Billing logic can get messy fast.

You start with straightforward subscription plans. Then customers want to upgrade mid-cycle. Suddenly, you’re digging through event logs, manually calculating what their usage limits should be for the remaining days. It’s doable. But it shouldn’t require that much effort.

We’ve been there. And we built a solution. Today, we’re excited to announce a significant update to UniBee’s billing engine. You now have granular control over how billing metrics behave when customers change plans. It’s a small toggle with a big impact on revenue fairness and customer satisfaction.

Let’s break down what’s new and why it matters.

Proration Control for Billing Metrics

What Changed

When configuring a Billing Metric in UniBee, you now have a new option. You can choose whether that metric should be prorated based on subscription upgrade timing.

The setting lives in the Billable Metric configuration screen.

It’s a simple toggle. But the implications run deep.

When Proration is enabled:

  • Metric limits calculate proportionally based on upgrade timing
  • The system automatically applies the related proration logic
  • Usage tracking adjusts to reflect the new plan’s limits for the remainder of the billing cycle

When Proration is disabled:

  • Metric limits remain unchanged
  • The metric follows standard setup behavior
  • Upgrades apply the full limit regardless of timing

What Problem This Solves

Billing systems are powerful. But they can create a fairness problem w/o the proration option.

Imagine a customer on a 1,000 API call per month plan. They upgrade halfway through the month to a 10,000 call plan.

With traditional billing logic, they now have 10,000 calls available for the remaining two weeks. That doesn’t feel right. They’re getting a 10,000-call limit but only paying for half a month at the higher tier.

Alternatively, if you don’t adjust anything, they might hit the old limit immediately after upgrading. That frustrates customers.

Both scenarios hurt you. One leaves money on the table. The other damages trust.

Proration solves this tension. It aligns usage limits with the actual time spent in each tier. Customers get what they pay for. You collect what you’ve earned.

Example Use Cases

#1 API Platform with Tiered Limits

A developer tools company offers API access based on monthly request volumes. A customer on the 5,000 requests/month plan upgrades to the 50,000 requests/month plan on day 20 of a 30-day cycle.

With proration enabled:

  • Remaining days: 10 (one-third of the cycle)
  • Available additional requests: (50,000 – 5,000) × (10/30) = 15,000
  • Customer gets 20,000 total requests for the remaining days

Without proration, they’d get 50,000. With no adjustment, they’d stick at 5,000. Proration hits the sweet spot.

#2 Storage Platform with Volume Discounts

A cloud storage company charges based on GB stored. A customer on a 100 GB plan upgrades to 1 TB on day 5 of a 30-day cycle.

Prorated logic ensures their storage limit scales appropriately. They don’t suddenly have 10x capacity for a fraction of the billing period. The system calculates the proportional limit for the remainder of the cycle.

#3 Notification Service with Message Caps

A messaging API provider offers plans with different monthly message caps. A high-volume customer downgrades near the end of the month.

Proration protects you from over-delivery. The system recalculates the remaining allowance based on the new plan and the time left in the cycle.

What Proration Unlocks for You

For Developers

  • Less custom code. No need to build manual proration calculations for usage-based add-ons.
  • Cleaner implementation. The billing logic lives in UniBee, not scattered across your codebase.
  • Easier testing. One toggle controls behavior. No edge cases to handle yourself.

For Product Managers

  • Flexible plan structures. You can design sophisticated tiered pricing without worrying about mid-cycle fairness.
  • Better customer experience. Upgrades feel intuitive. Customers get proportional value.
  • Clearer pricing logic. You can explain exactly how limits work during plan changes.

For Founders

  • Revenue alignment. You capture the full value of upgrades regardless of timing.
  • Reduced billing disputes. Clear, automated proration eliminates arguments about usage limits.
  • Scalable operations. The system handles complexity so your team doesn’t have to.

Getting Started

This feature is live now for all UniBee users.

To start using proration with your billing metrics:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Billing Metrics in your UniBee dashboard
  2. Create a new metric or edit an existing one
  3. Toggle Proration to “On”
  4. Save your configuration

The system will begin applying prorated logic immediately for any future subscription changes involving that metric.

Ready to put proration to work in your billing setup?

Log into your UniBee dashboard and enable proration for your billing metrics today. If you’re not yet on UniBee, you can start with a free trial and see how flexible billing transforms your subscription operations.

We’re excited to see what you build.

Get Started with Proration
in UniBee

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