Photeria billing overview

Photeria uses a simple, usage-based billing model. You are charged per listing that gets photographed, and charges are collected at the end of each monthly billing cycle. This guide walks you through how billing works so there are no surprises.

How You Get Charged

Every time a listing appointment is marked as "shot" (meaning the photographer completed the shoot), Photeria records a usage charge for your organization. Each charge is based on your per-listing price, which you can see on the Billing page under Current Usage.

Here is what happens behind the scenes:

1. A photographer completes a shoot and the appointment status changes to "shot"
2. Photeria checks whether your organization has any free credits available
3. If you have credits, one credit is used and the charge is $0
4. If you have no credits, the listing is charged at your per-listing rate

Your Billing Cycle

Billing runs on a monthly cycle, from the 1st of the month through the last day of the month. You can see the exact dates of your current billing period on the Billing page, displayed just below the "Current Usage" heading.

At the end of each billing period:

1. All pending charges from that month are bundled together into a single invoice
2. The invoice is created in Stripe and finalized automatically
3. Your payment method on file is charged for the total amount
4. You receive an email confirmation once the payment goes through

Invoices are generated on the 1st of the following month. For example, charges from March are invoiced on April 1st.

What You See on the Billing Page

To access your billing information, go to Admin > Billing in the left sidebar. The Billing page shows:

• Current Usage card: Your running total for this billing period, including the number of listings charged and the per-listing price. If you have free credits, you will also see how many were used for free.
• Payment Method card: The credit or debit card currently on file. Shows the card brand, last four digits, and expiration date.
• Invoice History table: A list of all past invoices with their date, invoice number, amount, status, and download options.
• Credits Available badge: If you have remaining free credits, a green badge appears in the page header showing your balance.

When Your Card Gets Charged

Your payment method is charged automatically at the end of each billing cycle. You do not need to manually pay each month. The exact message on the Billing page reads: "Your payment method will be charged automatically at the end of the billing cycle."

If you do not have a card on file, you will see a prompt to add one. You need a valid payment method to continue using Photeria.

What Happens If a Payment Fails

Photeria follows a structured escalation process if a payment does not go through:

1. Day 7: The invoice is marked as Overdue and you receive a notification
2. Day 14: Your account enters a Past Due warning state with another notification
3. Day 30: If still unpaid, your account is Suspended and access to the platform is paused

If your account is suspended, you will see an "Account Suspended" screen when you log in. From there, you can update your payment method, and your outstanding balance will be charged automatically once a valid card is saved. Your account access is restored once the payment succeeds.

Cancellations and Refunds

If a job is cancelled before invoicing, the associated charge is voided automatically. If a free credit was used for that listing, the credit is restored to your balance. You do not need to do anything manually for cancellations.