FAQ: Feb 18 billing changes

Get answers to frequently asked questions about Klaviyo's billing changes, which go into effect February 18, 2025. 

If you want answers about the appreciation discount, please see our appreciation discount FAQ.  

Why is Klaviyo implementing these pricing changes?

We are introducing pricing changes to simplify billing, improve customer flexibility, and ensure plans align with your value. These changes address customer concerns about confusing or frustrating pricing structures and provide greater control over costs.

What are the key changes effective February 18, 2025?

• Profile plan compliance: customers will be required to be on an email plan that matches or exceeds their active profile count. 
• Flexible sending options: with this billing preference option selected, Klaviyo will automatically upgrade you to the plan you need during high send periods and automatically downgrade you at your next billing cycle.
• Auto-downgrade option: with this billing preference option selected, Klaviyo will downgrade your email plan if your active profile count qualifies for a lower tier at the start of each billing cycle.

Who do these changes affect?

These changes will apply to all customers who pay via credit card.

When will the new billing preferences (flexible sending and auto-downgrade) be available?

You will see them on your billing preferences page as options beginning February 18, 2025.

Will my existing billing preferences change?

No. You will need to proactively select the new billing preferences.

What is an active profile?

Learn more about active profiles.

How can I identify inactive profiles?

Learn how to identify inactive profiles.

Why does Klaviyo price its email plans on active profiles?

Visit the Klaviyo blog to learn more about our pricing philosophy.

What happens if my active profiles exceed my plan limit?

For paid accounts, if your active profiles exceed your plan limit:

• Your plan will automatically upgrade to the next tier at the start of your next billing cycle.
• Notifications will be sent to account Owners and Admins each time:
  • You are approaching your plan limit. 
  • An upgrade occurs.

For free accounts, you will not be able to send messages, turn flows live, etc. until your active profile count is below your plan limit. 

Example:

You have 64,000 active profiles and are paying for a plan that allows for up to 65,000 active profiles.

You later add 5,000 more active profiles at the start of your next billing cycle, bringing your total number of active profiles up to 69,000. If you keep all of these active profiles, Klaviyo would automatically move you to the next email plan tier that meets your active profiles requirement at the end of your billing cycle (i.e., move you to a plan that includes 70,000 active profiles).

If you delete or suppress 4,000 or more active profiles (i.e., stay under the 65,000 active profile limit) before the end of your billing cycle, you will stay on your current plan.

How can I manage my profiles to stay within budget?

Klaviyo provides tools to manage active profiles effectively:

• Suppress profiles: temporarily remove inactive or unengaged profiles from active use. Learn how to suppress profiles in your account.
• Bulk deletion: permanently delete unused profiles to reduce costs. Learn how to bulk delete profiles in your account.
• Re-engagement campaigns or sunset flows: attempt to re-engage inactive contacts before deciding to suppress or delete them.
  • Re-engage an old email list by sending a campaign.
  • Create a sunset flow to re-engage lapsed customers on an ongoing basis.

How does flexible sending work?

Flexible sending allows customers to temporarily increase sending and active profile capacity during high-demand periods without upgrading their plan.

How it works:

• Turn on flexible sending for emails or SMS to receive the benefit whenever you have increases in sends.   
• Once you’ve hit your send limit, you’ll be billed upfront and entitled to the next tier’s capacity at the unit price of the current commit amount.
• It resets to your original plan at the start of the next billing cycle.

Example:

You have flexible sending selected for your SMS plan and are on a $900/month plan that entitles you to 100,000 monthly SMS/MMS credits (the unit rate of this plan is therefore $0.009 per credit). You also need 12,000 more credits than your plan entitles this month due to increased messaging.

After you use your 100,000 credit, Klaviyo will entitle you to the capacity of the next SMS credit plan tier (in this case, 12,500 credits).

For this, you'll be charged $112.50 (12,500 credits x $0.009 as your unit rate).

At the start of the next billing cycle, you will return to the $900 plan that entitles you to 100,000 monthly SMS/MMS credits.

Who benefits: 

• Ideal for customers with occasional surges, like during Black Friday or seasonal campaigns.

Flexible sending is based on the unit price of your current plan (i.e., also called the variable unit cost). Frequent use may make upgrading more cost-effective.

Note that flexible sending for SMS is available for plans priced $495/month and higher. 

Where can I find more information or help with these changes?

We’ve made several resources available to ensure you have the support you need:

• Help Center articles: Detailed guides on managing active profiles, billing plans, and suppression tools.
• Customer Support: Reach out to Klaviyo’s support team for personalized assistance.
• Billing Preferences tab: Manage your account’s billing preferences directly in-app.