How to turn on auto-upgrade billing

Estimated 5 minute read
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Updated Dec 3, 2024, 10:04 AM EST
You will learn

You will learn

Learn how auto-upgrading works as well as how to enable this feature for your SMS or email and profile plan. 

About auto-upgrade

About auto-upgrade

Auto-upgrade helps you avoid hitting your profile, email send, and SMS credit limits so that you continue sending campaign and flow messages.

How it works is that when auto-upgrade is on: 

  1. You either:
    • Reach your plan's message or profile limits (e.g., if your plan allows for 200 profiles, but you try to send to 300 profiles).
    • Schedule a campaign that will send to more profiles than your plan allows.
      Note: Auto-upgrade can occur even if the campaign is scheduled to send in a future billing cycle.
  2. Auto-upgrade moves you to the next plan up.
    Note: you can be auto-upgraded at any point during the billing cycle.  
  3. As soon as the account is upgraded, an email is sent to the owner informing them of this change. 
  4. Once you're on this next level of plan, you will stay there until you choose to downgrade, upgrade, or are auto-upgraded. 

If you ever need to upload a list of contacts, we recommend setting your flows to manual. This is to prevent flows from sending to the wrong people (e.g., welcome series sending to previous subscribers) as well as to avoid accidentally auto-upgrading if this happens. 

Why use auto-upgrade?

This feature is especially advantageous during important marketing windows throughout the year where you may send email or SMS at higher volumes. By turning auto-upgrade on, you will be able to communicate with your customers without limitations.

Will I be auto-downgraded?

No, auto-upgrade does not automatically downgrade your plan. If you want to downgrade, you have to manually change your plan.

Downgrading always takes effect the following billing cycle. You will finish out your current month's plan before your plan changes. Thus, we do not refund downgrades, as stated in our Terms of Service

What happens if a credit card payment fails?

If a credit card payment ever fails, auto-upgrade will be disabled. In order to enable auto upgrade again, please do so in your billing preferences.

Why will I be auto-upgraded if the campaign will send in the next billing cycle?

Klaviyo plans are partly based on how many active profiles you have in your account. If your campaign includes more recipients than your plan allows, you already exceeded the number of active profiles you're meant to have. That's why even if the campaign will send in the next billing cycle, you will be auto-upgraded when you schedule it.

Turn on auto-updgrade for SMS or email/profile plans

Turn on auto-updgrade for SMS or email/profile plans

When you first purchase a subscription, auto-upgrade is toggled on by default. Your auto-upgrade preferences are also saved for future purchases; e.g., if you disable auto-upgrade during checkout, it will be toggled off the next time you change plans. 

Note that you will not be auto-upgraded when you are on a free SMS plan. 

In addition to the plan checkout page, there are several ways you can turn on auto-upgrade.  

Billing preferences page

You can change your auto-upgrade settings for your email or SMS subscription any time. You can choose to turn on this setting for your email plan, SMS plan, or both.

  1. Click your organization name in the bottom left corner.
  2. In the dropdown, click Billing.
  3. Select Preferences.
  4. Find the section for the plan you want to upgrade (e.g., Email upgradeSMS upgrade, etc.)
    auto-uptrade.jpg
  5. Open the dropdown.
  6. Choose Automatically upgrade or None
  7. Click Update.

Plan checkout page
  1. Navigate to Billing.
  2. Go to Change your plan.
  3. Choose your plan or input your desired number of profiles or SMS credits.Create your plan page in billing, where you can change plans
  4. Click Choose Plan.
  5. On the checkout page, note that auto-upgrade is toggled on by default. 
    Checkout page for upgrading your plan
  6. Click Confirm and Pay.
In-app notifications

In the top navigation, the bell icon symbolizes important Klaviyo plan and account information. Klaviyo sends you notifications when you have used most or all of your profiles and email or SMS plan for the current month.

  1. Click the icon to expand the notification.
  2. Click upgrade to a larger plan
  3. On the Change your plan page, choose the plan that fits your needs.
    Create your plan page in billing, where you can change plans
  4. Click Choose Plan.
  5. On the checkout page, note that auto-upgrade is toggled on by default. 
    Klaviyo checkout page, where you turn on auto-upgrade
  6. Click Confirm and Pay
Email notifications you receive

Klaviyo sends you notifications when you have used most or all of your email plan. In these notifications, you have the option to upgrade your plan tier and enroll in auto-upgrades.

  1. Click Upgrade my plan to go to your account’s Overview page.
  2. Once on the Overview page, review your current plan and usage to date.
  3. Go to Billing > Preferences.
  4. Check the box for the plan(s) you want to auto-upgrade.
    Preferences page in Billing, where you can turn on auto-upgrade for your plans
  5. Click Update Plan Settings.

Email campaign review page (email plans only)

If you are inside the Campaigns tab and you are getting ready to send an email, but are either close to or have hit your monthly profile limit, you will be prompted to upgrade. If you have already hit your profile limit, you will not be able to send until you upgrade. 

  1. Check the Email Subscription Auto-Upgrade box.
  2. Click Upgrade
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