Everything you need to know about how LightYear Cloud charges work, payment methods, invoices, and credits.
How Billing Works
How am I charged?
LightYear Cloud uses hourly billing. You are charged for every hour (or fraction thereof) that a resource is active. Charges are calculated to the second and rounded up to the nearest hour. There are no monthly minimums or upfront commitments.
When is my invoice generated?
Invoices are generated on the 1st of each month for the previous month's usage. You will receive an email notification when your invoice is ready. You can view all invoices in your billing dashboard at any time.
What currency do you charge in?
All charges are in USD (US Dollars). Your bank or card provider may apply a foreign exchange fee if your account is in a different currency — please check with your financial institution.
Payment Methods
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, UnionPay) as well as PayPal. All payments are processed securely through Stripe.
Can I pay with cryptocurrency?
Cryptocurrency payments are not currently supported. We plan to add this in the future. Please contact [email protected] if this is a requirement for your organisation.
Is my payment information secure?
Yes. LightYear Cloud never stores your card details. All payment data is handled by Stripe, which is PCI DSS Level 1 certified — the highest level of payment security certification available.
How do I update my payment method?
Go to Dashboard → Billing → Payment Methods and click 'Add Payment Method'. You can add multiple cards and set a default. Old cards can be removed once a new default is set.
Credits & Free Tier
Do new accounts get free credits?
Yes. New accounts receive a welcome credit that can be used toward any LightYear Cloud product. Credits are applied automatically before charging your payment method. Check your billing dashboard to see your current credit balance.
Do credits expire?
Welcome credits expire 30 days after account creation if unused. Promotional credits may have different expiry terms — check the promotion details for specifics.
Can I get a refund?
We offer refunds on a case-by-case basis for billing errors or service outages that exceeded our SLA. Please contact [email protected] within 14 days of the charge with your invoice number and a description of the issue.
Invoices & Tax
How do I download my invoices?
Go to Dashboard → Billing → Invoices. Each invoice has a 'Download PDF' button. Invoices include a full itemised breakdown of all resources used during the billing period.
Can I add a VAT / GST number to my invoices?
Yes. Go to Dashboard → Billing → Billing Details and enter your tax ID. It will appear on all future invoices. For retroactive changes, please contact [email protected] with your invoice numbers.
Do you charge VAT or GST?
Tax obligations vary by jurisdiction. LightYear Cloud may be required to collect VAT or GST depending on your location. The applicable tax will be shown at checkout before you confirm any purchase.
Overdue Accounts & Suspension
What happens if my payment fails?
If a payment fails, we will retry the charge after 3 days and again after 7 days. You will receive email notifications at each step. If payment is not received after 14 days, your account may be suspended and resources paused.
Will I lose my data if my account is suspended?
Suspended accounts retain their data for 30 days. After 30 days of non-payment, resources may be permanently deleted. We strongly recommend resolving billing issues promptly to avoid data loss.
How do I reactivate a suspended account?
Log in to your dashboard and go to Billing. Update or confirm your payment method and pay the outstanding balance. Your account will be reactivated within minutes of successful payment.
Still have a billing question?
Our support team typically responds within 24 hours.
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