FAQs
I want to charge usage monthly but my platform fees annually. How does billing frequency work in Octane Price Plans?
Octane supports multiple billing frequencies, including monthly, quarterly, annual, and semiannual schedules. The base frequency determines the billing cycle for all components. However, components like platform fees, add-ons, and minimum charges can have their own frequencies, which are typically a multiple of the base frequency. This flexibility allows you to fine-tune your billing cycles.
When I upload my price lists, I keep getting an invalid error. Are there any rules or limitations when creating Price Lists?
When creating Price Lists, ensure that the labels specified in the upload process are a strict subset of the primary labels on the metered component. Each row must have a non-negative price, and price figures in the CSV are represented in cents, not dollars. Additionally, the upload process accepts only ASCII quotes, so UNICODE quotation marks will result in an error. Octane currently supports uploading a maximum of 1000 rows in a single Price List.
Can I apply price changes after a minimum charge is reached in Price Lists?
Yes, you can specify price changes after a minimum charge is reached by adding a post_minimum_charge_percentage_changecolumn to your Price Lists. This column should indicate the percentage change to apply for each row. However, this feature is only applicable when using a FLAT price scheme.
I want to apply minimum charges annually even though my usage is monthly. Can I customize minimum charge frequencies?
By default, minimum charges align with your price plan's billing frequency. However, Octane offers flexibility in customizing these frequencies to match your specific business needs. For instance, if you charge usage fees monthly but have an annual minimum requirement, Octane will automatically adjust and include a line item on the last invoice of the year to cover any remaining difference.
Can I combine multiple Minimum Charges in Octane?
Yes, Octane allows you to combine Invoice Total Minimum Charges with Minimums set at the metered component level. In such cases, the metered component minimums contribute towards meeting the invoice total minimum. An example is provided in the documentation to illustrate how this combination works.
I only want to show line item details if the minimum charge is crossed. How can I control the visibility of line items when Minimum Charges are applied?
Octane offers the option to hide line items when Minimum Charges are applied. Enabling the "Hide Line Items Below Minimum Charge" setting in the Settings -> Invoicing & Payments section ensures that only line items exceeding the minimum charge threshold are displayed to end customers, improving clarity on invoices.
What happens to existing customers when new versions of price plans are created?
Existing customers are not automatically switched to the new versions of price plans. Customers have subscriptions that reference a specific version of a price plan. To migrate existing customers to a new version, you must explicitly update their subscriptions. Subscriptions have effective dates, allowing you to schedule changes for a future date.
What are the limitations of updating price plans in place?
When updating price plans in place, Octane imposes certain limitations to maintain transparency and billing consistency:
Pricing for existing metered components and add-ons cannot be altered.
Existing metered components and add-ons cannot be removed in-place.
You can only add new metered components, add-ons, and features to the plans.
Existing features can be removed in place.
What is the priority order for using Credits with expiration dates?
Credits are used in priority of expiration, with those expiring soonest having higher priority. If two grants have the same expiration date, the credits granted first will be used first.
What happens if a customer cancels their subscription with an active Credit Plan and an outstanding credit grant balance?
If a customer cancels their subscription while having an active Credit Plan and an outstanding credit grant balance, the following will occur:
- If the grant has been drawn down more than the amount paid, the customer will be charged the difference as an overage amount.
- If the grant has been drawn down less than or equal to the amount paid, no additional charge will be made.
This ensures that customers are appropriately billed based on their credit grant usage when canceling their subscriptions.
How do I create line item groups in a price plan?
Line item groups can be created exclusively through the price plan creation UI. At this time, we do not allow line item groups to be specified through the API.