02Account & billing
Credit and automatic renewal of prepaid products
How credit in your Nexthosting customer account works, what you can use it for and how prepaid products renew automatically from credit, credit card or SEPA mandate.
In short
Credit (Guthaben) is money in your customer account that you use to pay for Nexthosting services – invoices, renewals, boosts and expansions. You can have prepaid products renew automatically, product by product: your credit is used first, and if it is not enough, the stored credit card or SEPA mandate.
Topping up credit
Section titled “Topping up credit”- Log in to your customer account.
- On the overview, click Guthaben aufladen (“top up credit”) or open Guthaben (credit) in the finance area.
- Choose the amount and pay with one of the offered payment methods.
- As soon as the payment is confirmed, the amount appears in the Guthaben tile on the overview.
You can see every booking – top-up, use, credit note – in the Guthabenverlauf (credit history).
What you can use credit for
Section titled “What you can use credit for”- open invoices and renewals,
- the automatic renewal of prepaid products,
- a boost for your game server – scheduled and recurring boosts are always paid from credit,
- Server erweitern (expand server) and an eigene IP-Adresse (own IP address) booked later (the pro-rata amount for the current period),
- as a prerequisite for pausing a game server if you have not stored a payment method (minimum credit, currently €10).
Rules for credit
Section titled “Rules for credit”Briefly explained according to AGB § 7 (AGB = General Terms and Conditions) – the binding text is the text of the AGB (in German):
- Credit is valid only for Nexthosting services.
- It earns no interest and is not transferable – neither to other people nor to another customer account.
- Credit that does not come from your own payment – such as bonuses, promotions, goodwill, affiliate commission or SLA credits – is not paid out in cash. (SLA = service level agreement)
- Nexthosting may correct wrong bookings caused by mistakes, technical errors or abuse.
- Your statutory rights are not affected, in particular to a refund of money you paid in yourself and have not used up when the contractual relationship ends.
Where credit comes from besides topping up
Section titled “Where credit comes from besides topping up”| Source | How |
|---|---|
| Bonus for linking | One-off for each linked login service (Discord, Google, Twitch, Steam), once an invoice is paid. Amount shown in the customer account. |
| SLA credit | If the promised availability is not met, you get a credit to your balance on request – see SLA. |
| Affiliate commission | You can have approved commission credited to your balance in whole or in part – see Affiliate and partners. |
Renewing prepaid automatically
Section titled “Renewing prepaid automatically”A prepaid product ends with the paid period. So that your server does not expire, you can switch on automatic renewal (automatische Verlängerung) for each prepaid product. It is regulated in the add-on terms, section 9h (German).
- Top up credit or store a credit card or a SEPA direct debit mandate.
- Switch on automatic renewal for the product you want – for example via the Automatisch bezahlen (pay automatically) box on the overview with Automatische Verlängerung einschalten (“turn on automatic renewal”).
- At the product you then see the next debit date and any debits already submitted.
You can switch the automation off at any time. After that Nexthosting no longer initiates new debits.
Where the money comes from
Section titled “Where the money comes from”- Expiry approaches
- Does your credit cover the full amount?Yes: paid from credit
- no
- Credit card or SEPA mandateCard shortly before expiry, direct debit about 2–3 weeks earlier
- Payment receivedProduct continues for the term last booked
- Credit first: If your credit covers the full amount, it is used. There is no partial payment from credit.
- Credit card: is charged shortly before the paid period ends.
- SEPA direct debit: is submitted in advance, usually about two to three weeks before the new term starts, because confirmation takes several bank working days. With short terms, several debits can therefore be submitted at the same time.
- Minimum amount for direct debit: A direct debit is only collected if the amount per term reaches the minimum amount stated in the customer account (currently €5.00) and the payment is expected to arrive in time. Otherwise the account points this out at the product – then you renew yourself or use credit or a card.
- Renewal only happens once the payment has arrived – at the price shown at the product in the customer account.
Nexthosting cannot recall a direct debit that has already been submitted, even if you switch the automation off afterwards. If it comes in, the product is extended by the paid term. Your rights against your bank are not affected.
Renewing prepaid by hand
Section titled “Renewing prepaid by hand”Without the automation, you renew a prepaid product yourself in the customer account before the period ends. On the overview, renewals that are due appear under Handlungsbedarf (action needed).
Frequently asked questions
Section titled “Frequently asked questions”Can I have my credit paid out?
Section titled “Can I have my credit paid out?”Not credit from bonuses, promotions, goodwill or affiliate commission. For money you paid in yourself and have not used, statutory rights apply when the contractual relationship ends. Write a ticket for this.
Is credit also used automatically for a contract (not prepaid)?
Section titled “Is credit also used automatically for a contract (not prepaid)?”The automatic renewal in this section applies to prepaid products. Contracts renew by themselves anyway and are billed by invoice. You can pay open invoices with credit.
What happens if my credit is not enough for a recurring boost?
Section titled “What happens if my credit is not enough for a recurring boost?”Then that run does not take place. No payment arrears arise. Nexthosting reminds you beforehand by email.
Can I transfer credit to another account?
Section titled “Can I transfer credit to another account?”No, credit is tied to your customer account.