Billing & Payments Guide

The Billing page is where you manage your subscription, payment methods, and prepaid account balance. This guide covers all billing features, subscription plans, and payment options.

Billing Page Overview

What it is: The main page for managing subscriptions, payment methods, and account balance.

How to access: Click Settings in the left navigation, then click the Billing tab, or go directly to Settings → Billing.

What you'll see:

Current subscription plan
Plan comparison cards
Payment method selection
Prepaid balance and top-up
Transaction history

Subscription Plans

What they are: Pack has two plans: Free and Starter. Free includes the full product. Starter only removes the volume cap.

Available plans:

Free

Price: $0/month

Features:

Full Pack product including Product AI
All carrier integrations (network and BYO)
Rate shopping
Order management
AI-first support

Limits: Up to 100 bookings per Shopify billing cycle (a multi-parcel booking counts as 1)

Best for: Getting started, lower-volume stores

Starter

Price: $49/month

Features:

Everything in Free (same full product)
No volume cap — unlimited bookings
On-demand billing eligibility
Priority email support

Limits: None

Best for: Stores that book more than 100 shipments per billing cycle

Popular: Yes (marked as "Most Popular")

NearShip / 3PL

Price: Contact sales

NearShip and 3PL features require a sales conversation. They are not available on Free or Starter self-serve plans.

Current Plan Display

What it is: A hero section showing your current subscription plan.

What it shows:

Plan name
Plan description
Monthly price (or "Custom Pricing" for Enterprise)
"Your Current Plan" badge
"Upgrade Plan" or "Change Plan" button

How to use:

Review your current plan details
Click Upgrade Plan or Change Plan to view other plans
Click Contact Account Manager for Enterprise plan

What it means: This is your active subscription tier, which determines available features.

Plan Comparison Cards

What they are: Cards showing all available subscription plans for comparison.

What each card shows:

Plan name and badge (Popular, Current Plan)
Plan description
Monthly price
Shipment limits
Feature list
Upgrade/Downgrade button

How to use:

Review plan features
Compare plans side-by-side
Click Upgrade or Downgrade button on desired plan
You'll be redirected to Shopify's billing page

Plan Badges:

🔥 Most Popular: Starter plan (for growing stores)
✓ Current Plan: Your active subscription

Upgrade/Downgrade Buttons

What they do: Redirect you to Shopify's billing page to change your subscription.

How to use:

Click Upgrade on a higher-tier plan, or Downgrade on a lower-tier plan
You'll be redirected to Shopify's pricing plans page
Complete the subscription change in Shopify
Return to Pack to the Future - your plan will update automatically

What happens:

For upgrades: New features unlock immediately
For downgrades: Changes take effect at the end of your billing period
Plan sync happens automatically (may require page refresh)

View Detailed Feature Comparison

What it is: A button to show/hide a detailed comparison table.

How to use:

Click View detailed feature comparison ↓ button
Comparison table expands
Click Hide detailed comparison ↑ to collapse

What it shows: Full feature comparison across all plans (coming soon - currently shows contact information).

Payment Method Selection

What it is: Choosing how you want to pay for shipping costs.

Available options:

Pre-paid Account Balance: Top up account, balance deducted per shipment
Charge Account: Pay per shipment with saved payment method

How to select:

Choose your preferred payment method (radio buttons)
Configure settings if needed
Click Save Payment Method button

What happens: Your selection is saved and used for all future shipments.

Pre-paid Account Balance

What it is: Pre-paying for shipping by topping up your account with credits.

How it works:

Top up your account with a dollar amount
Credits are added to your balance (1 credit = $0.44 AUD)
Balance is deducted when you book shipments
You can top up anytime

Benefits:

Control spending with prepaid balance
No per-transaction fees

Current Balance Display

What it shows: Your current prepaid balance in dollars.

How to view: Shown in the Pre-paid Account Balance section.

What it means: This is how much you have available for shipping costs.

Quick Top-Up

What it is: A quick way to add credits to your account.

How to use:

Enter dollar amount (minimum $10)
Click Top Up $X button
Complete payment (Stripe or mock payment)
Credits are added to your account

Top-Up Amount Input

What it is: Input field for entering top-up amount.

How to use:

Enter dollar amount (e.g., "100")
Minimum: $10
Step: $10 increments

What it shows: Estimated credits you'll receive for the amount entered.

Top Up Button

What it does: Initiates the top-up process.

How to use:

Enter amount
Click Top Up $X button
If Stripe connected: Payment form appears
If not connected: Mock payment processes

What happens:

Payment is processed
Credits are added to account
Balance updates immediately
Success message appears

Stripe Top-Up Form

What it is: Secure payment form for topping up with Stripe.

When it appears: When you click Top Up and Stripe is connected.

How to use:

Form appears with payment fields
Enter card details (or use saved payment method)
Click Pay button
Payment processes
Credits are added on success

What it shows:

Card number field
Expiry date
CVC
Billing address (if required)
Pay button

Saved Payment Method

What it is: Using a previously saved payment method for top-ups.

What you'll see: "✓ Using saved payment method" indicator.

How to use: Click Top Up - saved method is used automatically.

Benefits: Faster checkout, no need to enter card details each time.

Charge Account

What it is: Paying for each shipment automatically with a saved payment method.

How it works:

Prepaid balance is used first (if available)
Remaining amount is charged to your payment method
Ensures prepaid balance doesn't go unused

Benefits:

Automatic payment per shipment
No need to top up manually
Prepaid balance used first

Requirements:

Stripe must be connected
Payment method must be saved

How to enable:

Connect Stripe (if not connected)
Select Charge Account radio button
Click Save Payment Method

What happens: Each shipment is charged automatically after prepaid balance is exhausted.

Stripe Connection

What it is: Connecting your Stripe account for secure payment processing.

Why connect:

Enable automatic billing
Use Charge Account payment method
Secure top-ups
Seamless payment processing

How to connect:

Click Connect Stripe button (if not connected)
Complete OAuth flow
Authorize Pack to the Future
Connection is saved

Status indicators:

Not connected: Large banner with "Connect Stripe" button
Connected: Minimized card showing "Stripe Connected" with Manage button

What you'll see when connected:

"Stripe Connected" badge
"✓ Payments enabled" text
Manage button

Security: OAuth connection is secure. Pack to the Future never sees your payment details.

Note: Currently shows "Coming Soon" - full Stripe integration is in development.

Save Payment Method Button

What it does: Saves your selected payment method preference.

How to use:

Select payment method (Pre-paid or Charge Account)
Click Save Payment Method button
Button shows "Saving..." while processing
Success message appears

When enabled: Only enabled if you've changed the selection.

When disabled: Shows "Current Selection" if no changes made.

What happens: Your payment method preference is saved and used for all shipments.

Cancel Button

What it does: Cancels payment method selection changes.

How to use: Click Cancel to revert to your current selection.

When it appears: Only shown when you've selected a different payment method.

What happens: Selection reverts to your current saved preference.

Top-Up Section

What it is: A dedicated section for topping up your prepaid balance.

What it shows:

Current balance
Top-up form
Transaction history

How to use:

Enter top-up amount
Review estimated credits
Click Top Up button
Complete payment

See also: "Pre-paid Account Balance" section above for detailed top-up instructions.

Transaction History

What it is: A table showing your top-up transaction history.

What it shows:

Date of transaction
Dollar amount paid
Credits added

How to view: Scroll to "Top-Up History" section.

What it means: Helps you track your top-up history.

Subscription Debug Panel (Non-Production Only)

What it is: A debug panel for testing subscription tiers (development/staging only).

When it appears: Only in development or staging environments, not in production.

What it shows:

Current environment (development/staging)
Dropdown to switch between tiers
Status indicator

How to use:

Select tier from dropdown
Tier switches immediately
Page reloads to reflect changes

What it does: Allows quick testing of different subscription tiers without going through Shopify billing.

Note: This is for testing only and won't appear in production.

Understanding Shipping Costs

What they are: How shipping costs are calculated and charged.

Cost Components

Base rate: The carrier's shipping rate

Markup/Fee:

Network carriers: 15% markup on carrier rate
BYO carriers: 15% transaction fee on carrier rate

Total cost: Base rate + markup/fee

Example:

Carrier rate: $10.00
Markup (15%): $1.50
Total charged: $11.50

Payment Flow

With Prepaid Balance:

Check if balance is sufficient
Deduct shipping cost from balance
If insufficient, show balance warning

With Charge Account:

Use prepaid balance first (if available)
Charge remainder to payment method
Ensures prepaid balance is used first

Balance Warnings

What they are: Warnings when your prepaid balance is low.

When they appear:

When balance is below minimum required for shipping
Shown as banners on Dashboard and Orders page

What they show:

Current balance
Required amount
Shortfall amount
Link to top up

What to do: Top up your account to continue booking shipments.

Booking Limits

What they are: Limits on how many shipment bookings you can make based on your plan.

Plan limits:

Free: 100 bookings per Shopify billing cycle
Starter: Unlimited

What you'll see:

Limit banner when approaching the cap
Critical alert when limit reached
Booking count vs. limit

What happens at limit:

Cannot book new shipments until the next Shopify billing cycle
Or upgrade to Starter to remove the volume cap

How to check: Look for the limit banner on Dashboard or Orders page.

Note: The limit counts bookings (not labels or packages). A multi-parcel booking counts as 1 toward the 100. The limit resets each Shopify billing cycle (not calendar month).

Platform Label Fee

What it is: A $0.75 AUD platform fee per booking.

How it works: When you book a shipment, the $0.75 platform label fee is deducted from your prepaid balance (or charged to your payment method if using charge account). This is separate from the carrier's shipping rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I upgrade my plan? A: Click Upgrade on a higher-tier plan card. You'll be redirected to Shopify's billing page to complete the upgrade.

Q: Can I downgrade my plan? A: Yes, click Downgrade on a lower-tier plan. Changes take effect at the end of your billing period.

Q: What's the difference between Pre-paid and Charge Account? A: Pre-paid requires topping up your account first. Charge Account pays automatically per shipment. Pre-paid balance is always used first with Charge Account.

Q: How much should I top up? A: Depends on your shipping volume. A good starting point is $100-500.

Q: Can I use both payment methods? A: Yes, if you select Charge Account, prepaid balance is used first, then your payment method is charged for the remainder.

Q: How do I check my prepaid balance? A: It's shown on the Billing page in the Pre-paid Account Balance section, and on the Dashboard.

Q: What if my balance runs out? A: You'll see balance warnings. Top up your account, or switch to Charge Account payment method.

Q: How do I connect Stripe? A: Click Connect Stripe button (currently shows "Coming Soon" - full integration in development).

Q: Are my payment details secure? A: Yes, all payments are processed securely through Stripe. Pack to the Future never sees your card details.

Q: Can I change my payment method? A: Yes, go to Billing page and select a different payment method, then click Save Payment Method.

Q: What happens if I reach my monthly shipment limit? A: You'll see a limit banner. You cannot book new shipments until the next month or after upgrading your plan.

Q: How are shipping costs calculated? A: Carrier base rate + 15% markup (network carriers) or 15% transaction fee (BYO carriers).

Q: Can carriers charge extra after I book? A: Yes. Freight quotes use the details you provide (address type, size, weight, delivery needs). Known fees (residential, tailgate, overlength from dims, DG) are included at quote when we can detect them — see Residential Address Detection and Cubic Weight and Chargeable Freight. Carriers may later invoice accessorials such as waiting time, futile pickup/delivery, re-delivery, tailgate/hand unload, overlength, or reweigh if actual freight differs. Pack to the Future will record each charge against the shipment and debit your prepaid balance or saved payment method (plus GST and our standard platform margin), or invoice you if debit fails. See your shipping terms and the Pack Freight booking notice for details.

Q: Can I get a refund on my prepaid balance? A: Contact support via our Help Center or email support to discuss refund requests.

Q: How do I view my transaction history? A: Scroll to "Top-Up History" section on Billing page if you have top-up history.

Q: What's the minimum top-up amount? A: $10 AUD minimum.

Q: How long do credits last? A: Credits don't expire. They remain in your account until used.

Q: Can I transfer credits to another account? A: No, credits are tied to your merchant account and cannot be transferred.

Q: What if I'm on Free plan and need more bookings? A: Upgrade to Starter ($49/month) to remove the volume cap. Free already has the full product — Starter only removes the 100-booking limit.

Q: How is the 100-booking limit tracked? A: The limit counts shipment bookings (not labels or packages). A multi-parcel booking counts as 1 toward the 100. The limit resets each Shopify billing cycle (not calendar month).

Q: What about NearShip or 3PL features? A: NearShip and 3PL require a sales conversation. Contact support to discuss.