Subscription Not Activating - Troubleshooting

When your subscription payment goes through but features aren’t activating, it’s frustrating. This guide helps resolve subscription activation issues.

Quick Fixes

Try these first:

1. Log out and back in:

   • Sign out of Balance
   • Wait 10 seconds
   • Sign back in
   • Check subscription status

2. Wait 15 minutes:

   • Payment processing takes time
   • Subscription may be pending
   • Check back after 15 minutes

3. Clear cache:

   • Mobile: Force close app, reopen
   • Web: Hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R)
   • Log out and in

4. Check email:

   • Look for confirmation from Stripe
   • Verify payment successful
   • Check spam folder

Understanding Balance Plans

Free Plan

Features:

• ✅ Unlimited budget categories
• ✅ Manual transaction entry
• ✅ 1 profile
• ❌ 0 bank account connections (cannot connect banks)

Premium Plans

Premium Monthly: $5.99/month

• ✅ Everything in Free
• ✅ Up to 10 bank accounts
• ✅ Automatic transaction sync
• ✅ Multiple profiles (for couples)
• ✅ Priority support

Premium Annual: $59.99/year (save 17%)

• Same as Monthly
• Pay for 10 months, get 12
• Best value

Free Trial

• 30 days free
• Full Premium access
• No credit card required
• Auto-downgrades to Free after 30 days (no charge)
• Can subscribe anytime during or after trial

Common Activation Issues

Issue 1: “Still on Free Plan”

Problem: Paid for Premium but still shows Free

Causes:

• Payment still processing
• Cache not refreshed
• Session not updated
• Payment declined

Solutions:

Step 1: Verify payment:

1. Check email for Stripe receipt
2. Check bank/card statement
3. If no charge: Payment didn’t go through

Step 2: Check Stripe portal:

1. Tap profile icon (top right) in Balance
2. Select “Plan & Subscription” (opens Stripe portal)
3. Verify subscription shows as “Active”
4. Check payment method

Step 3: Refresh session:

1. Log out of Balance
2. Close app/browser completely
3. Wait 1 minute
4. Log back in
5. Check subscription status

Step 4: Wait:

• Stripe processing can take 10-15 minutes
• Check back after waiting
• Usually resolves automatically

Issue 2: Can’t Connect Bank Accounts

Problem: Subscription active but can’t add accounts

Cause: Subscription status not yet propagated

Solutions:

1. Verify Premium active:

   • Go to Settings
   • Check subscription shows “Premium”
   • If shows “Free”, try log out/in

2. Try connecting again:

   • Go to Accounts tab
   • Tap “Connect Account”
   • Should allow connection now

3. Check account limit:

   • Premium allows up to 10 accounts
   • If already have 10, can’t add more
   • Remove unused account to add new one

4. Restart app:

   • Force close
   • Reopen
   • Try connecting

If still blocked:

• Payment may have failed
• Check Stripe portal
• Verify active subscription

Issue 3: Payment Declined

Problem: Card was declined

Causes:

• Insufficient funds
• Card expired
• Bank blocked transaction
• Incorrect card details

Solutions:

Step 1: Check decline reason:

1. Check email from Stripe
2. Should explain decline reason
3. May need to contact bank

Step 2: Update payment method:

1. Tap profile icon (top right)
2. Select “Plan & Subscription”
3. Stripe portal opens
4. Update payment method
5. Retry payment

Step 3: Contact bank:

• Bank may have blocked transaction
• Authorize Stripe/Balance charges
• International cards sometimes blocked
• Try again after authorization

Step 4: Try different card:

• Use different credit/debit card
• Credit or debit card
• Alternative payment method

Issue 4: Trial Expired, Can’t Subscribe

Problem: Trial ended, trying to subscribe but failing

Solutions:

1. Try different payment method:

   • Different card
   • Different payment option
   • Ensure card has funds

2. Check email verification:

   • Email must be verified to subscribe
   • Check inbox for verification email
   • Click verification link

3. Clear cache and retry:

   • Log out
   • Clear browser/app cache
   • Log back in
   • Try subscription again

4. Use Stripe portal directly:

   • Profile icon → Plan & Subscription
   • Subscribe through Stripe interface
   • May work better than in-app

Issue 5: Account Limits Not Updating

Problem: Subscribed but still says “Free plan limits”

Cause: Frontend hasn’t refreshed with new status

Solutions:

1. Hard refresh:

   • Mobile: Force close app, reopen
   • Web: Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R
   • Both: Log out and back in

2. Wait 15-30 minutes:

   • Backend may be updating
   • Check back shortly
   • Usually resolves automatically

3. Check Accounts tab:

   • Try connecting account
   • May work even if message still shows
   • Test actual functionality

4. Contact support:

   • If persistent after 1 hour
   • Provide Stripe receipt
   • Support can manually verify

Subscription Verification

How to Check Subscription Status

In Balance App:

1. Go to Settings (gear icon)
2. Tap Subscription
3. Should show:
   • Plan type (Free/Premium Monthly/Premium Annual)
   • Status (Active/Inactive)
   • Renewal date (if Premium)
   • “Manage Subscription” button

In Stripe Portal:

1. Settings → Subscription → Manage Subscription
2. Stripe customer portal opens
3. Shows:
   • Current plan
   • Next billing date
   • Payment method
   • Billing history

What “Active” Subscription Means

✅ You should be able to:

• Connect up to 10 bank accounts
• Create multiple profiles
• Access all Premium features
• No limitations

❌ If you can’t:

• Subscription status not fully activated
• Try troubleshooting steps above
• Contact support with proof of payment

Trial to Paid Transition

What Happens After Trial

Day 30 of trial:

• Trial expires
• Automatically downgrade to Free (no charge)
• Bank accounts disconnect
• Can re-connect by subscribing

No automatic charges - Balance will NOT charge you after trial ends unless you explicitly subscribe.

Subscribing Before Trial Ends

You can subscribe anytime during trial:

1. Tap profile icon (top right) > Plan & Subscription
2. Choose plan (Monthly or Annual)
3. Enter payment details
4. Subscribe
5. Trial converts to paid
6. Billing starts from trial end date (not immediately)

Example:

• Trial started: Nov 1
• Subscribe: Nov 15
• First charge: Dec 1 (after 30-day trial)
• You don’t lose trial days

Subscribing After Trial Expired

If trial expired:

1. Bank accounts already disconnected
2. Go to Settings → Subscription
3. Choose plan
4. Subscribe
5. Can reconnect bank accounts immediately
6. All data preserved

Payment Issues

Payment Processing Time

Typical timeline:

• Payment submitted: Instant
• Stripe processing: 1-10 minutes
• Balance activation: 1-15 minutes
• Total: Up to 15-20 minutes max

If longer than 30 minutes:

• Something may be wrong
• Check email for decline notice
• Contact support

Failed Payments

Common causes:

1. Card declined by bank
2. Insufficient funds
3. Expired card
4. International card restrictions
5. Daily spending limit reached

Solutions:

• Update payment method
• Contact bank
• Try different card
• Try again later

Refund Policy

If you need refund:

• Contact support within 7 days
• Provide reason
• Include Stripe receipt
• Refunds processed case-by-case

Email: support@balancebudget.app

Account Limits

Free Plan Limits

• Bank accounts: 0 (cannot connect)
• Profiles: 1
• Manual transactions: Unlimited
• Categories: Unlimited

Workaround for bank accounts:

• Add manual transactions
• Cannot auto-sync from banks
• Must subscribe for bank connections

Premium Limits

• Bank accounts: Up to 10
• Profiles: Unlimited
• Manual transactions: Unlimited
• Categories: Unlimited

What counts as “account”:

• Each individual bank account
• Checking = 1 account
• Savings = 1 account
• Credit card = 1 account
• If you have 5 checking + 3 savings + 2 credit cards = 10 accounts (at limit)

At limit:

• Must remove account to add different one
• Or upgrade (if higher plan becomes available)

Platform-Specific Issues

Mobile App

iOS:

1. Force close app
2. Clear iPhone storage if needed (Settings → General → iPhone Storage)
3. Reinstall if necessary (data saved in cloud)

Android:

1. Settings → Apps → Balance → Force Stop
2. Clear cache (not data)
3. Reopen and test

Web Browser

Common fixes:

1. Clear browser cache
2. Clear cookies for balancebudget.app
3. Hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R)
4. Try incognito mode
5. Try different browser

Email Verification

Sometimes required for subscription:

If asked to verify email:

1. Check inbox for verification email
2. Check spam/junk folder
3. Click verification link
4. Return to Balance
5. Try subscribing again

Didn’t receive email:

1. Check spam folder
2. Add noreply@balancebudget.app to contacts
3. Request new verification email
4. Wait 5-10 minutes

Contact Support

If subscription still not activating after 30 minutes:

Email: support@balancebudget.app

Include:

• Email address registered with Balance
• Screenshot of Stripe receipt
• Screenshot showing plan status in Balance
• When you subscribed
• What plan you purchased
• Steps you’ve tried
• Any error messages

Response time: Usually within 24 hours on business days

Urgent: If you’re locked out of time-sensitive budgeting, mention in subject line.

Prevention Tips

Successful Subscription

✅ Do:

• Use valid, current payment method
• Ensure sufficient funds
• Complete email verification
• Allow 15 minutes for activation
• Log out/in after subscribing
• Keep payment method updated

❌ Don’t:

• Use expired cards
• Expect instant activation (allow 15 minutes)
• Subscribe with incorrect email
• Forget to verify email
• Ignore confirmation emails

Maintaining Subscription

Keep active:

• Update payment method before expiration
• Ensure card has sufficient funds for renewal
• Monitor billing email notifications
• Update card info if it changes

Next Steps

After subscription activates:

• Connecting Bank Accounts → - Add your first account
• Premium Features → - Explore Premium
• Managing Subscription → - Subscription management
• Creating Profiles → - Add partner

Welcome to Premium! Enjoy connecting your accounts! 🎉