Billing FAQ
Frequently asked questions about NorthRelay billing, plan changes, and payments
Billing FAQ
Plan Changes
Can I switch plans at any time?
Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time from Dashboard > Billing > Change Plan.
- Upgrades take effect immediately. You get instant access to the new tier's features and sending limits.
- Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing cycle. You keep your current features until then.
Is my billing prorated when I upgrade?
Yes. When you upgrade mid-cycle, you are charged the prorated difference for the remaining days in your billing period. For example, if you upgrade from Micro ($12/mo) to Pro ($29/mo) halfway through your cycle, you pay approximately $8.50 for the remaining half-month.
Is my billing prorated when I downgrade?
No. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing cycle. You are not refunded for the remaining days on your current plan, but you retain full access to your current tier's features until the cycle ends.
What happens to my custom domains if I downgrade?
Custom domains are a Starter+ feature, and each tier allows a different number (1 / 2 / 5 / 20). If you downgrade to Free, or to a tier with fewer domains than you have:
- Domains above the new limit are deactivated (not deleted) at the end of the billing cycle
- Emails from a deactivated domain are rejected with
FORBIDDEN_SENDER; use a remaining verified domain or your NorthRelay system subdomain instead - Your domain configuration is preserved -- if you upgrade again, your domains reactivate without needing to re-verify DNS
What happens to my webhooks if I downgrade?
Webhooks are a Starter+ feature with a per-tier count (1 / 3 / 10 / unlimited). If you downgrade below your current count:
- Webhook endpoints above the new limit are paused at the end of the billing cycle
- No events are delivered while paused
- Webhook configurations are preserved -- upgrading reactivates them
What happens to my team members if I downgrade below Pro?
Team members are a Pro+ feature. If you downgrade:
- Team member access is revoked at the end of the billing cycle
- Team member accounts are preserved -- upgrading restores their access
Quotas & Limits
What happens if I exceed my monthly email quota?
When you reach your monthly sending limit:
- Additional send requests return an error:
451 4.7.1 Rate limit exceeded - The API returns a
QuotaExceededErrorwith a clear message - Already-queued and in-progress emails continue to deliver
- Your dashboard shows a warning when you reach 80% of your quota
- Your quota resets at the start of your next billing cycle
You can upgrade your plan at any time to get a higher quota immediately.
Do unused emails roll over to the next month?
No. Email quotas reset at the start of each billing cycle. Unused emails do not carry over.
Is there an overage option instead of upgrading?
Not currently. If you regularly exceed your quota, upgrading to the next tier is the recommended approach. Enterprise plans can include custom quota arrangements -- contact sales.
Payments
What payment methods do you accept?
NorthRelay accepts Visa, Mastercard, and American Express credit and debit cards. All payments are processed securely through Stripe.
What currency are charges in?
All charges are in CAD (Canadian dollars). Prices are tax-exclusive; GST/HST and, for Québec, QST are added at checkout.
When am I charged?
You are charged on the same day each month, based on the date you first subscribed. For example, if you signed up on March 15, you are charged on the 15th of each month.
What if my payment fails?
If a payment fails:
- You receive an email notification
- Stripe automatically retries after 3 days, then again after 5 days
- If all retries fail, your account is downgraded to the Free tier
- You can resolve it at any time by updating your payment method and retrying
No data is lost during a payment failure. Your account, domains, templates, and contacts are all preserved.
Can I pay annually?
Annual billing is not currently available for self-service plans. Enterprise customers can arrange annual billing -- contact sales.
Refunds
What is your refund policy?
NorthRelay offers a 14-day money-back guarantee on your first payment for any paid plan. If you are not satisfied within 14 days of your first charge, contact support for a full refund.
After the 14-day window:
- Monthly charges are not refundable once the billing cycle has started
- Downgrades take effect at the end of the cycle (no partial refund)
- If there is a service issue on NorthRelay's end (outage, billing error), refunds or credits are handled on a case-by-case basis
How do I request a refund?
Email support@northrelay.ca with your account email and the reason for your request. Refund requests within the 14-day window are processed within 5-10 business days.
Free Tier
What are the Free tier limitations?
The Free tier includes:
- 3,000 emails per month
- Sends from a NorthRelay system subdomain only (no custom domains)
- No inbox access
- Full API and SDK access
- No webhooks, campaigns or team features
There is no time limit on the Free tier. You can use it indefinitely.
Do I need a credit card for the free tier?
No. The Free tier requires no credit card and no payment information.
Enterprise
How does Enterprise pricing work?
Enterprise pricing is custom based on your requirements:
- Volume: Sending limits above the Scale tier
- Support: Priority support with guaranteed response times, dedicated account manager
- Compliance: Custom SLA, data processing agreements, security reviews
Contact sales for a quote.
Can I get a dedicated IP?
No. NorthRelay sends all mail from one protected IP and does not offer dedicated IPs on any plan. For typical volumes a warm, continuously monitored IP with a strict sender policy (verified domains only, one-click unsubscribe, automatic bounce and complaint suppression) outperforms a cold dedicated IP, which needs weeks of careful warm-up before mailbox providers trust it. See Sending Infrastructure.
Do you offer non-profit or startup discounts?
Contact sales@northrelay.ca to discuss special pricing for qualified non-profits and early-stage startups.
Related
- Plans & Pricing for detailed tier comparison
- Invoices for payment and receipt management