Plan changes and proration

Let subscribers switch between the recurring plans of a product, with prorated upgrades and downgrades at the end of the period. This needs TierMint Pro.

Before you start

• The product needs two or more saved recurring tiers. Plan changes work only between recurring tiers of the same product. The subscriptions page shows how to make a tier recurring.
• Plan changes work for Stripe subscriptions. A PayPal subscriber still sees the Switch plan section, but the switch is refused with a message to manage the subscription in their PayPal account.
• Allow switches only between tiers with the same billing period and interval, such as two monthly tiers. Plan changes are not designed for moving between different billing cycles.
• Subscribers make the change themselves, in the subscription manager. You only decide which changes are allowed.

Choose which plans a subscriber can switch to

A tier allows no switches until you pick its targets. A recurring tier lists the targets only after the product is saved with at least two recurring tiers, so save new tiers first.

1. Open TierMint → Products and edit the product.
2. Open the Pricing tab.
3. On a recurring tier, find Allowed switch targets. It lists every other saved recurring tier as Allow switching to (tier name).
4. Tick the tiers that subscribers on this tier may move to.
5. Click Save product.

A switch works in one direction only. Ticking Allow switching to Business on the Personal tier lets Personal subscribers move to Business. It does not let Business subscribers move back. To allow both, tick the box on each tier.

The subscription manager offers only active recurring tiers. An archived tier stays hidden, even when it is ticked.

When a tier stops being recurring, or you remove it, it drops out of the switch targets the next time the product is saved. A target that is not a saved recurring tier of the same product is refused with "Plan switch targets reference price tier #(id), which is not one of this product's recurring tiers."

If TierMint Pro is deactivated, the switch targets stay stored with the product and apply again when Pro is active.

Upgrade or downgrade: how TierMint decides

You do not mark a switch as an upgrade or a downgrade. TierMint works it out each time a subscriber asks, by comparing what each tier costs per day. It counts a day as 1 day, a week as 7, a month as 30 and a year as 365, and multiplies by the billing interval.

A target that costs the same or more per day is an upgrade. A target that costs less per day is a downgrade.

The comparison is per day, so a tier with a higher price can still count as a downgrade when it covers a longer period. This is one more reason to switch only between tiers on the same billing cycle.

What the subscriber sees

When their tier has allowed targets, the subscription manager shows a Switch plan section. It lists each target with its price and a Switch to (plan name) button.

Clicking the button works out a preview first. For an upgrade, Stripe calculates the prorated amount. Then the subscriber sees a confirmation:

Switch	Confirmation
Upgrade	You will be charged (amount) now and your new recurring price will be (price). Switch plans?
Downgrade	No charge now. Your new recurring price (price) starts on (date). Switch plans?

Nothing changes until the subscriber confirms.

The section shows only when all of these are true:

• The subscription is in a trial, active or past due.
• No other plan change is scheduled.
• The current tier has at least one active target.

Upgrades

An upgrade applies at once.

• Stripe charges the prorated difference for the rest of the current period straight away, on the card already saved.
• The license moves to the new tier, so a higher activation limit is available at once.
• The prorated charge is recorded as a completed order of type Renewal under TierMint → Orders.
• If the prorated charge fails, the plan still changes and the subscription can go past due. Failed payments and dunning explains what follows.

Downgrades

A downgrade is scheduled for the end of the period the subscriber has already paid for.

• Until then, the subscriber keeps the current tier and its activation limit.
• The subscription manager shows the scheduled change and its date, with a Keep current plan button. That button asks for confirmation, then cancels the scheduled change.
• When the period ends, TierMint moves the subscription and the license to the new tier. Stripe bills the lower price from the next cycle.
• The current period is not refunded or credited.

An hourly job applies any scheduled change that is due and was missed. If the subscription has ended by then, or the target tier no longer exists, TierMint drops the scheduled change.

Activation limits after a downgrade

TierMint does not deactivate any site when the activation limit goes down. Existing activations keep working. New activations are refused until the number of activated sites is below the new limit. The subscriber can deactivate a site, or switch to a higher tier.

Common questions

A subscriber does not see Switch plan. Why?

Check these, in order:

1. The current tier has no ticked target under Allowed switch targets, or every target is archived.
2. The subscription is cancelled or expired. Only trial, active and past-due subscriptions can switch.
3. A downgrade is already scheduled. One change can be scheduled at a time. The subscriber waits for it, or cancels it with Keep current plan.
4. TierMint Pro is not active.

When is the subscriber charged?

Only for an upgrade, once, when they confirm the switch. A downgrade never charges at the time of the switch. The lower price applies from the next renewal.

Can a subscriber switch more than once?

Yes. There is no limit, as long as each switch is allowed and no other change is scheduled.

Does a plan change give the subscriber a new license key?

No. The same license key stays valid. Only the tier and its activation limit change, so the subscriber does not reactivate any site.