A billing month starts on your subscription's renewal date and ends at the next one, so it rarely matches a calendar month. The Payment Volume & Subscription Waiver card in Billing shows your dates.
The waiver covers the plan fee only. The Petboost booking fee on card payments, any Power-Ups and any appointment overage are still charged.
How it works
Thresholds
Plan | Threshold | Monthly Fee |
Business Pro | $7,500/month in card payments | $65/month → $0/month |
Business Flex | $13,500/month in card payments | $135/month → $0/month |
Business Max | $20,000/month in card payments | $240/month → $0/month |
The mechanism
Track card payments: Petboost counts your card payment volume through the billing month, net of refunds.
Hit the threshold: Your card payments for the billing month reach your plan's threshold.
Next month waived: When your subscription renews, the plan fee on that invoice is credited in full, shown as a volume discount.
Repeats monthly: Each billing month is evaluated independently.
Example (Business Pro)
In this example, each month is one billing month:
Month | Card Payments | Next Month's Fee |
January | Below $7,500 | $65 (didn't reach the threshold) |
February | Above $7,500 | $0 (exceeded the threshold) |
March | Exactly $7,500 | $0 (reached it exactly) |
April | Below $7,500 | $65 (didn't reach the threshold) |
What counts towards the threshold
Card payments processed through Petboost count:
Payment Method | Counts? |
Card on File - Auto-charged saved cards | Yes |
Payment Links - SMS/email payment links | Yes |
Terminal Payments - Stripe card reader | Yes |
Online Payments - Customer pays through portal | Yes |
These payments do not count:
Payment Method | Counts? |
Cash Payments - Recorded manually | No |
Bank Transfers - Direct to your bank account | No |
External Payments - Paid outside Petboost | No |
Why only card payments?
Card payments generate transaction fees, which is how Petboost funds the platform at scale. When you process enough card payments, those transaction fees effectively cover your subscription cost, so we waive it.
Cash and bank transfers don't generate transaction fees, so they don't contribute to the threshold calculation.
Check your waiver progress
Do this to see how close you are to this billing month's threshold, and how past months went.
Open Billing and choose Overview.
Find the Payment Volume & Subscription Waiver card.
To see the card payments behind a past billing month, select that month.
The card shows:
Current cycle projection: your average card payments per day so far this billing month, the projected total, and whether you are On track or Below pace
Next subscription charge: the plan fee and the date it is due
Billing Period, Card Volume, Threshold, Met? and Impact on Next Month for each billing month
How does the subscription waiver work?: your renewal day and how the threshold is judged
Reaching the threshold
Each billing month is counted separately (not cumulative):
Process $7,500 via Stripe in one billing month on Business Pro → the next month's plan fee = $0
Process $7,500 via Stripe in the billing month after that → the following plan fee = $0
Each billing month stands alone
What counts: Stripe payments only (Card on File, payment links, Stripe Terminal). What doesn't count: cash, bank transfers, Other EFTPOS (your own terminal).
What it takes (Business Pro, $7,500/month)
A billing month runs four weeks or a little more, so card payments of a quarter of $7,500 each week reach the threshold. To see how many card-paid appointments a week that takes, divide the weekly figure by your average appointment value, such as $100.
What it takes (Business Max, $20,000/month)
The same sum applies on Business Max: card payments of a quarter of $20,000 each week reach the threshold. Divide that weekly figure by your average appointment value to see the card-paid appointments a week it takes.
If volume drops
If your card payment volume drops below the threshold in a given billing month, the standard plan fee applies the following month. There is no penalty for missing the threshold, and the next billing month is a fresh calculation.
Petboost evaluates each billing month independently, so one slow month doesn't affect your status for other months. For example, on Business Pro:
Month | Card Payments | Status | Next Month's Fee |
July | Above $7,500 | Pro Status | $0 |
August | Below $7,500 (slow month) | Below threshold | $65 |
September | Above $7,500 | Pro Status | $0 |
A slow August doesn't affect your July status or September status.
Seasonal dips
Many pet businesses see seasonal variation: boarding peaks and grooming dips in the summer holidays, training slows while grooming holds steady in winter, and daycare patterns shift with school terms.
In a slower month you may not reach the threshold, so the standard subscription fee applies, with no long-term impact on your account. In a busy month you may easily exceed it, and the subscription is waived on top of higher revenue overall. Each billing month is judged on its own, so you pay the plan fee only in months that follow a billing month below the threshold.
Strategies to reach the threshold
Encourage card payments over cash and bank transfers:
Require a card on file for bookings by leaving Allow booking without card off, which reduces cash payments (steps below).
Use auto-charge: switch on Automatic Actions for automatic payment.
Send payment links to customers without cards on file.
Offer terminal payments to walk-in customers.
Communicate the benefits to customers: faster checkout and automatic receipts.
Make paying by card convenient: one-click payment with saved cards.
Monitor your progress: check the billing dashboard weekly, review it mid-month so you know where you stand, and push payment links if you are running behind.
Require a card on file
Do this so customers booking online cannot finish without a card.
Open Pricing & Payments.
If Allow booking without card is on under Card on file, switch it off. It stays off unless someone switched it on.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Common questions
Does the threshold reset each month?
Yes, at the start of each billing month. Each billing month is evaluated independently. Card payments from one month don't carry over to the next.
What if I'm exactly at the threshold?
Reaching your plan's threshold exactly qualifies you for the waiver.
When does the waiver take effect?
On your next renewal. If you reach the threshold in the billing month that ends on your renewal date, the plan fee on that renewal invoice is waived.
Does the waiver cover my Power-Ups or the booking fee?
No. The waiver covers the plan fee only. The Petboost booking fee on card payments, Power-Ups such as Communications Booster, and any appointment overage are still charged.
Can I see my historical threshold performance?
Yes. The billing dashboard shows your month-by-month card payment volume and threshold status.
Does the threshold apply to Calendar Lite?
No. Calendar Lite has a flat monthly fee, shown on the pricing page, with no payment processing and no subscription waiver mechanism.
If I switch from Pro to Max partway through a billing month, how is the threshold calculated?
The threshold is based on your plan when the billing month ends. If you upgrade to Max, the $20,000 threshold applies.
Are refunds deducted from my threshold calculation?
Yes. Refunds reduce your card payment volume for threshold calculation purposes.
Comparing threshold economics
Business Pro at $7,500/month
If you process exactly $7,500 in a billing month:
Component | Amount |
Card payments | $7,500 |
Petboost fee | 1.4% of $7,500 |
Subscription (waived) | $0 |
Total Petboost cost | The booking fee only |
Effective rate | 1.4% |
Business Pro below threshold
If you process less than $7,500 in a billing month:
Component | Amount |
Card payments | Below $7,500 |
Petboost fee | 1.4% of your card payments |
Subscription | $65 |
Total Petboost cost | The booking fee plus $65 |
Effective rate | Above 1.4%, because the plan fee is spread over less volume |
Business Max at $20,000/month
If you process exactly $20,000 in a billing month:
Component | Amount |
Card payments | $20,000 |
Petboost fee | 1.2% of $20,000 |
Subscription (waived) | $0 |
Total Petboost cost | The booking fee only |
Effective rate | 1.2% |
Pro Status benefits
Beyond the subscription waiver, reaching Pro Status consistently shows:
Strong business health: regular card payment volume
Customer adoption: customers using card payments
Automation success: Automatic Actions working effectively
Growth trajectory: the business scaling well
Related articles
Billing Overview: plan comparison and pricing
Payment Settings: configure payment processing
Automatic Actions: automate payment collection
Need help? Contact support or select Get Help in your dashboard to chat with our team.