# Billing and account lifecycle

Start free using your existing Strata sign-in or a new verified account. [Monthly plans](./monthly-plans.md) describes allowances and charging; live availability comes from `/api/billing/status`. Every key, agent and production console lookup shares the account's production allowance. Sandbox billing is separate.

## Read current state

Personal-key clients use authenticated `GET /api/billing/status`. MCP clients use `strata_account`. Registered gateway OAuth clients use gateway `account` and `billing_status` with `account:read`. An unauthenticated status call reports public policy, not a user's private balance. Browser users see account usage at [Account](/connector/dashboard#billing).

## Subscribe or change plans

The owner starts from Account or an agent-prepared review link. Review the recurring price, immediate amount, timing, credits and terms. Stripe securely collects payment details and any required authentication. Wait for authoritative confirmation before assuming new credits exist.

| Action | Result |
| --- | --- |
| Subscribe to Pro or Scale | Paid allowance becomes available after verified payment. |
| Upgrade Pro to Scale | Immediate after paid proration; proportional additional credits, same renewal date and preserved usage. |
| Downgrade Scale to Pro | Scheduled for renewal; current period stays on Scale. |
| Cancel renewal | Paid access continues until the displayed period end. |
| Resume renewal | Check the reviewed action and resulting subscription state; do not assume a new purchase is necessary. |
| Payment method or invoices | Secure Stripe portal handoff; returning does not prove a card was saved or invoice paid. |

No automatic overages, top-ups or rollover. An unpaid renewal does not grant fresh paid credits. After the paid period ends, the account returns to its available Free allowance. Refund/dispute review can pause API access; billing management remains available.

## Agent-assisted approval

MCP exposes account reads and lookups only. Its user manages billing in the [existing account dashboard](https://stratatcg.com/connector/dashboard#billing); after payment, the agent rereads `strata_account` and resumes unfinished work.

A registered gateway OAuth agent with `billing:prepare` can submit `prepare_billing` with an action, optional plan and opaque `resumeContext`. It creates a review record, not a payment. Reuse a stable idempotency key for an identical preparation retry. The owner signs in and approves the specific quote separately. Agents should retain the original task and action ID.

Read `billing_action` for that ID. `quoted` awaits review; `pending` is unresolved; `requires_action` needs a Stripe step; `confirmed` is an authoritative billing outcome. `cancelled`, `expired` and `failed` do not authorize spending new credits. `handoff_ready` means a portal link is available. Quotes expire after 15 minutes and review records remain for seven days. Do not replace an uncertain pending action with a new charge. The [OAuth guide](./oauth.md) contains exact JSON and token contracts.

## Failure, recovery and leaving

If Checkout is closed or payment fails, preserve the original task and check status before retrying. For missing credits after payment, use invoice/action/request references with [support](https://stratatcg.com/support). Do not send card details or tokens. A provider outage, global safety limit or short-term rate limit is not a reason to buy a larger plan.

Revoking keys or agents stops their access; signing out ends browser access. Neither cancels renewal. Use Manage billing or a reviewed cancellation action to stop renewal. Password recovery does not automatically revoke every API key; revoke untrusted credentials separately. For deletion or duplicate-account problems, contact support and resolve ownership before creating replacement subscriptions.

## Test safely

Approved testers can use [sandbox console](/connector/console?mode=test) and [agent connection test](/connector/agent-test) with their actual Strata identity. Verify the sandbox label before entering test card details. Sandbox credentials, payments and credits do not grant production access. See the complete [sandbox walkthrough](./agent-sandbox.md).