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

# Subscription and renewal

> Keep your Centipid platform subscription active: understand expiry, renew after it lapses, and restore service.

# Renew your Centipid subscription

Your **Centipid subscription** is your own account with the platform — the monthly charge that keeps your operator console running. It is separate from the invoices and payments you raise against *your* subscribers. Open it from the **account menu**: click your avatar in the top-right corner, then choose **Plan & billing** under **Workspace**. That opens the **My subscription** page (`/subscription`).

Open that page to see three things at the top:

* **Expires** — the date your subscription runs to.
* **Days left** — how long until renewal (shows **Expired** once it has lapsed).
* **Amount due** — the balance on your current unpaid invoice, or **all paid up**.

Below the strip is your full invoice history, newest first, with an in-app **Pay** button on every unpaid invoice.

<Note>
  The **Plan & billing** item only appears for administrators and finance staff. Support, technician, and marketing accounts do not see it — ask an admin or finance user to renew.
</Note>

## What happens when it expires

Centipid warns you as expiry approaches and then locks the console until you renew.

* **From 5 days out**, a **Renew** card appears in the sidebar with a shortcut to the subscription page.
* **On the expiry day**, the account admins receive an email — *"Your subscription expires today."*
* **Once it lapses**, every operator page redirects to **My subscription**. You can still reach the subscription and payment pages, sign out, and open your own account settings (profile, security, password) — but nothing else until you renew.

<Warning>
  Renew before the lapse whenever you can. An expired subscription locks you out of day-to-day operations — you cannot manage subscribers, routers, or payments while it is down.
</Warning>

## Renew

You can renew as soon as the invoice is payable — immediately if you are already expired, or within the 5-day run-up to the due date (see [the payment window](#the-payment-window)).

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open My subscription">
    Open the **account menu** (your avatar, top-right) and choose **Plan & billing** — or click **Renew now** on the sidebar card. If you are locked out, you are taken there automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the payment">
    Click **Pay** on the outstanding invoice (or the **Pay \[amount]** button in the page header). A modal shows the line items and the total due — review them before paying.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose how to pay">
    Pick a method in the modal:

    * **Card** — you are redirected to Paystack's secure checkout to pay by card, then returned to Centipid.
    * **Mobile Money** *(Uganda)* — enter the phone number, then approve the prompt on that phone. The amount is charged in UGX.
    * **M-Pesa** *(Kenya)* — enter the M-Pesa number, then enter your PIN on the STK prompt that arrives on that phone.

    The number defaults to your registered admin phone; you can change it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm on your phone">
    For Mobile Money and M-Pesa, the modal waits and updates on its own once you approve. For card, complete the checkout on Paystack.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Done">
    On success the page refreshes, the invoice moves to **Paid**, and your expiry date advances. Service is restored automatically.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Returning from the card checkout page is **not** by itself proof of payment. Confirm the invoice shows **Paid** and the expiry date has moved forward.
</Note>

## What renewal gives you

Each renewal settles the outstanding invoice and adds **one month** to your subscription. How the new date is calculated depends on your current state:

* **Renewing after expiry** — the new month runs from the **day you pay**, not from the old lapsed date. You do not get the lapsed days back, but you also do not lose a full month.
* **Renewing early** — the extra month is added on top of the time you have left, so no remaining days are lost.

Behind the scenes, a successful renewal also:

* marks the current subscription invoice **Paid** and records it in your payment history;
* re-pushes your routers so any interrupted service comes back online;
* sends a renewal-confirmation SMS to your admin phone (Kenya).

<Note>
  If your subscription was expired for more than about a month, the confirmation notes that the new period *started from today due to long expiry* — the same "runs from the day you pay" rule, spelled out.
</Note>

## The payment window

A subscription invoice is due on your expiry date, so the **Pay** flow opens only inside the **5 days before** that due date — or any time **after** it has passed. This stops you paying weeks early by mistake.

* **Already expired?** The invoice is past due, so you can pay immediately.
* **Not yet in the window?** The modal shows *"Payment for this invoice opens on \[date]"* and keeps the Pay button disabled until then. You can still review the charges.

## Amounts and invoices

* The renewal amount is your subscription invoice total, carried forward from your usage and last invoice, with a small country minimum applied.
* Every invoice — paid or unpaid — has a **PDF** link for your records.
* Expand the **charged PPPoE** line on your current invoice to see which users the charge covers.

## Troubleshooting

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Still says 'waiting' after I approved">
    The modal polls for roughly two minutes. If you approved the prompt, close it and refresh the page in a moment — Ugandan mobile-money payments are also reconciled automatically by a background check, so a missed confirmation still renews you.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pay button is disabled">
    Either the invoice is not yet inside its 5-day payment window (the modal shows when it opens) or your account lacks finance access. If you are expired, the button is always active.
  </Card>

  <Card title="I can't find Plan & billing">
    The **Plan & billing** menu item is finance-only. Sign in as an administrator or a finance user, or ask one to renew on your behalf.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Did my card payment go through?">
    Check that the invoice shows **Paid** and the expiry date advanced. Payments settle exactly once, so a retry never double-charges an already-paid invoice.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Stay ahead of expiry

* Keep expiry notifications enabled so admins get the reminder email — see [Notifications and templates](/communications/notifications-and-templates).
* Renew inside the 5-day window rather than waiting for the lock-out.
* Keep your admin phone and email current under [Settings](/getting-started/settings) so reminders and confirmations reach you.