Managing Billing and Payment Methods

This guide covers how administrators manage payment methods, view and download invoices, upgrade or downgrade plans, and handle billing issues in SecureAI.

Prerequisites

• Admin access to your SecureAI instance.
• Access to a valid payment method (credit card, ACH, or invoicing arrangement).

Accessing Billing Settings

1. Log in to SecureAI as an administrator.
2. Navigate to Admin Panel > Settings > Billing.
3. You will see four tabs: Subscription, Payment Methods, Invoice History, and Billing Contacts.

Managing Payment Methods

Adding a Payment Method

1. Open the Payment Methods tab.
2. Click Add Payment Method.
3. Choose the payment type:
   • Credit or debit card -- Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are accepted.
   • ACH bank transfer -- Available for US-based organizations on annual plans.
4. Enter the payment details.
5. Click Save.

The new payment method is verified immediately. If verification fails, check that the card number, expiration date, and billing address are correct.

Setting a Default Payment Method

If you have multiple payment methods on file, one must be set as the default. The default method is charged automatically each billing cycle.

1. Open the Payment Methods tab.
2. Find the payment method you want to use as default.
3. Click the three-dot menu and select Set as Default.

Updating an Existing Payment Method

You cannot edit a saved payment method directly. To update your payment details:

1. Add the new payment method.
2. Set it as the default.
3. Remove the old payment method.

This ensures there is no gap in billing coverage.

Removing a Payment Method

1. Open the Payment Methods tab.
2. Click the three-dot menu next to the payment method.
3. Select Remove.
4. Confirm the removal.

You cannot remove your default payment method. Set another method as default first, or contact your account representative if you need to switch to invoice-based billing.

Understanding Your Subscription

Viewing Your Current Plan

1. Open the Subscription tab.
2. Your current plan details are displayed:
   • Plan name -- the tier you are subscribed to (e.g., Starter, Professional, Enterprise).
   • Seat count -- the number of active seats included in your plan.
   • Per-seat rate -- the monthly cost per active seat.
   • Billing cycle -- monthly or annual.
   • Next billing date -- when the next charge will be processed.
   • Contract end date -- for annual plans, when the current term expires.

Upgrading Your Plan

To move to a higher plan tier or add more seats:

1. Open the Subscription tab.
2. Click Change Plan.
3. Select the new plan tier or adjust the seat count.
4. Review the pricing summary. Upgrades are prorated -- you only pay the difference for the remainder of the current billing cycle.
5. Click Confirm Upgrade.

The upgrade takes effect immediately. New features and higher limits are available as soon as the change is processed.

Downgrading Your Plan

To move to a lower plan tier or reduce seats:

1. Open the Subscription tab.
2. Click Change Plan.
3. Select the lower plan tier or reduce the seat count.
4. Review the impact summary. SecureAI will warn you if the downgrade would affect active users or features.
5. Click Confirm Downgrade.

Downgrades take effect at the start of the next billing cycle. You retain your current plan features until then.

Important considerations before downgrading:

Canceling Your Subscription

To cancel your SecureAI subscription:

1. Open the Subscription tab.
2. Click Cancel Subscription.
3. Select a reason for cancellation.
4. Review the cancellation terms:
   • Access continues until the end of the current paid period.
   • Data is retained for 30 days after the subscription ends, then permanently deleted per your service agreement.
5. Click Confirm Cancellation.

To reactivate after cancellation, contact your account representative before the data retention period expires.

Invoices and Payment History

Viewing Invoices

1. Open the Invoice History tab.
2. Invoices are listed in reverse chronological order.
3. Each invoice shows: billing period, seat count, amount, payment status, and payment method used.

Downloading Invoices

1. Open the Invoice History tab.
2. Click the invoice you want to download.
3. Click Download PDF or Download CSV.

PDF invoices include your organization's billing address, a line-item breakdown, tax amounts (if applicable), and payment details suitable for accounting or expense reports.

Invoice Line Items

A typical invoice includes:

Automatic Invoicing

Invoices are automatically generated and sent to all billing contacts at the start of each billing cycle. Payment is charged to the default payment method on file.

Managing Billing Contacts

Billing contacts receive invoice emails, payment failure notifications, and subscription change confirmations.

Adding a Billing Contact

1. Open the Billing Contacts tab.
2. Click Add Contact.
3. Enter the contact's name, email address, and role (e.g., Accounts Payable, Finance Manager).
4. Click Save.

Removing a Billing Contact

1. Open the Billing Contacts tab.
2. Click the three-dot menu next to the contact.
3. Select Remove.

At least one billing contact must remain on the account.

Handling Payment Issues

Failed Payments

When a payment fails, SecureAI:

1. Sends a notification to all billing contacts.
2. Retries the payment automatically after 3 days, then again after 7 days.
3. If all retries fail, the account enters a grace period of 14 days. During this period, all features remain available, but a banner appears for administrators prompting payment resolution.
4. After the grace period, the account is suspended. Users can still log in and view existing conversations, but cannot start new conversations or upload documents.

Resolving a Failed Payment

1. Navigate to Admin Panel > Settings > Billing > Payment Methods.
2. Check if the default payment method is still valid (not expired, not declined).
3. If the card is expired or invalid, add a new payment method and set it as default.
4. Click Retry Payment to immediately attempt the charge.

If the payment continues to fail, contact your account representative for assistance.

Disputed Charges

To dispute a charge:

1. Open the Invoice History tab.
2. Click the invoice in question.
3. Click Dispute and describe the issue.
4. Your account representative will respond within 2 business days.

Do not initiate a chargeback with your bank before contacting your account representative. Chargebacks may result in immediate account suspension.

Tax and Currency

Tax Handling

SecureAI charges applicable sales tax or VAT based on your organization's billing address. Tax-exempt organizations can upload a tax exemption certificate:

1. Open the Billing Contacts tab.
2. Click Tax Exemption.
3. Upload your certificate (PDF format).
4. Exemption takes effect on the next billing cycle after verification (typically 1--2 business days).

Currency

All charges are in USD. For organizations outside the United States, your bank may apply currency conversion fees. These fees are set by your bank and are not controlled by SecureAI.

Common Scenarios

Mid-cycle seat changes

When you add seats mid-cycle, the charge is prorated from the date of addition to the end of the current billing period. When you remove seats mid-cycle, a prorated credit appears on the next invoice.

Switching from monthly to annual billing

1. Open the Subscription tab.
2. Click Change Plan.
3. Select Annual billing.
4. Review the annual pricing (typically a 15--20% discount compared to monthly).
5. Click Confirm. The annual term begins immediately. Any remaining prepaid monthly balance is credited toward the annual charge.

Transferring billing ownership

If the billing administrator leaves the organization:

1. Another administrator navigates to Admin Panel > Settings > Billing > Billing Contacts.
2. Adds themselves as a billing contact.
3. Contacts the account representative to transfer primary billing ownership.

Quick Reference

Related Articles

• How is SecureAI billed? -- per-seat billing model overview
• Can I get an invoice? -- quick FAQ on invoice access
• What happens if I exceed my seat limit? -- seat overage handling
• Setting Usage Limits and Budgets -- token-based budget management
• Understanding Token Usage and Costs -- how tokens affect your bill