Upgrading or downgrading your hosting plan
How plan changes work on ThunderHosting web hosting: pro-rata upgrades applied after payment, downgrades at the end of the paid period, billing period switches, with an example.
You can switch between Solo Spark, Smart Space and Business Pack, or between monthly and yearly billing, at any time. Click Change plan on the Overview tab of the hosting dashboard. The dialog shows the exact price of the change before you confirm.
Upgrade to a bigger plan
- You pay only the price difference for the days left in the period you have already paid (pro rata).
- With a saved payment method, the amount is charged immediately and the new plan is active right away.
- With bank transfer (Swiss QR), you receive an invoice. The upgrade is applied as soon as it is paid. Until then the hosting stays on its current plan.
- If nothing is left to pay, the new plan is applied immediately.
- From the next renewal, you pay the full price of the new plan.
Example: Smart Space to Business Pack in the middle of the month
You pay Smart Space monthly (CHF 9.00). Your paid period runs from 1 October to 1 November, which is 31 days. On 16 October you upgrade to Business Pack (CHF 20.00 per month). The difference is CHF 11.00 per month and 16 days are left, so you pay CHF 11.00 x 16 / 31 = CHF 5.68 now. From 1 November your renewal is CHF 20.00 per month.
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Paid period | 1 October to 1 November (31 days) |
| Change on | 16 October (16 days left) |
| Price difference per month | CHF 20.00 - CHF 9.00 = CHF 11.00 |
| Charged now | CHF 11.00 x 16 / 31 = CHF 5.68 |
| From 1 November | CHF 20.00 per month |
Yearly billing works the same way: from Smart Space yearly (CHF 97.20) to Business Pack yearly (CHF 216.00) the difference is CHF 118.80; with 183 of 365 days left you pay CHF 59.56 now.
If the next period is already invoiced and paid, the full difference for that prepaid period is added to the upgrade charge, so the prepaid period also runs at the new price.
Downgrade to a smaller plan
- A downgrade takes effect at the end of the period you have paid. Until then nothing changes.
- The current period is not refunded.
- Before the downgrade date, make sure your usage (storage, mailboxes, databases, domains) fits the limits of the smaller plan. Contact support if you are unsure.
Switch between monthly and yearly
A change of billing period alone takes effect at the next renewal. Nothing is charged now. If you change the plan and the period together, the plan change is priced in your current period and the new billing period starts at the renewal.
Open renewal invoices
If a renewal invoice for the next period is already open (not yet paid), it is cancelled and replaced by a new one at the new price.
Good to know
- Only active hosting can change plan.
- Only one plan change can be pending at a time. A pending change is shown on the Overview tab; use Cancel change to withdraw it. For an unpaid upgrade, the upgrade invoice is cancelled and the hosting stays on its current plan.
- If a cancellation is scheduled, click Keep subscription first (Organization, Services) before you change the plan.