---
title: "Billing Overview"
description: "Everything you need to know about invoices, payment methods, credits, upgrades, and cancellations."
category: "Billing & Payments"
tags: ["Billing", "Payments", "Invoices"]
readTime: 4
---

Sonata uses a prepaid subscription model. You pay upfront for a fixed billing cycle, and your service renews automatically unless cancelled.

## How Billing Works

All services are billed in advance. When you purchase a plan:

1. An invoice is generated immediately
2. Payment is processed via your chosen payment method
3. Your server is provisioned within 2–5 minutes of successful payment
4. Your billing cycle starts on the purchase date

Renewal invoices are generated **7 days before** your subscription expires so you have time to review and pay.

## Payment Methods

| Method | Processing Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Credit / Debit Card | Instant | Visa, Mastercard, Amex |
| PayPal | Instant | |
| Bank Transfer | 1–2 business days | Must include invoice ID as reference |
| Digital Wallets | Instant | GoPay, OVO, DANA (ID only) |

<Callout type="info" title="Auto-renewal">
  Credit card and PayPal payments support auto-renewal. Bank transfers must be paid manually each cycle.
</Callout>

## Late Payments

| Days Overdue | Action |
|---|---|
| 1–3 days | Grace period — service remains active |
| 3–7 days | Service suspended (data preserved) |
| 7+ days | Account terminated, data permanently deleted |

<Callout type="warning" title="Data loss risk">
  After 7 days of non-payment, all server data is **permanently deleted** and cannot be recovered. Set up auto-renewal or calendar reminders to avoid this.
</Callout>

## Upgrades and Downgrades

You can change your plan at any time from the billing panel:

- **Upgrades** are applied immediately. You pay a prorated amount for the remaining cycle.
- **Downgrades** take effect at the next billing cycle.

<Steps>
  <Step number={1} title="Go to Services in your billing panel">
    Find the service you want to upgrade at `my.tariqdev.xyz` → **Services**.
  </Step>
  <Step number={2} title="Click Upgrade / Downgrade">
    Select the new plan. You'll see a prorated invoice for upgrades.
  </Step>
  <Step number={3} title="Confirm and pay">
    Your server resources are updated automatically within 2 minutes of payment confirmation.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Refund Policy

- **First 30 days:** Full refund available for valid technical reasons
- **Domains, licenses, add-ons:** Non-refundable
- **Unauthorized chargebacks:** Result in permanent account suspension

To request a refund, open a billing ticket at `my.tariqdev.xyz/tickets`.

## Service Credits

Credits are added to your account balance automatically when:

- An SLA violation occurs (see the [SLA](/support/legal))
- Sonata issues a goodwill credit for an incident

Credits are applied automatically to your next invoice. They do not expire.