Billing & Payments

ContactID uses Stripe for all payments. Stripe is a widely-used, PCI-compliant payment processor; ContactID never sees your card number or stores your payment details directly. Here is how the checkout flow works.

1. When Stripe Checkout Opens

Stripe opens in a modal on top of the ContactID dashboard for:

• First subscription purchase.
• Plan upgrades or cycle switches.
• Buying credit packages (website or AI).
• Enabling auto-recharge.
• Updating payment method.

2. What Stripe Collects

Stripe collects, from you:

• Card number, expiry, CVC.
• Cardholder name.
• Billing address (for tax and fraud checks).

ContactID does not see any of this. Stripe stores the card details on their PCI-compliant servers and returns a “customer ID” that ContactID uses for future charges without ever seeing the card.

3. Supported Payment Methods

• Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover).
• Debit cards (same brands).
• Apple Pay where enabled by your device.
• Google Pay where enabled.
• Link (Stripe’s saved-details system).

Some regions support additional local methods:

• SEPA Direct Debit (EU).
• iDEAL (Netherlands).
• Bancontact (Belgium).

Not supported:

• PayPal (not integrated with Stripe Checkout on ContactID).
• Cryptocurrency.
• Cash or bank wire for individual purchases (available for enterprise contracts; contact sales).

4. Card Verification

On first save, Stripe may run a small verification charge (typically $0.50 or $1) that is immediately refunded. This confirms the card is active and the funds are available. You see the auth-and-refund in your statement.

5. Subscription Renewals

For subscription plans:

• Your saved card is charged automatically on your renewal date.
• Charges use the same amount every cycle (or the annual amount for annual plans).
• No user action required.

If the renewal fails, see the article on failed payments.

6. Two-Factor Confirmation On Some Cards

Some cards (especially EU cards under PSD2) trigger 3D Secure verification:

• A popup asks you to authenticate on your bank’s site.
• Enter the code your bank texts or authorizes in your bank app.
• The charge proceeds.

You may see 3D Secure once per card, then future charges go through without it.

7. Failed Payments On Initial Purchase

If your card is declined:

• Stripe shows a specific decline reason.
• You can retry with a different card or update the current one.
• ContactID does not charge you for failed attempts.

8. Currency And Localization

• All ContactID prices are in USD.
• Your card may be charged in USD directly, or your bank may convert to your local currency at their exchange rate plus any fees.
• Invoices are always in USD; conversion is on your bank statement side.

9. Receipt And Invoice

Every successful payment generates:

• A receipt email to your account email address.
• An invoice PDF in Billing > Invoices, downloadable for accounting.

Your Payment History shows every charge to your card and every credit consumption pattern in one place. Here is how to access it and what each entry means.

1. Where To See Payment History

• Sign in to your dashboard.
• Go to Billing.
• Click History.
• The table shows every payment event, newest first.

2. Event Types

Payment History includes:

• Subscription charges. Monthly or annual plan renewals.
• Initial subscription payments. First payment when subscribing.
• Credit package purchases. Website credit top-ups.
• AI wallet top-ups.
• Auto-recharge events.
• Refunds.
• Failed payment attempts.

Each event has:

• Timestamp.
• Amount.
• Type (subscription, one-time, refund, failed).
• Payment method (last 4 of card).
• Stripe reference ID (for support inquiries).
• Status (succeeded, failed, refunded).

3. Filtering And Search

• Filter by type. See just subscription payments or just top-ups.
• Filter by date range. Last month, last year, or custom.
• Filter by status. Only successful, only failed, only refunded.
• Search by Stripe reference ID if you have one.

4. Downloading Invoices

Each successful payment has a Download Invoice button in the row. Click to download the invoice PDF.

For batch downloads:

• Filter to the date range you need.
• Click Export Invoices at the top.
• Get a zipfile of every invoice in that range.

5. Failed Payments

Failed payments appear with a red pill and a specific failure reason. Common reasons:

• Insufficient funds.
• Card declined by issuer.
• Card expired.
• Fraud protection triggered.

For subscriptions, see the Failed Payment Grace Period article for what happens next.

6. Refund Records

Refunded payments show:

• Original charge (in green).
• Refund event (in red) with amount refunded and reason.
• Net amount for the pair.

Partial refunds are shown similarly with the partial amount.

7. Handling Discrepancies

If a charge on your card statement does not match Payment History:

• Look at the Stripe reference ID on your bank statement (usually included in the transaction description).
• Search Payment History for that ID.
• If it does not appear, contact support with the ID and your bank statement PDF.

Most discrepancies are timing (statement shows a pending charge that has not settled to ContactID’s dashboard yet).

8. Retention

Payment History records are retained for seven years to comply with tax law. You always have access to your full history through the dashboard.

Every successful payment generates an invoice PDF you can download for accounting, expense reporting, or tax purposes. Here is how.

1. Downloading A Single Invoice

• Go to Billing, then History.
• Find the payment.
• Click Download Invoice on the row.
• The PDF downloads to your computer.

2. Downloading Multiple Invoices

• Set filters to show just the invoices you want (e.g., last month, all successful).
• Click Export Invoices at the top of the page.
• A zipfile of every filtered invoice downloads.

For very large exports (500+ invoices), the export runs in background and you get an email with a download link.

3. What Is On The Invoice

Every invoice PDF includes:

• Invoice number (unique, sequential).
• ContactID entity details (Ainfluencer Inc., Toronto, Canada).
• Your details (billing name and email; company name if you added one).
• Line items (what you paid for).
• Amount.
• Payment method (last 4 of card).
• Payment date.
• VAT / GST / tax where applicable.

Suitable for expense reports at any company.

4. Adding A Billing Address

For company billing, you can add a full billing address:

• Go to Account Settings, then Billing Details.
• Fill in company name, address, tax ID.
• Save.

Future invoices include these details. Existing invoices are unchanged; you cannot retroactively update them.

5. Getting An Invoice For A Past Payment You Cannot Find

• Search Payment History with the date range.
• If the payment does not appear, contact support with your Stripe reference ID (from your bank statement).
• Support can look up and email a copy of the invoice.

6. VAT And Tax

• US and Canada: no VAT/GST on ContactID subscriptions currently.
• EU: VAT is applied based on your billing address. Add your VAT number in Billing Details for reverse charge (business VAT-registered).
• UK: VAT applied per UK rules.

Some regions require specific tax IDs on the invoice; add them in Billing Details.

7. Invoice Naming Convention

Invoices are named:

ContactID-Invoice-YYYY-MM-DD-INVOICEID.pdf

Sortable by date. Easy to import into accounting software.

8. Automating Invoice Delivery

On Scale plan, you can set up automated invoice delivery:

• To a specific email (like your bookkeeper).
• Attached to a webhook (for CRM integration).
• Dropped to an S3 bucket.

See Account Settings > Automation. Available on Scale plan.

ContactID’s refund policy balances customer flexibility with fair business practice. Here is exactly when refunds are available, how to request one, and how they are processed.

1. Refund Eligibility Summary

• Subscription plans: Refundable within 7 days of purchase if minimally used (under 20% of monthly quota consumed).
• Credit packages (website or AI): Refundable within 30 days if unused.
• Custom credit packages: Same as regular packages.
• Free tier credits: Not refundable (you did not pay for them).
• Annual subscriptions: Refundable within 7 days of initial purchase; not refundable mid-year after that.
• Auto-recharge events: Case by case; contact support.

2. How To Request A Refund

• Email [email protected].
• Include:
• Your account email.
• The Stripe reference ID (from Payment History).
• The reason for the refund request.
• Support reviews and responds within 2 business days.

Approved refunds are processed to the original payment method within 5 business days.

3. Subscription Refunds

Subscription refunds have a “reasonable use” gate:

• New subscription, under 7 days, under 20% of quota used: Full refund typically approved.
• New subscription, past 7 days: Not typically refunded; downgrade or cancel instead.
• Subscription used heavily then wanting refund: Not typically refunded; you got significant value from it.

The 20% quota threshold prevents free-riding (subscribing, using 90% of credits, requesting refund).

4. Credit Package Refunds

Credit packages have a cleaner rule:

• Within 30 days, no credits used: Full refund.
• Within 30 days, partial credits used: Prorated refund for unused portion.
• After 30 days: Not refundable; credits remain valid indefinitely.

5. AI Wallet Refunds

Same as credit packages:

• Purchased balance, within 30 days, unused: Full refund.
• Purchased balance, partial use: Prorated refund of unused portion.
• Included subscription AI: Not refundable.

6. Annual Plan Special Rules

Annual plans have a stricter refund window because of the discount you already received:

• Within 7 days of initial purchase: Full refund available.
• After 7 days: Non-refundable. The plan runs to the end of the year you paid for.
• Cancellation within the year: Plan still runs to year end; no partial refund.

The 7-day window exists so you can try the tool. Past that, you committed to the year.

7. Refunds For Duplicate Or Erroneous Charges

If you were charged twice for the same thing (typically a network hiccup where a retry succeeded but the original also completed):

• Immediate full refund of the duplicate.
• Contact support with both Stripe reference IDs.

8. Refunds And Credits Already Consumed

When a refund is approved:

• Credits linked to the refund are removed from your balance. If the refund is for a $10 package (66 credits), 66 credits come off your balance.
• If you already used some credits from that package, the refund is prorated for what is left.
• If you already used all the credits, no refund is issued (you got the value).

9. Chargebacks Vs Refunds

If you file a chargeback with your bank instead of contacting support:

• ContactID is charged a fee by the payment processor.
• Your account may be suspended pending resolution.
• Legitimate refund requests are always faster and cleaner through support directly.

Contact us first; chargebacks should be a last resort.

When a subscription renewal payment fails (usually a declined card), ContactID does not immediately suspend your account. There is a grace period to fix the problem. Here is how it works.

1. What Triggers The Grace Period

Grace period begins when:

• Subscription renewal payment fails at Stripe.
• ContactID retries the payment method three times over 24 hours.
• All three attempts fail.

At this point, you enter grace period.

2. Grace Period Duration

• 3 days from the first failed retry.

During grace period:

• Your account stays active.
• All features work.
• Batches can still run.
• You keep access to all your credits and data.

3. What Happens During Grace Period

• Email notifications on days 0, 1, and 2 of grace period asking you to update your payment method.
• Dashboard banner with a persistent “Update Payment Method” CTA.
• Extension banner with the same CTA.

You have every reasonable chance to notice and fix the issue.

4. Fixing The Payment Method

• Click Update Payment Method on any of the banners, or go to Billing > Payment Methods.
• Add a new card or update the existing one.
• ContactID immediately retries the failed payment.
• If it succeeds, grace period ends and account continues normally.

5. If Grace Period Expires

If 3 days pass without a successful payment:

• Subscription is downgraded to free tier.
• Included plan credits are removed.
• Extras and PAYG credits stay (you paid for those separately).
• AI wallet balance stays.
• Your account is not deleted. All data (agents, activity, settings) is preserved.

You can re-subscribe any time and everything picks up where it left off.

6. Reactivating After Grace Expiry

• Go to Billing > Manage Plan.
• Pick a plan.
• Complete payment.
• Your account is fully reactivated within seconds.

Your plan cycle restarts from the reactivation date, not the original renewal date.

7. Common Failure Causes

• Card expired. Most common. Update to a card with a future expiration date.
• Insufficient funds. Add funds or use a different card.
• Card blocked by issuer. Call your bank; ContactID cannot override a bank block.
• Fraud protection triggered. Confirm with your bank that the ContactID charge is legitimate.

8. Preventing Failed Payments

• Keep your card up to date. Update in Billing > Payment Methods before expiration.
• Enable card update reminders in Account Settings > Notifications.
• Save multiple payment methods; ContactID falls to the next if one fails.

9. Grace Period For Extras And AI Wallet

Grace period only applies to subscription renewals. Failed one-time purchases (credit packages, AI top-ups) simply do not go through; no grace period, no account impact.

Payment methods are managed in Billing > Payment Methods. You can add multiple cards, pick a default, or remove old ones. Here is how.

1. Where To Manage Payment Methods

• Sign in to your dashboard.
• Go to Billing, then Payment Methods.
• The table shows every card on file with:
• Card brand and last 4 digits.
• Expiration month/year.
• Default marker (star).

2. Adding A New Card

• Click Add Payment Method.
• Stripe Checkout opens.
• Enter card details.
• Confirm.
• New card appears in the table.

3. Setting A New Default

The default card is used for:

• Subscription renewals.
• Auto-recharge events.
• One-off purchases (unless you pick a different card at checkout).

To change default:

• On the card you want as default, click the star icon.
• The previous default is unmarked.

4. Removing A Card

• Click Remove on the card row.
• Confirm.

You cannot remove your last card if you have an active subscription; a payment method must exist. If you want to switch, add the new one first, then remove the old.

5. Card Expiration

When a card is about to expire:

• 60 days before expiration: email reminder.
• 30 days before: dashboard banner reminder.
• 7 days before: email reminder plus more prominent banner.

Update or replace before expiration to avoid failed renewals.

6. Card Auto-Update

Stripe’s Card Updater service automatically syncs your saved card details with:

• Renewed cards from your bank.
• Reissued cards with new numbers due to fraud.
• Changed expiration dates.

Auto-update covers most card replacement scenarios. If it doesn’t work (rare), you’ll get a failed renewal and can update manually.

7. Multiple Cards

Useful if you want:

• A personal card for AI wallet top-ups and a corporate card for subscription.
• Multiple business cards for different cost centers.

Pick which card to use at checkout for one-off purchases. Default is used for automatic events.

8. Card Fraud And Security

If you suspect card fraud on ContactID:

• Contact your bank first to freeze the card.
• Contact ContactID support with details.
• We can freeze all charges to your account pending resolution.

Stripe monitors for anomalous charge patterns and flags suspicious activity, but user reports are the fastest signal.

Cancelling ends your ContactID subscription without deleting your account. Here is how, when it takes effect, and what happens to your credits and data.

1. Where To Cancel

• Sign in to your dashboard.
• Go to Billing, then Manage Plan.
• Scroll to Cancel Subscription.
• Click Cancel.
• Confirm on the next screen.

2. When Cancellation Takes Effect

By default:

• Monthly plans: Runs to the end of the current billing month. On the renewal date, no charge occurs and the plan drops to free tier.
• Annual plans: Runs to the end of the annual cycle you paid for. On the annual renewal date, no charge occurs and the plan drops to free tier.

3. Immediate Cancellation

If you want to stop paying immediately without waiting:

• On the confirmation screen, tick Cancel Immediately.
• The plan drops to free tier now.
• You are prorated a refund for the unused portion of your current billing cycle.

Not usually recommended because you forfeit remaining credits.

4. What Happens To Your Credits

• Included plan credits for the current cycle: Stay usable until the cycle ends.
• Purchased extras: Stay yours forever. Cancellation does not affect them.
• PAYG credits: Stay yours forever.
• AI wallet balance: Stay yours forever.

5. What Happens To Your Data

Cancellation does not delete your data:

• Agents: Preserved.
• Activity history: Preserved (subject to retention limits).
• Settings and configurations: Preserved.
• Custom AI prompts: Preserved.

You can pick up any time by re-subscribing.

6. Reactivating A Cancelled Subscription

• Go to Billing > Manage Plan.
• Pick a plan.
• Complete payment.

Your subscription starts fresh from today. Your data is untouched.

7. Cancelling Vs Downgrading

• Cancel: Stop subscribing entirely. Drop to free tier.
• Downgrade: Stay subscribed, on a smaller plan.

If you want to keep some level of paid access, downgrade instead of cancelling.

8. Free Tier After Cancellation

Cancelled accounts land on free tier:

• Any free credits you had left stay.
• Your extras and AI wallet balance stays.
• You can send until you run out of credits.
• The extension shows a free-tier upgrade banner.

9. Deleting Your Account After Cancelling

Cancellation and account deletion are separate:

• Cancel: Stop subscribing. Keep data.
• Delete: Permanent removal. Data is gone.

See the article on deleting your account for the details of deletion.

Cancellation has different effects on different credit types. Understanding what stays and what goes helps you time your cancellation. Here is the exact breakdown.

1. Included Plan Credits

These are the credits your plan gives you each month (e.g., Growth includes 833 per month).

• On end-of-cycle cancellation: Current cycle’s included credits stay usable until the cycle ends. After that, no more monthly refills.
• On immediate cancellation: Included credits for the current cycle are removed proportionally to time remaining in the cycle. E.g., cancel halfway through the month with half the credits used, the remaining credits are removed.

The end-of-cycle option is generally better because you get to use the credits you already paid for.

2. Purchased Extras

Credits bought via credit packages. These are yours forever:

• Not affected by cancellation.
• Do not expire.
• Available for use on any plan (including free tier and re-subscribed plans).

If you have $500 worth of extras when you cancel, that $500 worth of credits stays with you.

3. PAYG Credits

Credits bought without a subscription (or from before you subscribed). Same as extras:

• Not affected by cancellation.
• Do not expire.
• Available for use anytime.

4. Free Tier Credits

• Not affected by cancellation.
• Do not expire.
• If you had 15 free credits left when you cancelled, they are still there.

5. AI Wallet Balance

Two sub-types:

• Purchased balance: Not affected by cancellation. Stays forever.
• Included monthly AI credit: For the current cycle, stays usable until cycle end. After that, no more monthly AI refills.

6. Total Credit After Cancellation Example

Scenario: You’re on Growth plan, mid-cycle, and you cancel at end-of-cycle. Your balances at cancellation:

• Included plan credits for current cycle: 400 remaining.
• Purchased extras: 1,200.
• Free tier credits: 5 (never used).
• AI wallet purchased balance: $18.
• AI wallet monthly credit remaining: $4.

After the cycle ends:

• Included plan credits: 0 (were removed at cycle end; they never carry over anyway).
• Extras: 1,200 (unchanged).
• Free: 5.
• AI wallet purchased: $18.
• AI wallet monthly credit: 0.

You retain 1,205 website credits and $18 AI wallet balance. You can continue sending on free tier until exhausted.

7. Sending After Cancellation

You can send with any preserved credits:

• Free tier credits get used first.
• Then PAYG.
• Then extras.

Your effective per-site cost is now $0.15 (PAYG rate) until you re-subscribe.

8. Getting Refunded For Extras On Cancellation

Extras and PAYG credits are refundable within their 30-day window regardless of cancellation. If you cancel and want a refund on unused extras:

• Contact support within 30 days of the extras purchase.
• Refund is issued for unused portion.