Direct Billing

• Enable Direct Billing
• Billing system
  • Stripe
  • WHMCS
• Settings
  • Skip Password
  • Registration Terms Text
  • reCAPTCHA
• Control Panel Upgrades
• Social Media Login
• Client Area
  • Trial banner
  • My Plans
  • My Billing

From PanelAlpha v1.9.8, Background Billing is named Direct Billing. The menu path is Configuration → Direct Billing.

Direct Billing lets customers start a trial, pay for a plan, and manage invoices from the Client Area. Checkout and the upgrade page stay on your website. PanelAlpha provisions the account after payment.

Choose a billing integration:

• Stripe — trial and paid plans, invoices, Pay Now, and subscription cancel in the Client Area. Available on Multi Server and on Single Server Pro.
• WHMCS — usage-based billing and SSO through the WHMCS module.

PanelAlpha does not replace your order form. For Stripe, you keep the payment page (Payment Link or Pricing Table). See Stripe Integration.

Enable Direct Billing

1. Log in to the Admin Area.
2. Go to Configuration → Direct Billing.
3. Enable Direct Billing.

After it is enabled, select Stripe or WHMCS, then configure Settings. Trial length, trial links, and paid product mapping live on each plan Billing tab.

Billing system

Stripe

1. Select Stripe.
2. Enter the Stripe Secret Key (use a test key first).
3. Run Test Connection.
4. Copy the webhook URL shown in the panel into Stripe (Developers → Webhooks). PanelAlpha creates the webhook when the PanelAlpha URL is publicly reachable.

Open Stripe Integration for the trial, paid, and upgrade workflows.

WHMCS

1. Select WHMCS.
2. Enter your WHMCS URL.
3. Enter the WHMCS API token from Setup → Addon Modules → PanelAlpha WordPress Hosting For WHMCS.
4. Click Test Connection.

Details: WHMCS Integration Guide.

Control Panel Upgrades stay available for WHMCS only. They are disabled when Stripe is selected.

Settings

Configuration → Direct Billing → Settings holds registration copy, not trial length. Trial days, pre-created accounts, and trial links are per plan.

Skip Password

• Disabled: the user sets a password and confirms email with a verification code.
• Enabled: the user sets a password. Email verification happens on the second login.

After Quick Registration, PanelAlpha sends Welcome User. The message does not include a plaintext password. It links to /login?email=.... Customize the template under Configuration → Notifications → Welcome User.

Registration is available when at least one trial plan exists. Trial links are per plan (see How to offer trials).

Registration Terms Text

Text shown on the register page under "By registering, you accept Terms of Service".

reCAPTCHA

Configure reCAPTCHA on the same Settings tab if you want it on the registration form.

Control Panel Upgrades

WHMCS only. Pick the trial plan used when a customer upgrades from a connected control panel. Skip password and registration terms come from Settings. Trial length and links come from that plan's Billing tab.

Connector setup is unchanged: API URL, API token from Configuration → Admins, and Don't Show Again Expiration.

Social Media Login

Social login stays on Direct Billing.

Providers: Microsoft, LinkedIn, Google, GitHub, Facebook.

Social registration skips email verification.

Client Area

Trial banner

Trial users see days remaining and a link to upgrade (the plan Upgrade URL).

My Plans

Customers view active and expired plans and open the upgrade URL.

With Stripe, Cancel opens the Stripe Customer Portal.

My Billing

Invoice history, download, and Pay Now for unpaid Stripe invoices.