Upgrading Your Plan

Learn how to upgrade your WarmOpener plan, understand proration, and manage billing changes. Whether you're moving from free trial to paid or scaling to a higher tier, this guide covers everything.

When to Upgrade

From Free Trial

You should upgrade when:

You're ready to launch campaigns and send emails
You need more than 100 contacts
You want to connect multiple inboxes
Your sequences are tested and you're confident in the platform

Between Paid Plans

Consider upgrading to a higher tier when:

You're consistently hitting 80%+ of your current limits
You need more inboxes for load distribution
Your contact list is growing faster than expected
You're running out of sequences for A/B testing

How to Upgrade

Method 1: From Billing Page

Navigate to Billing in the sidebar
Click Upgrade Plan button
Select your desired plan (Starter, Growth, or Scale)
Choose billing frequency (Monthly or Yearly)
Complete Stripe checkout with payment information
Confirmation - plan active immediately

Method 2: From In-App Prompts

When you hit a plan limit, WarmOpener shows an upgrade prompt with a direct link to the checkout page for the recommended plan.

Understanding Proration

Upgrading Mid-Cycle

When you upgrade before your billing cycle ends:

Prorated credit: Unused time on old plan is credited
Immediate charge: Charged prorated amount for new plan
New billing date: Cycle resets to upgrade date
Instant access: New limits active immediately

Example Calculation

Scenario: Upgrading from Starter ($29/mo) to Growth ($79/mo) on day 15 of 30-day cycle

Unused Starter time: 15 days remaining = $14.50 credit
Growth prorated: $79 × (15/30) = $39.50 for remaining days
Amount charged today: $39.50 - $14.50 = $25.00
Next bill: $79.00 in 15 days (full month of Growth)

After Upgrading

Immediate Changes

Limits updated: New contact, inbox, sequence, and email limits active
Campaign launching enabled: If upgrading from free trial
Dashboard reflects new plan: Usage percentages recalculated
All data preserved: Contacts, sequences, campaigns remain intact

Usage Counter Behavior

Your existing usage counts continue:

Contacts: If you created 500 on Starter, that count carries over (you're at 500/5,000 on Growth)
Emails: If you sent 1,200 this month, you're at 1,200/12,000 on Growth
Counters reset: On the 1st of the month as usual, not on upgrade date

Changing Billing Frequency

Monthly to Annual

Savings: Get 2 months free (16.7% discount)
Billing: Charged full annual amount upfront
Prorated credit: Unused monthly time credited toward annual cost
Next bill: 12 months from switch date

Annual to Monthly

Change effective: At end of annual period
No refund: Already paid annual amount is non-refundable
Notification: Emailed 30 days before annual renewal

Managing Your Subscription

Stripe Customer Portal

Click Manage Billing on the Billing page to access Stripe's customer portal where you can:

View invoice history
Download receipts
Update payment method
Change billing address
Cancel subscription (if needed)

Common Upgrade Scenarios

Scenario: Hit Contact Limit Mid-Month

Situation: Created 1,000 contacts on day 20 of billing cycle
Solution: Upgrade to Growth immediately. Get 4,000 more contacts for current month + prorated charge of ~$26 (10 days remaining)

Scenario: Need More Inboxes Before Campaign

Situation: Have 1 inbox on Starter, need 3 for load distribution
Solution: Upgrade to Growth ($79/mo) to get 3 inbox slots. Connect additional inboxes immediately after upgrade completes

Scenario: Approaching Email Send Limit

Situation: Sent 2,800 of 3,000 emails with 10 days left in month
Solution: Upgrade to Growth (12,000/mo) or wait 10 days for reset. Consider upgrade if this happens regularly

⚠️ Downgrading

Downgrading to a lower-tier plan is possible but requires careful consideration:

Changes take effect at end of current billing period

Must reduce usage below new plan's limits before downgrade

Cannot downgrade if you have active campaigns that exceed new limits

Contact support if you need help planning a downgrade

💡 Pro Tip

If you're near the end of your billing cycle and hitting limits, consider upgrading early. The prorated cost is minimal, and you'll have headroom for the rest of the month. Example: Upgrading 3 days before renewal costs ~$8 extra but gives you immediate access to higher limits.