# Automatic renewals (subscriptions) Source: https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/manage-subscriptions Last reviewed: 2026-07-02 Summary: How automatic renewals work at VPSDime, the difference between a saved card, a Paddle subscription, and a Fastspring subscription, how to turn auto-renewal on or off, and how to change or update your payment method. ## What this is By default your services renew **manually**: we email you an invoice each cycle and you pay it. If you'd prefer not to pay each invoice by hand, you can set a service to **renew automatically**. You manage this at **Billing, Manage Subscriptions**. Find it at https://vpsdime.com/managesubscriptions. ## The three ways a service can auto-renew Automatic renewal runs through one of three separate systems, each set up in a different place: - **Card on file:** a card you save with us. Set up and managed under [Saved cards](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/saved-cards). On the subscriptions page it shows as **Saved Card**. - **Paddle subscription:** created when you pay an invoice with **PayPal / Card** and choose **Subscribe**, or when you click **Make Automatic** with no saved card. Shows as **Paddle PayPal** or **Paddle Card**. - **Fastspring subscription:** created when you pay with **Alternative PayPal** (Fastspring) as a subscription. Shows as **Fastspring PayPal** or **Fastspring Card**. A service uses **one** of these at a time. The saved card is managed on the [Saved cards](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/saved-cards) page; Paddle and Fastspring subscriptions are managed here. ## What you'll see On **Billing, Manage Subscriptions**: ![The Manage Subscriptions page: the Renewal Methods Explained key above a Subscription Management table with Renewal Method badges and Make Automatic / Cancel VPS buttons](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/images/manage-subscriptions.png) - A **Renewal Methods Explained** key: - **Manual:** automatic renewals are off for this service - **Saved Card:** renews with your card on file - **Paddle PayPal** / **Paddle Card:** renews via your Paddle subscription - **Fastspring PayPal** / **Fastspring Card:** renews via your Fastspring subscription - A table of your services with **VPS**, **Price / Cycle**, **Renewal Date**, and **Renewal Method**. - The buttons on each row depend on the current method: - **Manual:** **Make Automatic** and **Cancel VPS** - **Saved Card** or **Paddle:** **Manage**, **Make Manual**, and **Cancel VPS** - **Fastspring:** **Make Manual** and **Cancel VPS** ## Turning auto-renewal on - Click **Make Automatic** on a manual service. With no saved card, this sets up a **Paddle** subscription where you pick card or PayPal on the Paddle checkout page. With a saved card, it takes you to assign that card to the service. ![The "Set your VPS to renew automatically" dialog with Make Automatic and Close buttons](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/images/cropped/make-automatic-dialog.png) ![The Set up automatic renewal page: an authorization-only notice, the renewal amount with tax, a PayPal button, card fields, and a Subscribe now button](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/images/paddle-subscribe.png) - Or, when you **pay an invoice** with PayPal / Card, choose **Subscribe** instead of **Pay Once**. See [Viewing and paying an invoice](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/invoices). - To renew with a **saved card**, add one under [Saved cards](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/saved-cards). ## Changing or updating your payment method Use the **Manage** button next to a service. What you can change depends on the method: - **Paddle subscription:** Manage opens Paddle's management window. - On **Paddle Card**, you can **update your card details** or **switch to PayPal**. - On **Paddle PayPal**, you can **switch to a credit card**. ![The subscription management window opened by Manage: a PayPal button, card number, name, expiry, and CVV fields, and an Update card details button](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/images/cropped/paddle-manage-window.png) - **Saved card:** Manage takes you to [Saved cards](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/saved-cards), where you add, remove, or reassign a card. - **Fastspring** subscriptions don't have an in-page Manage option. To change one, set the service to **Manual** and set up auto-renewal again with the method you want, or [open a ticket](https://vpsdime.com/open-ticket/). ## Turning auto-renewal off - Click **Make Manual** on the service. We stop charging automatically, and you pay each invoice yourself when it's due. The service keeps running. - If your auto-renewal is a **saved card**, you can also remove or unassign the card under [Saved cards](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/saved-cards). ## Things worth knowing - **When the charge happens:** automatic renewals are charged on the service's **renewal date** (the date in the Renewal Date column), not days in advance, whichever renewal method is in use. - **Turning off auto-renewal is not the same as cancelling.** Make Manual keeps the service running (you just pay invoices yourself). **Cancel VPS** ends the service. Use Cancel VPS only if you actually want the VPS gone. - **Paying early won't double-charge.** If a service is set to auto-renew and you pay its invoice manually before the renewal date, we won't charge again for that same period. - **Switching systems** (for example from a saved card to a Paddle subscription) means setting the current one to Manual or removing the saved card first, then setting up the new one. - **Cancelling a VPS stops its automatic charges by itself.** We only charge for **active** services, so a cancelled service (or one with a cancellation request in) isn't charged again. You don't need to set it to Manual or cancel anything on PayPal's side first. ## Troubleshooting - **My service renewed on a card or PayPal I didn't expect.** Check the **Renewal Method** column to see which system is active. Saved-card renewals are managed under [Saved cards](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/billing/saved-cards); Paddle and Fastspring under Manage Subscriptions. - **I want to switch my Paddle subscription from card to PayPal (or back).** Use **Manage** on that service and follow the Paddle window. - **I turned off auto-renew but still got an invoice.** That's normal. Manual means we invoice you and you pay it; the invoice itself isn't an automatic charge. - **I want to stop renewals but keep my VPS.** Use **Make Manual**, not Cancel VPS. ## Still need help? You can [open a support ticket](https://vpsdime.com/open-ticket/). So we can help on the first reply, it's worth mentioning: - the VPS (hostname or IP) you mean, - whether you want to turn auto-renewal on or off, or change the payment method, - the renewal method currently shown for it. ## Related questions - "How do I make my VPS renew automatically?" - "How do I stop automatic renewal without cancelling my VPS?" - "How do I change my payment method or switch from card to PayPal?" - "What's the difference between a saved card and a subscription?" - "Why did my service renew through Paddle or Fastspring?" - "When will my card or PayPal be charged for renewal?"