There are two main billing cycles depending on whether you choose to pay monthly or yearly for your Qpien subscription. We’ll cover each one below so you know exactly how your plan, seats, and usage are calculated.

In this article:

• Pay monthly subscriptions

• Pay yearly subscriptions

• Prorations (Upgrades and adding seats)

• Downgrades and seat removals

• Managing usage-based features (Account Balance)

• FAQs

Pay monthly subscriptions

If you pay monthly for your Qpien subscription, you will be billed once every 30 days. Your monthly invoice covers your core plan subscription and any active user seats for the upcoming month.

Subscription: This includes your core tier (e.g., Grow Plan) and the total number of user seats you have currently active.

Note: Unlike some platforms, Qpien does not add variable usage charges (like WhatsApp campaigns or extra contacts) to your monthly invoice. These are handled separately through your Account Balance.

Pay yearly subscriptions

If you pay yearly for your Qpien subscription, you receive one primary invoice each year that includes your core plan and seats. Annual plans are billed entirely upfront and include a significant discount compared to the monthly rate.

If you make changes during your annual cycle (such as adding new team members or upgrading to a higher tier), you will receive a separate, supplementary invoice for the prorated amount covering the remainder of your annual term.

Prorations (Upgrades and adding seats)

Proration ensures that you only pay for the exact time you use a service. Proration occurs when you upgrade your plan or add new user seats to an existing subscription during the current billing period.

Plan Upgrades: If you upgrade your plan mid-cycle, the unused time on your current plan is converted into a credit. This credit is immediately subtracted from the cost of your new plan, and you are only charged the difference. Example: If you have $50 of unused time remaining on your old plan, and you upgrade to a $200 plan, you will only be charged $150 today.

Adding Seats: When you invite a new user and purchase an additional seat mid-cycle, you will not be charged for a full month or year. You will only be billed for the remaining days left until your next standard renewal date.

Downgrades and seat removals

When managing your Qpien workspace, downgrading works slightly differently than upgrading.

Downgrading your plan: If you decide to downgrade to a lower-tier plan, the change takes effect immediately. The remaining monetary value of your higher-tier plan will comfortably cover the cost of the new, lower-tier plan. However, Qpien does not issue cash refunds for any excess balance. The transition happens seamlessly without charging your card, but the unused difference is not refunded.

Removing users (Archiving): If a team member leaves and you archive their account from Settings > Company > Users, their seat becomes "empty." You do not get a refund for the archived user, but that specific seat remains yours. You can invite a brand-new teammate to fill that empty seat immediately at no extra cost.

Managing usage-based features (Account Balance)

While your subscription and seats are billed on a fixed monthly or annual invoice, certain variable features in Qpien are paid for using a prepaid Account Balance.

These features include:

• AI Assistant Responses

• WhatsApp Business Template Messages

• Standard WhatsApp Web Campaigns

• Extra Contacts (exceeding your monthly quota)

• Call Center Minutes

Instead of receiving an unexpected invoice at the end of the month, the costs for these actions are deducted from your balance in real-time. To ensure these features run without interruption, navigate to Settings > Company > Billing and enable the Auto recharge toggle.

FAQs

Why might I see two different charges when I change my plan?

If you transition to a new plan structure, the system calculates the remaining time on your old plan and the new cost of your current plan. This proration math is processed instantly, which may result in a specialized invoice reflecting the exact moment of the transition.

What can I do to manage and lower my costs?

Archive inactive users: Regularly check your workspace from the Users tab. Archive teammates who no longer need access so you can reassign their paid seats to new employees for free.

Monitor your Account Balance: Go to Analytics > Billing > Balance Usage to filter and track exactly which features (e.g., AI Responses or WhatsApp Campaigns) are consuming your balance.

Switch to Annual: If you are on a monthly cycle, switching to an annual billing cycle will apply a discount to your core plan and per-seat costs.