Understanding Bob Go billing and plan changes

Understanding Bob Go billing and plan changes

Billing

Understanding Bob Go billing and plan changes

Learn how subscription fees, shipment charges, account limits, monthly billing and plan changes work on Bob Go.

What happens when my free trial ends?

At the end of your 14-day free trial, you will need to select one of the available Bob Go plans:

  • Pay as you go
  • Starter
  • Advanced
  • Premium

Once you have selected a plan, an invoice will be generated for immediate payment to activate the chosen subscription.

How is my subscription fee calculated?

Bob Go subscription fees are calculated on a pro-rata basis when the subscription becomes active during a billing period.

This means you are charged for the applicable portion of the subscription period rather than being charged as though the plan had been active for the entire billing period.

How shipment billing works

Paid Bob Go plans are allocated an account limit, which is a rand value up to which you can ship.

Each time you accept a courier rate and create a shipment, the shipping charge is billed to your account and reduces the available portion of your account limit.

Trial and Pay as you go accounts

Trial and Pay as you go plans do not receive an account limit by default and must have sufficient funds available in the account before shipping.

Why can the final shipment charge change?

The shipping charge initially applied when you create the shipment may not always be the final amount charged by the courier.

Once the courier confirms the final shipment charge, the original shipping charge is reversed and the confirmed charge is applied to your account.

If there is a difference between the original and confirmed amount, your available account balance or limit will adjust accordingly.

What affects my available account limit?

Your available account limit is affected by billing transactions added to your account, including:

  • Your upcoming monthly subscription fee, added as a billing transaction at the beginning of the month
  • Shipping charges created each time you accept a rate and ship a parcel

Topping up your account

You can top up your Bob Go account at any stage.

A top-up allows you to make a payment towards your account balance whenever additional available funds are needed.

How monthly billing works

At the end of each month:

  • Pending shipping charges are invoiced.
  • Applicable credit notes are raised.

Payment is then processed on the first of the following month for the applicable account balance.

This includes the previous month's subscription fee together with the shipping charges incurred during that billing period.

What happens if I reach 80% of my account limit?

If you reach 80% of your account limit before the normal monthly billing process, you will need to settle the applicable account amount before continuing to ship.

If a recurring credit card payment method is linked to your account, the system will automatically charge the relevant amount.

Upgrading or downgrading your plan

Upgrading

When you select or upgrade to a paid plan, the applicable subscription amount is calculated on a pro-rata basis for the relevant portion of the billing period.

An invoice will be generated for immediate payment to activate the chosen plan if the account limit has already been reached.

Downgrading

If you downgrade during the month, your account will remain on its current plan until the end of that month.

The downgrade will take effect on the 1st of the following month, and billing will then continue according to the new plan.

Cancelling your subscription?

Make sure your subscription is cancelled before the last day of the month to avoid being billed again for the subscription fee.