LegalSubscription, Billing & Refund Policy
Subscription, Billing & Refund Policy
1. Scope and relationship to other documents
1.1 This Subscription, Billing & Refund Policy (“Billing Policy”) governs plan selection, billing, renewal, cancellation, price changes, and refunds for the Services operated by [PENDING: LEGAL_ENTITY_NAME] (“Being Optimal,” “we,” “us”).
1.2 This Billing Policy is incorporated by reference into the Terms of Service. If there is a conflict between this Billing Policy and the Terms on a billing-specific topic, this Billing Policy controls for that topic; otherwise the Terms control.
1.3 Processing of Personal Data related to accounts, billing status, and payment events is described in the Privacy Policy. Payment card data is processed by the Billing Provider, not stored in full by Being Optimal.
1.4 The Services provide informational nutrition-planning tools, not medical care. Paid features do not create a clinician–patient relationship. See the Medical Disclaimer.
2. Implementation status (honest disclosure)
2.1 Paid billing is not yet live. As of the Effective Date of this draft:
- Paid plan checkout, recurring charges, and merchant-of-record processing via the Billing Provider are not enabled for production end users (or are limited to internal testing, if any).
- Plan codes and entitlement matrices may already exist in product code for engineering readiness; that does not mean a charge will be taken.
- Marketing or UI that references Premium features remains subject to the actual entitlements enabled for your account.
2.2 When live payments process: Paid plans will process through the external Billing Provider (currently identified for operators as Clearway (placeholder — not yet live) — placeholder). We will update product checkout screens, receipts, and this Billing Policy’s effective version as needed so that:
- Prices, currency, and billing interval are shown clearly before you confirm purchase;
- The Billing Provider’s checkout and/or customer portal is identified as the payment handler;
- You receive confirmation of the subscription term and auto-renewal terms.
2.3 Until live billing is enabled, sections below that describe charges, renewals, and refunds apply to the intended operating model and to any paid trial or early-access arrangement that expressly incorporates this Policy.
3. Plans and tiers
3.1 Plan codes and display names
| Internal plan code | Display name | Commercial character |
|---|---|---|
tier0 |
Free | No subscription fee for the Free feature set |
tier1 |
Premium | Paid subscription (when live) |
tier2 |
Premium Plus | Paid subscription (when live), higher tier |
tier3 |
Tier 3 | Paid subscription (when live), highest tier |
3.2 Feature entitlements (what each plan unlocks — e.g., article depth, environments, optimizer or AI-related capabilities) are defined in product and may change. The authoritative in-product plan comparison at purchase or in account settings controls what you receive for a given plan at a given time. This Billing Policy does not freeze a feature list forever.
3.3 Free (tier0). Free access is provided at no charge, subject to the Terms, Acceptable Use Policy, and fair-use / rate limits. Free is not a paid “subscription” for auto-renewal purposes, but we may still show plan status in your account.
3.4 Paid plans (tier1–tier3). When live, Premium, Premium Plus, and Tier 3 are offered on a recurring subscription basis (e.g., monthly and/or annual intervals as disclosed at checkout). Billing interval, currency, taxes, and total price due will be shown before you complete purchase.
3.5 Promotional, beta, or complimentary access. We may grant temporary or complimentary access to paid-tier features without charge. Complimentary access is not a warranty of continued free use of those features and may end on notice or at the end of a stated promotional period.
3.6 Account, not device. Subscriptions are associated with your Being Optimal account (authenticated via the Authentication Provider), not with a specific device. Sharing credentials to circumvent plan limits is prohibited under the Terms and Acceptable Use Policy.
4. Pricing, taxes, and currency
4.1 Displayed price. The price you agree to is the price shown at checkout (or in a written order form we provide), exclusive or inclusive of tax as labeled.
4.2 Taxes. Applicable sales tax, VAT, GST, or similar may be calculated and collected by us and/or the Billing Provider based on location and tax rules. Tax treatment may change if your billing address or applicable law changes.
4.3 Currency. Charges are in the currency shown at checkout. Foreign-exchange or card-issuer fees are your responsibility.
4.4 No hidden fees for the subscription itself. We do not charge a separate “setup fee” unless clearly disclosed before purchase. Network, bank, or carrier fees are outside our control.
5. Billing Provider and payment methods
5.1 External Billing Provider. When paid plans are live, payment instrument collection, authorization, settlement, invoices/receipts (as applicable), and merchant-of-record functions are handled by the external Billing Provider. Being Optimal:
- Does not store full payment card PAN or CVV on its own systems;
- May store non-sensitive billing metadata needed to run the product (e.g., plan code, subscription status, renewal date, Billing Provider customer/subscription identifiers, last four digits or card brand if returned by the Billing Provider, country, and failure reason codes);
- May receive webhooks or status events from the Billing Provider to update entitlements.
5.2 Your relationship with the Billing Provider. Use of the Billing Provider’s checkout, wallet, or customer portal may also be subject to that provider’s terms and privacy notice. We encourage you to review them at the time of payment.
5.3 Payment methods. Accepted methods (card, local methods, etc.) are those enabled by the Billing Provider at checkout. You authorize recurring charges to the selected method for the duration of the subscription.
5.4 Failed payments. If a renewal charge fails, we and/or the Billing Provider may retry according to standard dunning practices, notify you, and suspend or downgrade paid entitlements until payment succeeds. You remain responsible for amounts owed for periods already provided under a paid plan, except where mandatory law requires otherwise.
5.5 Billing records retention. Transaction and subscription records may be retained as needed for accounting, tax, fraud prevention, and legal compliance (see [PENDING: BILLING_RECORD_RETENTION] and the Privacy Policy).
6. Auto-renewal disclosure
6.1 Automatic renewal. Unless the checkout flow states a one-time non-renewing purchase, paid subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period for a successive period of equal length (or as otherwise clearly disclosed), at the then-current price applicable to your plan (subject to Section 8), until you cancel.
6.2 What you authorize. By confirming a paid subscription, you authorize us and the Billing Provider to charge your payment method:
- The initial subscription fee for the first period; and
- Recurring renewal fees for each subsequent period until cancellation.
6.3 Renewal timing. Renewal charges typically process at or shortly before the start of the next period. Exact timing may depend on the Billing Provider.
6.4 Reminders. Where required by law (or as a matter of good practice for annual plans), we and/or the Billing Provider may send renewal reminders before charge. Failure to receive a reminder does not, by itself, void a properly disclosed auto-renewal, except where mandatory consumer law provides otherwise.
6.5 Material auto-renewal terms will be shown at purchase. Checkout will state at least: plan name, price, billing interval, that the plan auto-renews, and how to cancel.
7. Free trials and introductory offers
7.1 If we offer a free trial or introductory price, the duration, regular price after the intro, and whether payment details are required up front will be disclosed before you start.
7.2 Unless you cancel before the end of the trial (or before the first paid charge, as disclosed), the subscription converts to a paid auto-renewing plan and your payment method will be charged.
7.3 One trial per person/account may apply; abuse of trials may result in termination of the offer.
8. Price changes
8.1 We may change subscription prices for future billing periods. Price changes do not retroactively alter amounts already paid for a completed period.
8.2 Notice. For material price increases affecting your renewing subscription, we will provide advance notice by email to the address on your account and/or in-product notice, with reasonable lead time (and any longer period required by applicable law). The notice will state the new price and the effective renewal date.
8.3 Your choices. If you do not agree to a price increase, you may cancel before the new price takes effect and continue access through the end of the already-paid period (unless mandatory law requires a different remedy).
8.4 Taxes and Billing Provider pass-throughs. Changes in tax rates or mandatory regulatory fees may adjust the total charged without constituting a discretionary “price change” of our base plan fee; we will still aim to show the amount due clearly.
9. Cancellation
9.1 How to cancel (intended model when live). You may cancel a paid subscription through:
- The Billing Provider customer portal or cancellation link (if provided); and/or
- In-product account/subscription settings; and/or
- A request to [email protected] from the email address on your account (we will verify identity and process cancellation).
9.2 Effect of cancellation. Cancellation stops future renewals. You generally retain paid-tier access until the end of the then-current paid period, after which the account reverts to Free (tier0) entitlements (or another status we disclose).
9.3 No partial-period service continuation requirement beyond paid term. Cancellation does not, by default, refund the remainder of an already-paid period, except as stated in Section 10 (Refunds) or required by law (including EU/UK withdrawal rights in Section 11).
9.4 Account closure vs. subscription cancellation. Closing your Being Optimal account is separate from canceling a subscription. If you delete or close your account while a paid subscription is active, you should also cancel the subscription via the Billing Provider path to avoid continued charges. Contact [email protected] if you need help coordinating both.
9.5 Chargebacks. If you initiate a chargeback without first contacting us where a good-faith dispute could be resolved, we may suspend the account pending investigation. We still encourage you to contact [email protected] first.
10. Refunds
10.1 General. Except where mandatory consumer law requires a refund (including applicable withdrawal rights), or where we expressly promise a money-back guarantee for a campaign:
- Fees for digital subscription access already provided are generally non-refundable;
- We may, at our sole discretion, issue full or partial refunds or service credits for goodwill, technical failure attributable to us, or duplicate charges.
10.2 Duplicate or erroneous charges. Contact [email protected] promptly with the approximate date, amount, and account email. Verified duplicate or erroneous charges will be refunded or reversed.
10.3 Service unavailability. If a sustained, material outage of paid features is caused by us and is not excused under the Terms (force majeure, third-party infrastructure beyond reasonable control, etc.), you may request a proportional credit or refund for the affected paid period; we will assess in good faith.
10.4 Abuse, fraud, or Terms violations. No refund is due if we terminate or suspend access for your material breach of the Terms, Acceptable Use Policy, or fraud, except as mandatory law requires.
10.5 Method and timing. Refunds, when granted, are issued to the original payment method via the Billing Provider where possible. Timing depends on card networks and banks (often several business days after we initiate).
10.6 How to request. Email [email protected] (and copy [email protected] for legal-rights assertions) with: account email, plan name, approximate purchase/renewal date, and reason. We may request additional verification.
11. EU/UK and other consumer withdrawal rights
11.1 Nothing in this Billing Policy limits non-waivable consumer rights under the laws of EU/EEA, UK, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and other regions with non-waivable consumer protections or other applicable jurisdictions.
11.2 EU/EEA and UK — 14-day right of withdrawal (where applicable). If you are a consumer habitually resident in the EU/EEA or UK and you enter a distance contract for paid Services, you may have a statutory right to withdraw within 14 days of concluding the contract, without giving a reason, subject to exceptions and conditions under the Consumer Rights Directive / UK Consumer Contracts Regulations (and implementing laws).
11.3 Digital content / services begun during the withdrawal period. If you request or consent to immediate performance of digital services during the withdrawal period, and we have provided the required pre-contract information and obtained any required acknowledgments, your withdrawal right may be lost or reduced once performance has begun or completed, to the extent permitted by law. Checkout will be designed to present any required consent language when live billing ships.
11.4 How to withdraw. You may withdraw by clear statement to [email protected] or [email protected] (or via any withdrawal form/process we publish). Include your name, account email, and subscription identifier if known. We will confirm and process any refund due under mandatory law without undue delay and within statutory timelines.
11.5 Partial performance. If withdrawal is effective after partial performance that lawfully reduces the refund, any reduction will follow applicable law.
11.6 Other regions. Local cooling-off, cooling-off equivalents, or statutory guarantees (e.g., Australian Consumer Law) apply as mandatory. This Policy is not intended to exclude those rights.
12. Changes to plans and entitlements
12.1 We may add, modify, or discontinue plan features, rename display labels, or rebalance entitlements across Free / Premium / Premium Plus / Tier 3. Material reductions to paid entitlements mid-period will be handled fairly (e.g., notice, continued access through period end, or migration options), without limiting rights under mandatory law.
12.2 Deprecation of an entire paid tier will include reasonable notice and a path to cancel or migrate.
13. Business, multi-seat, and enterprise
13.1 This Billing Policy is written primarily for individual B2C consumers. If we offer organizational, multi-seat, or enterprise agreements, separate order forms may apply and prevail over this Policy for commercial terms where expressly stated.
14. Contact
| Topic | Contact |
|---|---|
| Billing support, cancellation help, refund requests | [email protected] |
| Legal notices related to this Policy | [email protected] |
| Privacy / Personal Data | [email protected] |
| Operator | [PENDING: LEGAL_ENTITY_NAME], [PENDING: REGISTERED_ADDRESS] |
See also Contact And Legal Notices.
15. Changes to this Billing Policy
We may update this Billing Policy as described in Versioning And Acceptance. Material changes to paid billing terms may require renewed acceptance or prominent notice before they apply to you. The Version and Effective date at the top identify the current operator draft or published edition.
16. Related documents
| Document | Link |
|---|---|
| Terms of Service | Terms Of Service |
| Privacy Policy | Privacy Policy |
| Cookie Policy | Cookie Policy |
| Medical Disclaimer | Medical Disclaimer |
| Acceptable Use Policy | Acceptable Use Policy |
| Versioning & Acceptance | Versioning And Acceptance |
| Definitions | Definitions |
| Contact & Legal Notices | Contact And Legal Notices |
*End of Subscription, Billing & Refund Policy — suite 1.0.0-draft.*