Understanding Your Billing Cycle

Understanding your billing cycle helps you anticipate charges, manage your budget, and avoid unexpected service interruptions. This guide explains how billing cycles work at Data Mammoth, when invoices are generated, and how changes to your services affect billing.

How Billing Cycles Work

When you order a Data Mammoth service, you select a billing cycle that determines how often you are charged:

The billing cycle begins on the date you activate the service (your activation date). Each subsequent renewal occurs on the same date of the following period.

Example

If you order a monthly VPS on March 15:

• First billing period: March 15 — April 14
• Second billing period: April 15 — May 14
• Third billing period: May 15 — June 14
• And so on.

When Invoices Are Generated

Invoices are typically generated a few days before the current billing period ends, giving you time to review and pay before the due date.

• Auto-pay enabled — The invoice is charged automatically on or near the due date. You receive a payment confirmation email.
• Manual payment — You receive an invoice notification email and must pay manually before the due date.

Check your upcoming invoices by navigating to Billing > Invoices in your dashboard.

Understanding Proration

Proration applies when you make changes to your service mid-billing cycle, such as upgrading a plan or adding an add-on.

How Proration Works

Credit for the old plan — You receive a credit for the unused days remaining on your current plan.

Charge for the new plan — You are charged for the new plan for the remaining days in the current billing cycle.

Net difference — The difference between the credit and the new charge appears on a prorated invoice.

Example

You are on a $20/month plan and upgrade to a $40/month plan halfway through the billing cycle (15 days remaining):

• Credit for old plan: $20 x (15/30) = $10
• Charge for new plan: $40 x (15/30) = $20
• Net charge: $20 - $10 = $10

The $10 prorated charge appears on a new invoice. Your next full billing cycle will be $40.

Multiple Services, Different Cycles

Each service you order has its own independent billing cycle. If you have multiple servers ordered on different dates, they will have different renewal dates and generate separate invoices.

To simplify billing:

• Align billing dates — Contact support to request aligning renewal dates for multiple services.
• Use annual billing — Fewer invoices per year, and often with a discount.
• Pre-load account credit — Ensure your account always has sufficient credit. See How to Add Account Credit.

Changing Your Billing Cycle

To switch from monthly to annual billing (or vice versa):

Navigate to Billing > Subscriptions or the service management page.

Find the service you want to modify.

Click Change Billing Cycle if available.

Select the new cycle and review pricing.

Confirm the change.

The change typically takes effect at the next renewal. A prorated invoice may be generated to cover the difference.

Grace Period

If an invoice is not paid by the due date, a grace period begins during which your service remains active. The length of the grace period depends on the service type and your account history.

During the grace period:

• Your service continues to function normally.
• Reminder emails are sent.
• Late fees may apply depending on the terms.

After the grace period, unpaid services may be suspended or terminated. See Billing Troubleshooting for help with overdue invoices.

Viewing Your Billing History

To review past invoices and payment history:

Go to Billing > Invoices.

Use filters to view invoices by date range or status.

Click any invoice to see full details.

See How to View and Download Invoices for a complete guide.

What to Do Next

• How to Pay an Invoice — Pay outstanding invoices.
• Understanding Auto-Renewal & Subscriptions — Manage automatic renewals.
• How to Add Account Credit (Top Up) — Pre-load your balance.
• Tax & VAT Information — Understand tax charges on invoices.