When a reader upgrades

A reader who pays for one of your plans and meets a piece kept for a higher plan is offered Upgrade to that plan instead of a second checkout. It needs a higher plan that opens the piece, turned on in your subscription plans. With none, the reader is offered Buy this article only (one-time payments).

What happens

• The reader's existing subscription moves to the higher plan. They never hold two subscriptions to your publication, and the plan they leave is closed.
• The difference for the rest of their current period is charged at once to the card on file. If the bank asks for confirmation, its page opens.
• Their access changes only if that payment succeeds. Until then they keep the plan they had, and nothing is granted early.
• The payment appears in your Wallet like any other subscription payment, with the same fees.

When the payment doesn't go through

If the reader never completes the payment, the change is dropped after about a day. Nothing is charged, their plan and price stay as they were, and they receive an email, Your upgrade on your publication's name didn't go through, with a See the plans link to try again. You do not need to do anything, and you are not charged or credited either.

A refused card is shown to the reader at once, with the same result: nothing changes.

What a reader can't upgrade

Trials and subscriptions with a failed payment waiting are not offered an upgrade, and the seats of a group subscription are not upgraded by their members.