Feature Guide

Billing & Subscription

Manage your subscription plan, payment methods, invoices, and understand pricing for your haunted house scheduling platform.

6 min readAdmin
Note: Screenshots in this guide show the default Orange theme. Your interface may look different depending on your selected theme, but all features and controls work the same way.

Plan Overview

Graveyard Shift offers three subscription tiers, each billed annually. Every plan includes the core scheduling, employee management, and communication features. The tiers differ in employee capacity, monthly SMS allowance, and access to advanced features.

Plan Comparison

FieldRequiredDescription
Starter -- $300/yearNoSupports up to 30 employees. Includes 100 SMS messages per month, basic scheduling, employee self-service portal, and email support. Best for small haunts with a single attraction.
Standard -- $450/yearNoSupports up to 65 employees. Includes 300 SMS messages per month, advanced scheduling, automated reminders, analytics dashboard, and priority email support. Best for mid-size operations with multiple areas.
Premium -- $900/yearNoSupports unlimited employees. Includes 1,000 SMS messages per month, full scheduling suite, custom automations, advanced analytics, API access, and dedicated support. Best for large operations with complex scheduling needs.
Note: All plans include a 7-day free trial. No credit card is required to start. During the trial you receive 5 free SMS messages to test the notification system.

Starter Plan

The Starter plan is designed for small haunted house operations with up to 30 employees. It provides all the essential tools for creating events, managing availability, building schedules, and communicating with staff.

FieldRequiredDescription
Employee LimitNoUp to 30 employees.
SMS IncludedNo100 messages per month.
SchedulingNoBasic scheduling with drag-and-drop assignment.
Employee PortalNoEmployees can view schedules, submit availability, and manage their profile.
SupportNoEmail support during business hours.

Standard Plan

The Standard plan supports up to 65 employees and adds automated reminders, an analytics dashboard, and priority support. This tier suits mid-size operations that need more visibility into attendance and scheduling coverage.

FieldRequiredDescription
Employee LimitNoUp to 65 employees.
SMS IncludedNo300 messages per month.
SchedulingNoAdvanced scheduling with automated reminders and conflict detection.
AnalyticsNoDashboard with attendance tracking, scheduling coverage, and staff utilization reports.
SupportNoPriority email support with faster response times.

Premium Plan

The Premium plan removes the employee cap and adds custom automations, advanced analytics, API access, and dedicated support. It is built for large operations that run multiple attractions or need integration with external systems.

FieldRequiredDescription
Employee LimitNoUnlimited employees.
SMS IncludedNo1,000 messages per month.
SchedulingNoFull scheduling suite with custom automations and advanced assignment rules.
AnalyticsNoAdvanced analytics with detailed reports, trend data, and exportable dashboards.
API AccessNoProgrammatic access to scheduling and employee data for integrations with external systems.
SupportNoDedicated support with a named account representative.

Seasonal Pause

Many haunted house operations only run during certain months of the year. Graveyard Shift supports a seasonal pause that lets you suspend billing during your off-season while preserving all of your data.

When your subscription is paused, no charges are processed and your team cannot access the application. All data -- employee profiles, schedules, events, time clock records, and messages -- is retained exactly as you left it. When you are ready to start a new season, reactivate your subscription from the Billing page and everything picks up where it left off.

Tip: To pause your subscription, contact support at support@graveyardshift.app. The support team will suspend billing on your account and set a reactivation date if you know when your next season begins. You can also reactivate at any time by updating your payment method and requesting reactivation.

Pause vs. Cancellation

A seasonal pause is different from cancellation. When paused, your data is retained indefinitely and your account remains in the system in a suspended state. When cancelled, your data is retained for only 30 days before being permanently deleted. If you plan to return for the next season, a pause is always the better option.

Payment Methods

The Payment Method section on the Billing page displays your current card on file, showing the card type and the last four digits. You can update your payment method at any time without affecting your current subscription.

Updating Your Card

Click Update Payment Method on the Billing page to open the payment update modal. Enter your new card details in the secure form. The system tokenizes your card information through Authorize.net and stores only the token, card type, last four digits, and expiration date. Your full card number is never stored on our servers.

Warning: If your card on file expires or is declined, the system will attempt to process payment on a retry schedule: 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days after the initial failure. If all three retries fail, your subscription is suspended until payment is resolved. Update your card promptly when you receive a payment failure notification.

Accepted Cards

Graveyard Shift accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover credit and debit cards. All transactions are processed securely through Authorize.net.

Invoice History

The Transaction History section at the bottom of the Billing page lists all past transactions for your organization. Each entry shows the date, transaction type, amount, and status.

Transaction Types

  • Subscription -- annual subscription charges and plan change proration charges.
  • SMS Purchase -- one-time purchases of additional SMS credit packs.
  • SMS Overage -- charges for SMS messages sent beyond your monthly included allowance, billed at the overage rate for your plan.
  • Refund -- credits applied to your account for any billing adjustments.

Transaction Statuses

  • Completed -- the transaction was processed successfully.
  • Pending -- the transaction is being processed.
  • Failed -- the payment was declined. Check your payment method and try again.
  • Refunded -- the transaction has been reversed and the amount credited back.
Note: Payment receipts are sent to the admin email address on file after each successful transaction. You can also reference the transaction history on the Billing page at any time for your records.

Upgrading and Downgrading

You can change your plan at any time from the Billing page. Click the Change Plan button to open a modal showing all available plans with your current plan highlighted.

How Proration Works

When you change plans on an active subscription, the system calculates a prorated amount based on the days remaining in your current billing period. For upgrades, you are charged the difference between the new plan's prorated cost and the credit from your current plan's remaining days. For downgrades, the difference is applied as a credit to your account.

The Change Plan modal shows the exact proration calculation before you confirm, so you can see the net charge or credit before making your decision. No charges are applied until you click Change Plan in the confirmation step.

Plan Changes During Trial

If you are still in your 7-day free trial, you can switch plans without any proration charges. The new plan takes effect immediately and your trial continues with the features and limits of the new plan. No payment is collected until the trial ends.

Warning: When downgrading to a plan with a lower employee limit, make sure your current active employee count does not exceed the new plan's limit. The system will warn you if your roster exceeds the target plan's capacity, and you may need to deactivate employee profiles before the downgrade can proceed.

Cancellation

To cancel your subscription, scroll to the Cancel Subscription section at the bottom of the Billing page and click Cancel Subscription. A confirmation modal will show you exactly what happens when you cancel, including the date you will lose access and what features you will no longer have.

What Happens When You Cancel

  • Access continues until period end -- your subscription remains active until the end of your current billing period. You and your team can continue using all features until that date.
  • No further charges -- your card will not be charged again after cancellation. Any unused time in the current period is not refunded.
  • 30-day data retention -- after your access ends, your data is retained for 30 days. During this window you can resubscribe and have all your data restored. After 30 days, data is permanently deleted.
  • Resubscription -- you can resubscribe at any time. If you do so within the 30-day retention window, all of your existing data is automatically restored.
Important: Cancellation cannot be reversed after the 30-day data retention period. If you think you may return for a future season, consider using a seasonal pause instead of cancelling. Contact support@graveyardshift.app to discuss seasonal pause options.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to my data if I cancel?
When you cancel, you retain full access to the application until the end of your current billing period. After that, your account becomes read-only for 30 days, during which you can still log in and export your data. After the 30-day retention window, your data is permanently deleted. If you resubscribe before the retention period ends, all of your data is restored.
Can I purchase additional SMS credits beyond what my plan includes?
Yes. Additional SMS credits can be purchased in packs of 1,000 messages for $25 per pack. You can buy credits from the Billing page by clicking the Buy SMS Credits button in the current plan section. Purchased credits do not expire and carry over between billing periods. SMS credit purchases are only available on active subscriptions, not during the trial period.
What payment methods are accepted?
Graveyard Shift accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover credit and debit cards. Payment processing is handled securely through Authorize.net. Your card details are tokenized and never stored on our servers. You can update your payment method at any time from the Billing page.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Every new account starts with a 7-day free trial on whichever plan you select during signup. No credit card is required to start the trial. During the trial, you have access to all features of your selected plan and receive 5 free trial SMS messages to test the notification system. At the end of the trial, you will need to add a payment method to continue using the application.