Understanding Billing: subscriptions and payment history

NearbySpy bills Investigator subscriptions and one-time charges through a single Billing area inside your dashboard. This article explains how subscriptions are organized, where to see what you have paid, and how to update the card on file.

What gets billed

There are three things you may see on your account:

• Plan subscription — your monthly or annual Investigator plan. The Elite plan is the only plan that unlocks DocuVault and other premium tools. See What the Elite plan unlocks.
• Featured placements — paid promotions that lift your profile into the featured slot on directory and search pages for a specific geographic area. See Featured placements in directory and search.
• Lead credits and one-off charges — anything purchased on demand. These show up as line items, not as recurring subscriptions.

Who processes the payment

NearbySpy uses Authorize.Net as the payment gateway. Your card details are stored with Authorize.Net, not in NearbySpy's database. NearbySpy keeps a token reference and the metadata it needs to render your billing history (date, amount, plan, last four digits of the card). If you ever see a charge you do not recognize, the descriptor on your statement will reference NearbySpy.

Where to find your history

Open your Investigator dashboard and go to the Billing area. You will see:

• Your current plan, renewal date, and the amount that will be charged on that date.
• A list of past invoices with the date, amount, plan, and status (paid, pending, refunded).
• The card on file, shown by brand and last four digits.
• Any active Featured placement assignments and the area they cover.

Updating your card

From the Billing area, choose Update payment method. You will be sent through Authorize.Net's secure form to enter the new card. NearbySpy never sees the full PAN. The change applies to the next renewal and to any one-off purchases you make from that point forward.

Failed payments

If a renewal charge fails, the platform will retry on a schedule and email you. During the retry window, premium features stay active so you can fix the card without disruption. If the card is not updated by the end of the window, premium features (including DocuVault) become read-only or inaccessible. See Why DocuVault requires Elite for what happens to documents already in flight.

Cancellations and refunds

You can cancel from the Billing area at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period — you keep what you paid for through that date. NearbySpy does not pro-rate partial months by default; if you believe a charge is in error, file a support ticket with the invoice number through Contact form reasons and what to include.

If you are choosing whether to upgrade in the first place, start with Pricing information for Investigators and Completing Elite checkout.