Subscription mechanics + vacation mode

The verified-service subscription lifecycle, payment renewals, and how to pause without losing momentum.

Managing the lifecycle of your verified status

This guide covers the moving parts of your verified-service subscription — paying, renewing, recovering from a missed payment, and pausing the profile when life happens.

If you've read the verified-seller subscription guide, most of this will feel familiar. The billing mechanics are similar; the buttons are in slightly different places. One difference worth knowing: when a service subscription lapses it falls to a free tier (your newest 20 videos stay live), rather than the shop-side "past due" flow.

The subscription model in 30 seconds

• Verified status is a monthly subscription.
• Set on the Pricing Hub; currently in the range of 15-30k UGX / month for services.
• Renewal date = same calendar day each month from your first subscription.
• Auto-renew is a choice you turn on — it's OFF by default. When it's on, we renew from your wallet if the balance covers it, and send you a heads-up 3 days before the charge.
• No dead "past due" state. If a renewal doesn't happen (auto-renew off, or wallet short), you simply drop to the free tier on your renewal date. You keep a real presence — your newest 20 videos stay live; only the badge, contact button, showcase, and top-tier ranking switch off.
• Renew any time from your wallet (deposit / MoMo / card if it's short) and everything comes back instantly — including the videos that were hidden.
• Locked price if you stay continuously subscribed and the fee goes up later.

Where to manage it

Service Hub → Edit → Verification. Shows:

• Current status (active / free tier).
• Next renewal date.
• Subscription cost (your current rate).
• Auto-renew toggle.
• Wallet balance.
• Payment history.

States and transitions

There are just two states now — no confusing "past due" limbo.

Active (verified)

Your paid state. Verified ✓ badge, contact button on, directory placement in the top tier, showcase live, and the full 50-video upload cap.

Free tier (after a renewal doesn't happen)

If your renewal date arrives and you don't renew — auto-renew is off, or it's on but your wallet can't cover the fee — you drop to the free tier. This is a real, usable state, not a penalty box:

Nothing is lost. The hidden videos, the badge, the contact button and the showcase all come straight back the moment you renew.

You get a push notification the day you drop to the free tier, and — if you had auto-renew on — one 3 days before the renewal so a low wallet never surprises you.

Renewing (coming back to verified)

The flow is the same whether you're renewing early or coming back from the free tier:

1. Edit → Verification → Renew (or Subscribe).
2. Pay from your wallet. If it's short, deposit first (MoMo or card via Pesapal), then pay.
3. Tap Pay.

Within minutes you're active again: the badge returns, the contact button reactivates, you're back in the top tier of the directory, and every hidden video is restored to the feed.

How auto-renew charges

Auto-renew pays from your wallet only. On your renewal date:

• Wallet covers the fee → we deduct it, you stay verified, and a renewal shows in your payment history. (You got the 3-day heads-up.)
• Wallet is short → nothing is charged and you drop to the free tier. Top up and renew whenever you're ready.

Auto-renew never charges a card or MoMo number directly — it only ever touches your wallet balance. To pay by MoMo/card, deposit to your wallet first, then renew (manually, or let auto-renew catch the next cycle).

Price-locked grandfathering

If KampalaSnap raises the verification fee for new providers, existing subscribers keep paying the old price as long as they stay continuously subscribed.

The lock is automatic — you don't have to do anything. The price you paid on month 1 is the price you keep paying for as long as you don't skip a month.

Skipping a month breaks the lock. If you let the subscription expire and come back, you pay current rates.

This is a strong reason to keep auto-renew on if you plan to stay verified long-term.

You can see your locked price (if any) on Edit → Verification → Locked price.

How to cancel

Two paths:

Soft cancel — turn off auto-renew

Edit → Verification → Auto-renew off. Your subscription stays active until the current month ends, then drops to the free tier. No more charges — and your newest 20 videos stay live the whole time.

This is the right move if you might come back later. Your profile + data persist; you can subscribe again any time.

Hard cancel — close the service profile

Edit → Close service profile. The profile is taken down. Stop paying immediately.

You can reopen later if you change your mind. But during the closed period, your search visibility is zero.

For most "I'm pausing for a few months" cases, soft cancel + auto- renew off is cleaner than closing the profile.

Vacation mode

If you're stepping away for a stretch (holiday, sick, busy with another job, slow season), vacation mode pauses your profile without canceling the subscription.

How to pause

Edit → Pause profile → pick duration (1-30 days) → optionally add a reason.

What happens:

• Your profile shows a "On break — back on [date]" banner.
• The contact CTA is disabled during pause (buyers can't message you).
• Your profile stays in the directory but with the "On break" pill.
• Existing WhatsApp chats continue normally.
• Your subscription keeps running and charging on its renewal date.

How to resume

Edit → Resume profile. The banner disappears. CTA reactivates. You're back live.

Or it auto-resumes on the date you set.

Subscription during pause — does it pay?

Your subscription keeps running. You're paying for verified status during vacation.

For short pauses (a few days to 2 weeks), this is fine — the value of maintaining your directory presence + locked price is more than the prorated cost of the fee.

For long pauses (over a month), reconsider:

• Turn auto-renew off before pausing. Your subscription stays active for the rest of the current month, then drops to the free tier. You don't keep paying.
• The catch: you lose grandfathering. Coming back costs current prices.

Run the math: locked price × pause months vs current price after a break. For most providers with grandfathering, paying through a 3-month pause is still cheaper than losing the lock.

How long can you pause?

Per pause: 30 days max. After 30 days, you have to either resume or extend (pick a new pause date within 30 days from today).

You can chain extensions if you need to be paused longer total.

Coming back from the free tier

There's no time pressure — the free tier isn't a countdown, it's just your un-paid state. Renew whenever it makes sense:

1. Edit → Verification → Renew.
2. Pay from your wallet (deposit via MoMo / card first if it's short).
3. Tap Pay.

Within minutes you're back to active:

• Verified badge returns.
• Contact button reactivates.
• Top-tier directory placement returns.
• Showcase visibility returns.
• Every video that was hidden is restored to the feed — you're back to the full 50-video presence.

What doesn't auto-restore:

• Locked price — if the fee rose while you were on the free tier and your price-lock window elapsed, you come back at current rates. (Renewing before the lock window ends keeps your old price.)
• Promotion campaigns — if you had active Spotlight / boosts when you dropped to the free tier, re-buy them if you want them back.

There's no penalty for coming back and no "catching up" fees — you just start a fresh month from the day you renew.

Common questions

Can I get a refund within the first 7 days of a fresh subscription?

Yes. Email support@kampalasnap.com with your service name. We refund the month to your wallet within 48 hours, and your status reverts to the free tier.

After 7 days, the month is non-refundable.

Can I pause my profile while still appearing in search?

If you pause:

• You stay in search results (your name) and the directory (with the "On break" pill).
• The contact CTA is disabled.
• Showcase + reviews are still visible.

So buyers can find you and see you exist, but can't message you. This is intentional — when you return, your "On break" pill changes to "Available" and the followers who saw it know you're back.

Can I respond to buyers on WhatsApp during pause?

Buyers can't tap your CTA to start a new chat, but existing WhatsApp chats stay open. You can reply to ongoing conversations.

If you want zero contact during pause, set your WhatsApp away message: "On vacation until [date], will reply on return."

What if I'm on vacation but want to take one specific booking?

Pause your profile, but message the specific buyer directly on WhatsApp to coordinate. Vacation mode is for public-facing pause; private conversations are uninterrupted.

Can I see my subscription history?

Yes — Edit → Verification → Payment history shows every subscription charge, the date, the amount, and the payment method. Useful for bookkeeping.

What if I change my payment method during the cycle?

Edit → Verification → Payment method → Change. The next auto-renew uses the new method. Mid-cycle changes don't affect the current month.

Can I gift a verified subscription to a friend's service profile?

Not directly. You can deposit money into your own wallet and pay your own subscription. Each service profile's verification is tied to that profile's account.

Can I downgrade between tiers (if multiple exist)?

Downgrade requests apply at next renewal. You finish the current month at the higher tier; next renewal charges the lower price.

What if my profile is suspended for a penalty issue while I'm subscribed?

Your subscription keeps charging while suspended. The verified status exists but is overridden by the suspension. To recover, the penalty needs to be addressed (see the verified-seller penalty tiers guide — same logic applies to services).

Email support if you believe a suspension was in error.

What's next

• Building your showcase — keep your profile worth the subscription.
• Directory placement + paid promotion — get traffic to the profile.
• The path to verification — if you're considering re-subscribing after a break, this is the background.