-hero" alt="The Select Plan tab for Email showing four plan cards, the Growth card marked Recommended, and the Monthly, Every 3 months and Yearly toggle" />

<Info>
  **Before you start:** a paid plan needs a card, which you can add during checkout. Free plans
  don't need one. Email and Mailbox are already on their free plans when your organization is
  created.
</Info>

<Note>
  **Any member can subscribe or change a plan.** This isn't limited to owners and admins, so anyone
  on the team can commit the organization to a paid plan. See
  [Members and roles](/organization/members-and-roles).
</Note>

## Plan tiers and billing cycles

Plans come in up to four tiers: **Free**, **Starter**, **Growth** and **Enterprise**. The tiers
offered, their features and their limits vary by product, so compare them on the product's
**Select Plan** tab. A plan with custom pricing shows **Let's talk** instead of a price.

Every paid plan can be billed **Monthly**, **Every 3 months** or **Yearly**. When a longer cycle
costs less per month, the toggle shows a **Save** badge with the percentage.

Prices appear in your organization's payment currency and depend on your country's pricing tier.
See [Billing overview](/billing/overview#payment-currency-and-regional-pricing).

## Subscribe

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the product">
    Go to **Billing & Plans > Subscriptions**. Under **Add a channel**, select the product you want.
    To change the plan on a product you already have, select it under **Your plans** instead and see
    [Change your plan or billing cycle](#change-your-plan-or-billing-cycle).

    <Screenshot id="ss-billing-plans-and-subscriptions-01-add-a-channel" alt="The Add a channel section listing product cards the organization hasn't subscribed to" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a billing cycle">
    On the **Select Plan** tab, pick **Monthly**, **Every 3 months** or **Yearly** above
    **Available Plans**. The plan cards update to show the price for that cycle.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a plan">
    Select **Get Started** on a paid plan, or **Get Started for Free** on a free one. For a plan
    with custom pricing, select **Contact us** to open a chat with the Brudcast team.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose how to pay">
    The checkout page opens as **Configure your plan**. Under **Payment method**, select a saved
    card, or select **Add payment card** to add one through Paystack's checkout. A free plan skips
    this: nothing is charged.

    <Screenshot id="ss-billing-plans-and-subscriptions-02-checkout" alt="The Configure your plan checkout with a saved card selected, the billing address, and the order summary showing Due today" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the billing address">
    The **Billing address** is printed on your invoice and used to calculate tax. Select **Edit**
    (or **Add**) to change it. Without one, the invoice shows your account email only.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Select **Pay** followed by the amount, or **Start free plan**. A paid plan charges the full price
    of the first billing period straight away.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What happens next

The plan appears under **Your plans** with its price, renewal date and status. Its limits apply
immediately, and a paid plan's first invoice appears on the **Invoices** tab.

At the end of each billing period, the plan renews and charges your default card. All plans that
renew on the same day are billed together on one invoice.

Select a plan under **Your plans** to open its detail page. It has four tabs: **Overview** (plan,
price, next billing date and usage), **Change Plan**, **Billing History** and **Settings**.

An organization can hold one live subscription per product.

## Subscription statuses

| Status                        | Meaning                                                                              |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Active** (`active`)         | The plan is running and renews at the end of its period                              |
| **Trial** (`trialing`)        | The plan is in a trial period                                                        |
| **Past Due** (`past_due`)     | A renewal charge failed. Brudcast tries again; you can also pay the invoice yourself |
| **Incomplete** (`incomplete`) | An invoice-billed plan waiting for its first invoice to be paid                      |
| **Paused** (`paused`)         | Brudcast has paused the plan. Contact support                                        |
| **Cancelled** (`cancelled`)   | The plan has ended                                                                   |

## Change your plan or billing cycle

Only an **Active** subscription can change plans. A plan billed by invoice shows **Contact sales**
instead of plan buttons, because its price was agreed with Brudcast.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Change Plan">
    On the subscription's detail page, select the **Change Plan** tab. Your current plan is marked
    **Current plan**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick the new plan">
    Choose a billing cycle, then select **Upgrade to** or **Downgrade to** on the plan you want. To
    keep the same plan on a different cycle, select **Switch to** on your current plan's card.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the change">
    The page opens as **Confirm your plan change**. Check the card and billing address, then select
    **Confirm plan change**.

    <Screenshot id="ss-billing-plans-and-subscriptions-03-change-plan" alt="The Confirm your plan change page showing Due today as zero and the date the new rate is billed from" />
  </Step>
</Steps>

What a plan change does:

* **The new limits apply immediately.** That's true of a downgrade too.
* **This cycle's usage counters reset to zero.** Usage recorded under the old plan doesn't carry
  over.
* **Nothing is charged today.** There's no proration either way. Your billing date stays the same,
  and the new price is charged from your next renewal.

## Cancel a plan

Cancelling at the end of the period keeps the subscription working until the current period ends,
then moves it to **Cancelled**. On the subscription's detail page, open the **Settings** tab, and
under **Danger Zone** select **Cancel** next to **Cancel subscription**. Confirm with **Cancel
Subscription**. The dialog doesn't ask why you're leaving.

<Screenshot id="ss-billing-plans-and-subscriptions-04-cancel" alt="The Cancel subscription dialog stating access continues until the end of the current period" />

Turning off the **Auto-renew** switch on the same tab does the same thing. The **Next Billing** tile
on the **Overview** tab changes from **Auto-renews** to **Cancels**.

To keep a plan you've cancelled, turn **Auto-renew** back on while the period is still running.
Once the period has ended and the plan shows **Cancelled**, subscribe again from **Add a channel**.

To end it at once, select **Cancel Now** next to **Cancel immediately** under **Danger Zone**, then
**Cancel Immediately**.

<Warning>
  Cancelling immediately can't be undone, and the unused part of the period isn't refunded or
  credited. To keep the plan until the end of the period you've already paid for, use **Cancel**
  instead.
</Warning>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="“A payment method is required for a paid plan”" icon="circle-alert">
    **Why:** paid plans charge a saved card at checkout, and none was selected.

    **Fix:** select **Add payment card** on the checkout page, or add one first under
    **Billing & Plans > Billing**. See [Payment methods](/billing/invoices-and-payments#payment-methods).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“Payment failed: …”" icon="circle-alert">
    **Why:** the card issuer declined the charge. The text after "Payment failed:" is the reason the
    payment gateway returned. No subscription is created.

    **Fix:** try another card, or contact your bank and try again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“That price is not available in your region”" icon="circle-alert">
    **Why:** the price you chose belongs to a different country pricing tier from your
    organization's.

    **Fix:** reload the **Select Plan** tab and choose again. If you think your country is wrong,
    contact [support@brudcast.com](mailto:support@brudcast.com).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A plan shows Past Due" icon="circle-alert">
    **Why:** the renewal charge on your default card failed.

    **Fix:** check the card under **Billing & Plans > Billing**, then open the unpaid invoice on the
    **Invoices** tab and select **Pay now**. See [Invoices](/billing/invoices-and-payments#invoices).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“Only active subscriptions can change plans”" icon="circle-alert">
    **Why:** the subscription is **Past Due**, **Trial**, **Paused** or **Incomplete**.

    **Fix:** for **Past Due**, pay the open invoice first. For the others, contact
    [support@brudcast.com](mailto:support@brudcast.com).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“This subscription is billed by invoice. Contact sales to change your plan.”" icon="circle-alert">
    **Why:** invoice-billed plans have a price agreed with Brudcast, so they can't be re-priced from
    the plan catalog.

    **Fix:** select **Contact sales**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“Only active or trialing subscriptions can be cancelled”" icon="circle-alert">
    **Why:** cancelling at the end of the period needs a running subscription. A **Past Due**
    subscription can only be cancelled immediately.

    **Fix:** pay the open invoice and cancel afterwards, or use **Cancel Now**.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Billing overview" icon="wallet" href="/billing/overview">
    Cards, currencies, usage against your plan limits, and invoices.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Credits and wallet" icon="coins" href="/billing/credits-and-wallet">
    How sends beyond your allowance are paid for.
  </Card>
</Columns>