Subscription mechanics — paying, renewing, and recovery
The full lifecycle of the verified-seller subscription, including past_due grace, price-locked grandfathering, and what happens when you skip a month.
The subscription, end to end
Your verified status is a monthly subscription. This guide covers every state it can be in, what happens at each transition, and how to recover if something goes wrong.
How the subscription is priced
The verification fee is set on KampalaSnap's Pricing Hub. The current fee is shown to you on the Edit → Verification screen before you subscribe.
There are sometimes tier options — a base tier with the standard features, and a premium tier with extras (higher video caps, priority catalog placement). Pick what matches your scale.
The fee shown at signup is the fee you pay this month. The next month's fee depends on whether you have price-locking active (see below).
Price-locked grandfathering
If KampalaSnap raises the verification fee for new sellers, sellers who were subscribed before the raise keep paying the old price. This is called grandfathering or price-locking.
The lock is automatic — you don't have to do anything. The price you paid on your first month is the price you'll keep paying as long as you stay continuously subscribed.
The lock breaks if you skip a month. If your subscription lapses and you re-subscribe later, you're a "new" subscriber again and you pay the current price, not the price you used to pay.
That's a strong reason to avoid skipping months — especially if you've been verified for a long time at an old price that's much lower than today's price.
You can see your locked price (if any) on Edit → Verification → Locked price. If it shows a price lower than the current price, your subscription is grandfathered. Don't break it.
How renewal works
Your renewal date is the same calendar day each month, matched to your first subscription. Signed up the 15th? Your renewal hits every 15th.
On renewal day:
- KampalaSnap checks your auto-renew setting.
- If auto-renew is on, we charge automatically: - First, your KampalaSnap wallet balance. - If wallet is short, your saved payment method (MoMo or card).
- If auto-renew is off, the renewal doesn't fire. Your subscription expires at end of day.
If the charge succeeds, you stay verified for another month. The new renewal date is set to the same calendar day in the following month.
Auto-renew
Set it from Edit → Verification → Auto-renew toggle.
Auto-renew on:
- You don't have to remember to pay.
- You never accidentally lose the verified check.
- Price-locked grandfathering stays intact.
- Best for sellers who plan to stay verified indefinitely.
Auto-renew off:
- Each month you have to manually re-subscribe to continue.
- Useful if you want a pause-soon plan ("I'll cancel after this month").
- You're more likely to break grandfathering.
- Best for sellers testing whether verification fits their business.
We recommend on for established sellers, off for first-month testers.
The states your subscription can be in
┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
▼ │
┌─────────┐ payment ┌─────────┐ +30d ┌─────────┐
│ active │ ─── fails ──▶ │past_due │ ────▶ │ expired │
└─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘
▲ │
│ │ re-pay within 7d
└───────────────────────┘
Active (normal state)
You're fully verified. Check mark visible. All advanced features accessible.
You can see your status on Edit → Verification → "Active until [next renewal date]."
Past_due (renewal failed)
The renewal charge failed. Most common reasons:
- Your wallet was empty AND your saved payment method (MoMo / card) failed.
- Your card expired.
- Your MoMo number was deactivated.
- Pesapal had a transient outage on the charge attempt.
What happens in past_due:
- Days 1-7: Your check is shown as expired on your shop page. Advanced features stay accessible. You can re-pay any time and it instantly returns to active.
- Days 8-30: Your check disappears. Catalog affiliate listings enter a 30-day lock (creators promoting them keep earning commission for 30 days after expiry). Self-listed catalog products are removed from the shared catalog.
- Day 30: Subscription fully expires.
You get push notifications + emails reminding you on day 1, 3, and 7 of past_due.
Expired
Subscription is done. You're back to being an unverified seller with all the basics — your shop, products, videos, orders, earnings are all still there. You just don't have the advanced features.
To get back to verified, subscribe again. You may lose your locked price if grandfathering was in effect.
Recovering from past_due
If you go past_due and want to fix it:
- Edit → Verification → Pay now.
- Pick a payment method (wallet, MoMo, card).
- Tap Pay this month.
Within minutes, status flips back to active. Your renewal date stays the same as before — you don't lose the days you were past_due, but you also don't gain extra days.
If you're past day 7 (badge gone) but within day 30 (subscription not fully expired), the same flow applies. After day 30 you're back to "subscribe fresh" mode.
Coming back after fully expiring
Subscribe again from Edit → Verification → Subscribe.
What you get back immediately:
- Verified check mark.
- Withdrawal access.
- Advanced video features.
What's NOT automatic:
- Affiliate listings expire after their 30-day lock. Re-submit them to get them back in the catalog.
- Self-listed catalog products were removed when you expired — re-submit them.
- Locked price is gone if grandfathering broke.
There's no penalty for coming back — just the work of re-submitting the listings you want.
What charges count toward the wallet first
If your wallet has 30,000 UGX and the subscription is 20,000 UGX:
- Wallet drops to 10,000 UGX.
- Subscription is paid.
- Saved payment method is NOT used.
If your wallet has 10,000 UGX and the subscription is 20,000 UGX:
- Wallet drops to 0.
- Saved payment method is charged for the remaining 10,000 UGX.
- If the payment method fails, the whole charge rolls back (wallet is refunded). Status goes past_due.
We don't split a renewal charge into "wallet + card succeeds, but later you can't pay back the card" — it's all-or-nothing per month.
Refunds and disputes on the subscription itself
Within 7 days of a fresh subscription (your first month after expiring + re-subscribing), you can request a refund:
- Email support@kampalasnap.com with your username.
- We refund the month back to your wallet within 48 hours.
- Your status reverts to unverified.
After 7 days, the month is non-refundable. You can turn auto-renew off so you don't pay another month, but the month you paid for runs its full course.
If a renewal charge went through twice by mistake (rare but possible), we refund the duplicate within 24 hours. Email us with the two charge IDs.
Changing your payment method
Edit → Verification → Payment method → tap the current method. You can:
- Pick a different saved MoMo / bank.
- Add a new MoMo / bank.
- Remove a saved method.
If you remove your only saved method, auto-renew turns off automatically — we can't auto-charge nothing. You'll see a warning to add a new method or accept that auto-renew is off.
A few smart-money moves
Pay for 6 or 12 months at once (if offered)
If the Pricing Hub shows a multi-month option, paying 6 or 12 months at once usually comes with a small discount AND it removes the risk of past_due interruptions for that period. Useful for sellers who know they're in for the long haul.
Time your renewal date for a payday
If your busy sales period is the start of the month, set your subscription to renew on the 28th — you'll have cash flow.
You can't directly choose the renewal date — but you can cancel and re-subscribe on the date you want. The math: cancel auto-renew, let the current month end, subscribe again on day X. The new renewal day is X.
This costs you a few hours of being unverified if timed wrong. Not worth doing unless your cash flow really matters.
Keep your locked price
Grandfathering is silent money. If your locked price is, say, 15k when current price is 25k, that's 120k savings per year. Don't let it lapse for a missed week.
Common questions
Can I gift a subscription to someone else's account?
Not directly. You can deposit money into your own account's wallet and pay your own subscription — but each shop's verification is tied to that shop's account.
Can I downgrade to a cheaper tier mid-month?
If there are multiple tiers, downgrade requests apply at next renewal, not immediately. You finish the month at the higher tier, next renewal charges the lower price.
Can I be partially verified — the check but not affiliate access?
No. Verification is all-or-nothing. The check, catalog access, withdrawals — they're a single bundle.
What if I miss a renewal payment because I was traveling and missed the notification?
Re-pay within 7 days and you're back to active with no real harm. After day 7, the badge is gone and you start losing catalog listings. Beyond day 30, the subscription is fully expired.
Set up a wallet balance buffer (keep a month's worth of fees in your wallet) so renewal-charge attempts always succeed even if your card fails.
Does verification carry across if I change my phone number?
Yes — verification is tied to the shop, not the phone number. Updating your phone has no effect on subscription state.
What's next
- Wallet and payouts — withdrawing the money you've earned.
- Vacation mode — pausing the shop without losing subscription.