How billing works
This policy explains how Rackyard invoices you, what happens if a payment is late, and when a service is suspended and deleted. It forms part of our Terms of Service.
The short version: a service unpaid 1 day after the end of its term is suspended, it stays suspended for 7 days, and then it is deleted for good. We may charge a late fee on overdue invoices. Keep your own backups and keep the email address on your account working.
Invoices and payment
- All services are prepaid. A new service starts once payment is confirmed and your account is verified.
- Each service renews automatically. The renewal invoice is issued 7 days before the due date and is always available in the client area.
- Available billing cycles are shown at checkout. Accepted payment methods are shown at checkout. Prices are charged in the currency shown at checkout (INR).
- If you save a card or set up an automatic payment mandate, we charge it on the due date. Your bank may send you a notice before the charge. You can remove a saved payment method at any time.
Tax
Listed prices exclude tax. Where GST applies, it is added to your invoice at the applicable rate (18% for hosting services supplied in India at the time of writing), and the checkout shows the total before you pay. Business customers in India can add their GSTIN in the client area before ordering so that invoices carry it for input tax credit. Customers outside India are generally not charged GST; your invoice always shows exactly what applies.
Payment timeline
Every reminder and notice goes to the email address on your account.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 7 days before | Renewal invoice issued and emailed to you. |
| 3 days before | Reminder email if the invoice is still unpaid. |
| Due date | Payment due, at the end of your current term. If you have set up automatic payment, we charge it on this day. |
| 1 day after | Service suspended (24 hours after the due date), and a late fee may be added to the invoice. Your data is kept, but the server is powered off and unreachable. |
| 6 days after | Final notice: your service will be deleted in 2 days. |
| 8 days after | Service terminated. The server and all its data are permanently deleted. |
Pay the outstanding invoice, including any late fee, at any point before deletion and the service is restored automatically, usually within minutes of payment confirmation. Reminder emails are a courtesy; a missed email does not change the due date, so keep track of your renewal dates in the client area.
Late fees
If an invoice is not paid by its due date, we may add a late fee or penalty to it. Whether we charge one is at our discretion, and we do not always do so. Any late fee is shown on the invoice, and in the overdue email, before you pay it, and it must be paid along with the invoice for a suspended service to be restored.
Deletion is permanent
When a service is terminated, its disks are wiped and its IP addresses are returned to our pool. We cannot recover a deleted service, and we do not keep copies of it. If you know you will struggle to pay on time, contact us before the due date and we will try to agree an extension in writing.
Upgrades and downgrades
- Upgrades take effect straight away. You pay the difference in price for the rest of the current billing period.
- Downgrades take effect at your next renewal, because storage usually has to be shrunk or moved. The difference for the current period is not refunded.
Account credit
- You can add funds to your account and we use them to pay invoices first. Unused funds can be refunded to the original payment method within 15 days of adding them; after that they stay in your account for future invoices.
- Promotional credit can only be used against our invoices. It has no cash value and cannot be transferred or refunded. Compensation for downtime is given as extra days on the service, under the Service Level Agreement.
Fraud checks
We screen orders for fraud. We may hold an order while we check it, ask you to verify your identity or payment method, or cancel it. If we cancel an order before the server is provisioned, we return your payment, because no service was provided.
Payment disputes
If you think a charge is wrong, contact us first at support@rackyard.cloud. Most billing problems are fixed quickly. How chargebacks are handled is set out in our Refund and Cancellation Policy.