Top-ups, plan changes and renewal

When your plan’s monthly credits are not enough, you can buy additional credits, let Popcorn top up automatically when the balance drops, or move to a bigger plan. This page covers those actions and what happens at renewal, on the Billing page (Billing in the sidebar).

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Before you start

• A paid plan. Purchase Credits, Payment Method, Automatic top-up, Early renewal, Billing Email, and Billing History appear only after you subscribe; the free plan shows the Plans section alone.
• An Owner or Admin role. Managers can view Billing but cannot buy or change anything.
• For one-click purchases, automatic top-up, and early renewal: a card saved under Payment Method.

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Buy credits

Purchased credits are added as additional credits, are valid for 12 months, and are only used once free and plan credits are gone. They appear in Credit Usage as Credits purchased, and the invoice appears under Billing History described as, for example, 3,000 AI Message Credits.

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Payment method

Payment Method shows Connected with the card’s last four digits and expiry, or Not connected. Add Payment Method and Update Payment Method open Stripe’s billing portal, where you enter the card; the saved card is the default card on your Stripe billing account. If the card has expired, the section shows Card expired and asks you to update it before purchasing credits or paying invoices.

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Automatic top-up

Automatic top-up buys credits for you whenever the balance falls to a threshold you set, so the AI never stops for lack of credits. How it runs:

• Popcorn checks the balance after credits are deducted. When the remaining credits are at or below the threshold, it charges the saved card for the top-up amount through a Stripe invoice and adds the credits once the payment is confirmed. They are additional credits, valid for 12 months, listed as Auto top-up in Credit Usage and as Automatic Top-up in Billing History.
• The person who created the workspace receives Popcorn AI: Auto top-up completed successfully by email.
• This month shows what automatic top-ups have spent against the limit. The counter resets when your subscription renews or a new plan period starts.

When a top-up does not happen:

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Change your plan

Once Stripe confirms the change, your remaining plan credits are replaced by the new plan’s full monthly credits, whether you moved up or down. Additional credits are not affected. The plan under Current Plan updates to the new name and monthly price.

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Renewal

• Card subscriptions renew monthly. Each renewal adds the plan’s credits for the new period; plan credits left over from the previous period expire. Additional credits keep their own 12-month expiry. Renews on in Credit Usage shows the next date.
• If a renewal payment fails, nothing changes immediately: your plan and credits stay as they are, and the invoice shows as Unpaid in Billing History. Pay it with Pay now, or update the card first. If the subscription is eventually cancelled by Stripe, see When a subscription ends.
• Zid subscriptions: when a period ends without renewal, Zid allows a five-day grace period. Your plan and its remaining plan credits stay usable for those five days, then the plan is removed. If you renew during the grace period, the new period’s credits replace whatever was left. A refund through Zid removes the plan immediately.
• Salla subscriptions: a cancellation, expiry, or expired trial reported by Salla removes the plan immediately.

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Renew early

Early renewal lets you pay the next period of a card subscription before it is due, without moving your renewal date. The Early renewal section appears on the Billing page when the option is available for your workspace. If Stripe creates the invoice but cannot complete the payment, Popcorn tells you that your current access and renewal date are unchanged and offers Pay through Stripe or Update payment method. If you see Early renewal is not available yet, the banner explains why. Common reasons: no active card subscription (or more than one), no saved card, an open invoice to resolve first, a discount that needs support review, or the subscription has not yet been moved to the billing mode that supports early renewal. Refresh preview re-checks; contact support for anything you cannot fix yourself.

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When a subscription ends

When a card subscription is cancelled, or a Zid or Salla subscription expires:

• Your workspace returns to the free plan. The remaining plan credits are removed; free credits and additional credits stay and keep working until they are used or expire.
• The AI keeps replying while any credits remain, then stops as described in Plans and credits.
• If a billing period ends without a renewal being confirmed, every page shows Your plan has expired. Renew your subscription to continue accessing all features. with a Renew Plan button that opens Billing.

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Invoices and billing email

Billing History lists your Stripe invoices with Invoice, Date, Description, Amount, Status (Paid or Unpaid), and Actions:

• View opens the invoice PDF.
• Pay now on an unpaid invoice charges your saved card and confirms with Invoice paid successfully; without a saved card it opens Stripe’s payment page for that invoice. An unpaid credit purchase that has no Stripe payment page shows Update payment method instead.
• Description shows the plan name, Automatic Top-up, or the number of AI Message Credits bought.

Billing Email stores the address you want on file for invoices. Type it under Email address and click Save; when the field is empty the page shows Using default: followed by the address currently used.

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Payment problems

A red banner at the top of the Billing page describes the problem and offers one action.

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