LightYear uses a prepaid wallet billing model. You add funds to your wallet and resources are charged against that balance on an hourly basis. This guide explains how billing works and how to manage your wallet.
How Billing Works
Resources are billed per hour based on the plan you selected. Charges are deducted from your wallet balance every hour while a server is running.
| Resource State | Billed? |
|---|---|
| Running | Yes — full hourly rate |
| Stopped (powered off) | Yes — storage and IP reservation still billed |
| Deleted | No — billing stops immediately on deletion |
[!IMPORTANT] Stopping a server does not stop billing. To stop all charges, you must delete the server. Take a snapshot first if you want to restore it later.
Monthly vs Hourly Pricing
All plans are billed hourly. The monthly price shown in the plan selector is an estimate based on 672 hours (28 days).
Example: A plan at $6/month is billed at $6 ÷ 672 = ~$0.0089/hour.
Adding Funds to Your Wallet
- Log in to the control panel and navigate to Billing → Add Funds.
- Enter the amount you wish to add (minimum $5.00).
- Complete payment via credit/debit card or cryptocurrency.
- Funds are credited to your wallet instantly.
Low Balance Alerts
LightYear sends an email notification when your wallet balance falls below $5.00. If your balance reaches $0.00, servers are automatically suspended after a 24-hour grace period.
[!WARNING] Suspended servers are permanently deleted after 7 days if the balance is not restored. Always maintain a positive wallet balance.
Viewing Usage and Invoices
Navigate to Billing → Usage to see a breakdown of current-month charges by resource. Invoices are generated monthly and available under Billing → Invoices.
Promo Codes
To apply a promo code:
- Go to Billing → Add Funds.
- Click Apply Promo Code.
- Enter your code and click Apply.
Promo credits are applied before your wallet balance and expire after 30 days.