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Category: Account Management Level: Beginner Reading time: 10 minutes Updated: 2026-01-03

Billing and Payments

Quick Summary: Manage payment methods, view billing history, update subscription, and download invoices.

What You'll Learn

  • Adding and updating payment methods
  • Understanding billing cycles and charges
  • Viewing invoices and payment history
  • Managing subscription auto-renewal
  • Handling billing issues and failed payments
  • Canceling or changing subscriptions

Overview

The PEBL Online Platform uses secure payment processing for paid subscription tiers (Researcher and Researcher+). This guide covers everything related to billing, payments, and managing your subscription.

Accessing Billing Settings

Method 1: Account Settings

  1. Click your username in top-right corner
  2. Select Account Settings
  3. Click Billing & Subscription tab

Method 2: Dashboard

  1. Go to Dashboard
  2. Find Subscription Status widget
  3. Click Manage Billing

Payment Methods

Adding a Payment Method

When subscribing:

  1. Select tier (Researcher or Researcher+)
  2. Choose billing cycle (monthly or annual)
  3. Click Subscribe
  4. Enter payment information:
  • Card number
    • Expiration date (MM/YY)
    • CVV/CVC security code
    • Billing ZIP code
5. Review and confirm

After subscribing:

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Click Payment Methods
  3. Click Add New Card
  4. Enter card details
  5. Click Save

Supported Payment Types

Credit cards:

  • ✅ Visa
  • ✅ Mastercard
  • ✅ American Express
  • ✅ Discover

Debit cards:

  • ✅ Visa Debit
  • ✅ Mastercard Debit

Not currently supported:

  • ❌ PayPal (coming soon)
  • ❌ Bank transfers
  • ❌ Purchase orders (except institutional accounts)
  • ❌ Cryptocurrency

Updating Payment Method

To replace existing card:

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription → Payment Methods
  2. Click Add New Card
  3. Enter new card information
  4. Click Make Default
  5. (Optional) Click Delete on old card
Important: Update before next billing date to avoid failed payments.

Removing Payment Method

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription → Payment Methods
  2. Click Delete next to card
  3. Confirm removal
Note: Cannot remove the only payment method if on paid tier. Add new card first, then remove old one.

Payment Security

Your card information:

  • Processed by Stripe (industry-leading payment processor)
  • Never stored on PEBL servers
  • Encrypted during transmission
  • PCI-DSS compliant
  • 3D Secure / Verified by Visa supported

What we store:

  • Last 4 digits of card number
  • Card brand (Visa, Mastercard, etc.)
  • Expiration month/year
  • Billing ZIP code

What we don't store:

  • Full card number
  • CVV/CVC code
  • Your bank account details

Understanding Billing Cycles

Monthly Billing

How it works:

  • Charged same day each month
  • Example: Subscribe on Jan 15 → charged Feb 15, Mar 15, etc.
  • Auto-renews unless canceled

Pricing:

  • Researcher: $7.99/month
  • Researcher+: $9.99/month

Best for:

  • Short-term projects (1-6 months)
  • Trying out paid features
  • Flexible commitment
  • Seasonal research

Cancellation:

  • Can cancel anytime
  • Access continues until end of current period
  • No refunds for partial months

Annual Billing

How it works:

  • Charged once per year
  • Renews automatically every 12 months
  • Email reminder sent 7 days before renewal

Pricing:

  • Researcher: $79/year (save $16.88 = 18%)
  • Researcher+: $99/year (save $20.88 = 17%)

Savings:

  • Researcher: Equivalent to $6.58/month
  • Researcher+: Equivalent to $8.25/month

Best for:

  • Long-term research projects
  • Ongoing lab use
  • Maximum savings
  • Consistent research activity

Cancellation:

  • Can cancel anytime
  • Access continues for remainder of year
  • No refunds for partial years

Billing Date

Your billing date:

  • Shown in Billing & Subscription settings
  • Set when you first subscribe
  • Stays the same each month/year

Viewing next charge:

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. See Next Billing Date
  3. See Amount Due
Changing billing date:
  • Not currently supported
  • Workaround: Cancel and re-subscribe on desired date
  • Note: Loses remaining time on current subscription

Pro-Rated Charges

When upgrading mid-period:

  • Charged difference for remaining time
  • Example: Upgrade from monthly Researcher ($7.99) to annual Researcher ($79) on day 15 of month
    • Credit: ~$4 for remaining 15 days of monthly
    • Charge: $79 - $4 = ~$75 for first annual period
    • Next renewal: Full $79 in 12 months

When downgrading mid-period:

  • No immediate refund
  • New tier takes effect at end of current period
  • Continue using current tier until then

Viewing Billing History

Accessing Invoices

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Click Billing History tab
  3. See list of all charges
Invoice details:
  • Date of charge
  • Amount paid
  • Payment method (last 4 digits)
  • Invoice number
  • Billing period covered
  • Status (Paid, Failed, Refunded)

Downloading Receipts

For individual invoice:

  1. Find invoice in Billing History
  2. Click Download PDF
  3. Save for your records
For all invoices:
  1. Click Download All button
  2. Receives ZIP file with all invoice PDFs
  3. Useful for annual expense reports

Receipt Information

Invoices include:

  • Invoice number (unique identifier)
  • Invoice date
  • Billing period (e.g., "Feb 15, 2026 - Mar 15, 2026")
  • Item description (e.g., "Researcher Tier - Monthly")
  • Amount charged
  • Payment method
  • Transaction ID
  • Platform contact information

Using receipts:

  • Expense reimbursement
  • Grant accounting
  • Tax records
  • Budget tracking

Managing Your Subscription

Viewing Current Subscription

Quick view:

  1. Dashboard shows current tier
  2. Shows days until renewal
  3. Shows storage used / limit
Detailed view:
  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. See:
  • Current tier
    • Billing cycle
    • Next charge date
    • Auto-renewal status
    • Payment method

Upgrading Subscription

To higher tier:

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Click Change Plan
  3. Select higher tier (e.g., Researcher → Researcher+)
  4. Choose billing cycle
  5. Confirm upgrade
Charges:
  • Immediate pro-rated charge for remainder of period
  • New tier active immediately
  • Next renewal at new tier rate

Example:

  • Current: Researcher monthly ($7.99)
  • Day 20 of 30-day month
  • Upgrade to Researcher+ monthly ($9.99)
  • Charge: ($9.99 - $7.99) × (10/30) = ~$0.67
  • Next full charge: $9.99 in 10 days

Downgrading Subscription

To lower tier:

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Click Change Plan
  3. Select lower tier
  4. Confirm downgrade
Important:
  • No immediate refund
  • Continue using current tier until period ends
  • New tier and billing start at next renewal

Example:

  • Current: Researcher+ annual ($99), 6 months remaining
  • Downgrade to Researcher annual ($79)
  • Continue using Researcher+ for 6 months
  • After 6 months: Switch to Researcher, charged $79

Switching Billing Cycles

Monthly → Annual:

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Click Switch to Annual
  3. Charged annual rate immediately
  4. Credit applied for unused monthly time
  5. Next renewal in 12 months
Savings: Immediate access to annual pricing discount

Annual → Monthly:

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Click Switch to Monthly
  3. Change takes effect at end of annual period
  4. Next charge will be monthly rate
Note: No refund for unused annual time

Auto-Renewal

Default setting: ON (enabled)

How it works:

  • Automatically renews subscription at end of period
  • Charges payment method on file
  • Email notification 7 days before renewal
  • Ensures uninterrupted access

Disabling auto-renewal:

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Click Auto-Renewal Settings
  3. Toggle OFF
  4. Confirm
What happens when disabled:
  • Subscription ends at end of current period
  • No charge on renewal date
  • Access ends at period end
  • Account downgrades to Free tier
  • All data preserved

Re-enabling:

  • Can turn back ON anytime before period ends
  • Subscription continues normally

Canceling Subscription

How to Cancel

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Scroll to bottom
  3. Click Cancel Subscription
  4. Select reason (optional, helps us improve)
  5. Confirm cancellation

What Happens After Cancellation

Immediately:

  • Cancellation confirmed
  • Receive confirmation email
  • Auto-renewal disabled
  • No future charges

Until period ends:

  • ✅ Continue using current tier
  • ✅ All features remain active
  • ✅ Can still collect data
  • ✅ Can download data

After period ends:

  • Account downgrades to Free tier
  • Subject to Free tier limits
  • All data preserved (read-only if over limits)
  • Cannot create new active studies if have >1

Reactivating After Cancellation

Before period ends:

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Click Resume Subscription
  3. Confirm
  4. Auto-renewal re-enabled
  5. Will renew normally at period end
After period ends:
  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Click Subscribe to desired tier
  3. Enter payment information
  4. New subscription starts immediately

Refund Policy

No refunds for:

  • Partial billing periods (monthly or annual)
  • Change of mind
  • Unused features or limits
  • Account cancellation

Refunds available for:

  • Billing errors (duplicate charges)
  • Technical issues preventing platform use
  • Unauthorized charges

Requesting refund:

  1. Contact support@peblplatform.com
  2. Include:
  • Account username
    • Invoice number
    • Reason for refund
    • Supporting documentation (if applicable)
3. Response within 2-3 business days

Handling Billing Issues

Failed Payments

Common causes:

  • Insufficient funds
  • Expired card
  • Card declined by bank
  • Incorrect CVV/billing ZIP
  • Daily spending limit reached

What happens:

  1. Payment fails on renewal date
  2. Email notification sent immediately
  3. Automatic retry in 3 days
  4. Another retry in 7 days
  5. If still fails: Subscription canceled, downgrade to Free
How to fix:
  1. Check email for failure notification
  2. Go to Billing & Subscription
  3. Update payment method
  4. Click Retry Payment button
  5. If successful, subscription continues
Grace period: 7 days to fix payment issues before access is restricted

Declined Cards

Why cards get declined:

  • Insufficient funds: Not enough balance
  • Expired: Card past expiration date
  • Fraud prevention: Bank flagged as suspicious
  • Incorrect info: Wrong CVV, ZIP, or billing address
  • International: Card doesn't support international payments
  • Daily limit: Exceeded daily transaction limit

Solutions:

  1. Check card details: Verify expiration, CVV, ZIP
  2. Contact bank: Approve charge from "Stripe" / "PEBL"
  3. Try different card: Use backup payment method
  4. Wait and retry: Temporary bank issues may resolve

Unexpected Charges

If you see a charge you don't recognize:

  1. Check billing history:
  • Go to Billing & Subscription → Billing History
    • Match charge date and amount to invoices
  1. Verify it's from PEBL:
  • Charge may appear as "STRIPE" or "PEBL" on statement
    • Check charge description
    • Check date against your renewal date
  1. Common explanations:
  • Auto-renewal (if not disabled)
    • Pro-rated charge from tier upgrade
    • Annual renewal (forgot about annual billing)
    • Family member used your card
  1. Still unsure?
  • Contact support with:
- Charge date and amount

- Last 4 digits of card charged - Your account username

  • We'll investigate and explain

Duplicate Charges

If charged twice:

  1. Check if both charges posted (not just pending)
  2. Wait 24-48 hours (one may be pre-authorization)
  3. If both posted, contact support immediately:
  • Include invoice numbers
    • Include transaction IDs
    • Include bank statement screenshot
4. Duplicate will be refunded within 5-7 business days

Updating Billing Information

To update billing address:

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription
  2. Click Billing Address
  3. Update street, city, state, ZIP, country
  4. Click Save
To update email for invoices:
  1. Go to Account Settings
  2. Update primary email address
  3. Invoices sent to primary email

Special Billing Situations

Upgrading from Free to Paid

First-time subscription:

  1. Select tier (Researcher or Researcher+)
  2. Choose billing cycle
  3. Enter payment information
  4. Charged immediately
  5. Subscription starts right away
  6. Limits increase instantly
No trial period: Paid tiers start billing immediately (Free and Trial tiers available for no-cost testing)

Educational Institution Billing

Student/Instructor tiers:

  • Free (no billing)
  • No payment method required
  • Requires verification

Institutional licensing (coming soon):

  • Contact admin for site-wide pricing
  • Invoicing available
  • Purchase order support
  • Centralized billing for department/university

Grant-Funded Research

Recommendations:

  • Use annual billing for predictable costs
  • Download invoices for grant reporting
  • Keep billing email for documentation
  • Include platform costs in grant budget

Typical annual costs:

  • Small project: $79/year (Researcher)
  • Large project: $99/year (Researcher+)

Grant reimbursement:

  • Pay with personal card
  • Submit invoices for reimbursement
  • Or use institutional account (if available)

Lab/Group Subscriptions

Current system:

  • Individual accounts only
  • Each user subscribes separately
  • Collaboration features allow sharing studies

Workarounds:

  • PI subscribes to Researcher+ tier
  • Lab members use as collaborators (free)
  • Centralized data management

Future: Multi-user lab accounts (contact admin for updates)

FAQ

When am I charged?

New subscription: Immediately upon subscribing

Monthly renewal: Same day each month (e.g., 15th of every month)

Annual renewal: Same date each year

Upgrades: Immediately (pro-rated)

Downgrades: At end of current billing period (no immediate charge)

How do I get an invoice for my employer/university?

  1. Go to Billing & Subscription → Billing History
  2. Find the relevant invoice
  3. Click Download PDF
  4. Submit to your employer/university accounting
Invoices include all necessary details (date, amount, description, transaction ID).

Can I pay with purchase order?

Currently: No, only credit/debit cards

Institutional accounts: Contact admin about invoice-based billing for large accounts or site licenses

What if my card expires?

Before expiration:

  1. Add new card in Payment Methods
  2. Set new card as default
  3. Delete old card
If renewal fails due to expired card:
  • Email notification sent
  • 7-day grace period to update
  • Update card and click Retry Payment

Can I get a discount for annual billing?

Yes! Annual billing is already discounted:

  • Researcher: $79/year vs. $95.88 for 12 monthly (save 17-18%)
  • Researcher+: $99/year vs. $119.88 for 12 monthly (save 17%)

Can I share a subscription with colleagues?

No - subscriptions are per individual account

Instead:

  • One person subscribes
  • Add colleagues as collaborators (free)
  • They can access shared studies
  • They need Free tier for their own studies

Is there a money-back guarantee?

No standard refund policy for:

  • Change of mind
  • Unused portions of billing period

Exceptions:

  • Technical issues preventing use
  • Billing errors
  • Unauthorized charges

Contact support to discuss special circumstances.

How do I cancel?

See Canceling Subscription section above.

TL;DR:

  1. Billing & Subscription → Cancel Subscription
  2. Access continues until period ends
  3. No refund for unused time

Troubleshooting

"Payment failed" message

Immediate steps:

  1. Verify card details correct
  2. Check card has sufficient funds
  3. Contact bank to approve charge
  4. Try different payment method
  5. Click Retry Payment
If continues failing:
  • Contact support
  • We can investigate decline reason
  • May need to try different card

Can't update payment method

Possible issues:

  • Browser cache/cookies
  • Ad blocker interfering
  • Popup blocker preventing Stripe
  • Network/connectivity issues

Solutions:

  1. Clear browser cache
  2. Disable ad blockers
  3. Try incognito/private window
  4. Try different browser
  5. Contact support if persists

Charged wrong amount

Check:

  1. Billing cycle (monthly vs annual)
  2. Pro-rated charges from upgrades
  3. Currency conversion (if international)
  4. Tax (if applicable in your region)
If still wrong:
  • Contact support with:
    • Expected amount
    • Actual amount charged
    • Invoice number
  • We'll investigate and correct

Invoice not received

Check:

  1. Spam/junk folder
  2. Email address in Account Settings is correct
  3. Billing History (download invoice there)
Request resend:
  • Contact support with date and amount
  • We'll resend invoice

Related Topics

Need help with billing? Contact support@peblplatform.com with your account username and invoice number for fastest assistance.

Related Topics