Proration is the calculation AliasFleet and Paddle use when a paid plan changes mid-cycle. An upgrade applies at once: unused time on the old plan becomes a credit against the new plan, and only the difference is charged. A downgrade is not prorated: it waits until the next renewal date, and no partial refund is issued.
Proration applies only to a paid subscription. A Free account holds no paid time to credit. Paddle acts as merchant of record for AliasFleet billing, so Paddle calculates the charge and issues the invoice. Plan changes are made on the Billing page in the AliasFleet app. The plan rates used in the examples below are listed in Your Plan and Usage Limits.
Proration for an upgrade#
An upgrade raises the plan limits at once. The charge covers only the rest of the current cycle. The calculation has three parts:
- Credit for unused time. Time left on the current plan is valued at the current plan rate and becomes a credit.
- Cost of the new plan. The new plan is charged for the same remaining time at the new plan rate.
- Amount due today. The credit is subtracted from the new plan cost. The result is the amount due at checkout.
The full new plan rate applies from the next renewal date. The upgrade steps are in Upgrading to Pro, and the cycle is described in Billing Cycle and Renewal.
Mid-cycle upgrade cost#
The example below uses the published plan rates, Pro at $12 per month and Business at $29 per month. It assumes a 30-day cycle with the change made exactly halfway through, so 15 days remain. The figures are illustrative: a real cycle rarely splits exactly in half, and the exact figures for a real account come from the Confirm Upgrade dialog and the Paddle invoice.
| Step | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Credit for unused Pro time | $12 x 15 of 30 days | $6.00 |
| Cost of Business for the remaining time | $29 x 15 of 30 days | $14.50 |
| Amount due today | $14.50 minus $6.00 | $8.50 |
The account moves to Business at once, and the Business limits apply from the moment the upgrade completes. From the next renewal date, the charge is the full Business rate of $29 per month.
Free to Pro upgrade#
A Free to Pro upgrade is not a proration case. The Free plan costs nothing and holds no paid time, so there is no unused time to credit. The upgrade starts a new subscription at checkout at the Pro rate of $12 per month, and the new limits apply at once:
- Active aliases: the Free cap of 10 aliases is removed. Pro allows unlimited active aliases.
- Custom domains: the Free limit of 0 becomes 3 on Pro.
- Verified destinations: the Free limit of 1 becomes 5 on Pro.
The first renewal date falls one month after checkout. The full upgrade steps are in Upgrading to Pro.
Downgrade timing#
A downgrade takes effect at the end of the current billing period, on the next renewal date. Until that date, the account keeps the current plan, its limits and its features in full. No prorated refund applies, because the paid period already purchased is used in full before the lower tier begins.
An example using the published rates: an account on Business at $29 per month requests a move to Pro at $12 per month on 10 November, with the next renewal date on 1 December. Business stays active, with Business limits, from 10 November to 1 December. No refund is issued for those 21 days. On 1 December the account moves to Pro, and the charge from that date is $12 per month. The downgrade steps are in Downgrading Your Plan.
Checking the charge#
The exact prorated figures appear in two places, and the renewal amount appears on the Billing page:
- Confirm the figures before paying. For a paid-to-paid upgrade, the Confirm Upgrade dialog lists the new plan rate, the credit from unused time on the current plan, and the amount due. The figures should be read before confirming, since confirming applies the change at once.
- Read the invoice after the change. Open the Billing page, then open the invoice history in the Paddle customer portal from Manage Billing. The invoice lists the credit, the new plan charge for the remaining time, and the amount paid.
- Check the next renewal amount. The Billing page subscription card shows the plan name and the renewal line. After an upgrade, the renewal line shows the full new plan rate, since proration applies only to the current cycle.
For help reading an invoice, see Understanding Your Invoices.
Troubleshooting#
Zero amount due#
When the credit from unused time on the current plan covers the full cost of the new plan for the rest of the cycle, the amount due today is $0.00. This is common with a short remaining period or a small price gap between plans. Any leftover credit stays on the account and applies automatically to the next scheduled invoice.
Amount due below the plan price#
The amount due is a prorated figure for the remaining time in the cycle, not the full monthly rate. The credit for unused time on the old plan reduces it further. The full plan price applies from the next renewal date, and the Billing page subscription card shows that renewal amount.
No change after a downgrade#
No immediate change is expected. A downgrade is scheduled for the next renewal date, and the current plan stays active until then. If the Billing page still shows the old plan after the renewal date, refresh the page and read the Plan Usage card again.
Old plan shown after an upgrade#
The Billing page can lag behind checkout. Refresh the page and read the Plan Usage card again. If the old plan still shows, confirm the correct account is signed in, since a second account opens a different Billing page.
Related reading#
- Upgrading to Pro: the upgrade steps, the Paddle checkout, and the changes that apply immediately.
- Downgrading Your Plan: the downgrade steps, the limits that apply after a downgrade, and the absence of a refund.
- Billing Cycle and Renewal: cycle start and end, automatic renewal, and failed payments.
- Your Plan and Usage Limits: the full Free, Pro, and Business limits table.
- Understanding Your Invoices: reading the invoice for a prorated charge.
- What Happens to Your Aliases If You Cancel the Service?: how subscription changes affect alias forwarding, and how downgrade, deletion, and cancellation differ.