# Background Billing

# Introduction

Background Billing is an opportunity for you to attract more customers by enabling 1-click trial site creation with delayed billing, making it easier for new users to get started. When combined with fast onboarding and AI-powered site creation, it turns WordPress into a strong alternative to modern site builders.

With Background Billing, you can:

Create a seamless user experience where customers manage all their services through a single interface
Streamline the billing process for both you and your customers
Reduce customer friction by eliminating the need to navigate multiple platforms

This feature allows you to consolidate your service offerings and billing processes, creating a more integrated and profitable hosting business.

# Enabling Background Billing

To enable or disable Background Billing in your PanelAlpha installation:

Log in to the Admin Area
Navigate to the "Configuration" section
Select the "Background Billing" tab
Toggle the activation switch to enable or disable the feature

Once enabled, you'll need to configure the billing system integration and new account trials settings to fully utilize this feature.

# Billing System

After enabling Background Billing in the Configuration section, you need to set up a billing system integration to connect your PanelAlpha installation with your billing platform.

# Available Integrations

Currently, PanelAlpha supports the following billing system integration:

# WHMCS Integration

To integrate with WHMCS:

Select "WHMCS" from the integration type dropdown
Enter your WHMCS URL (the full URL to your WHMCS installation)
Enter your WHMCS API Token

Note: The WHMCS API Token must be configured properly in your WHMCS installation's Addon Modules section, where you need to generate a key. For detailed instructions on setting up the required API permissions, please refer to the WHMCS Integration Guide.

Click "Test Connection" to verify that PanelAlpha can successfully communicate with your WHMCS installation

Once configured, PanelAlpha will be able to communicate with your WHMCS installation to handle billing operations in the background.

# New Account Trials

After configuring your billing system integration, you need to set up New Account Trials to optimize the user onboarding experience. This feature allows seamless registration and service provisioning for new users.

# Registration

# Enable Quick Registration

When enabled, the /register endpoint in the Client Area becomes active. Users can register directly through PanelAlpha's interface. When disabled, attempts to access /register will result in an error message: "Registration is disabled."

# Registration Password Skip

Disabled: Requires users to set a password and confirm their email address using a verification code sent to their email.
Enabled: Users only need to set a password, with email verification required at their second login.

# Pre-created Accounts

This feature allows you to prepare WordPress instances in advance for new users to provide immediate access upon registration.

Instances are created under a special system user named "Pre-Created Trial" (this user is automatically created if it doesn't exist)
When a new user registers, ownership of a pre-created service/instance is transferred to them
This eliminates waiting time for WordPress installations and improves user experience
Pre-created services are automatically replenished (a cron job checks every minute and adds new installation tasks as needed)
The "Force Create" button triggers these tasks immediately
Setting the count to 0 disables pre-created instances, meaning new trial users will need to wait for their instances to be installed
Pre-created services and instances are not included in your billing usage calculations
The "Force Create" button is non-functional if no trial plan is selected

# Trial Settings

# Trial Plan

Select a plan to assign to newly registered users
It's recommended to use a super-quick onboarding plan with "ask for domain" disabled for the best user experience
This ensures users can immediately access their WordPress instance without additional setup steps

# Suspend Trial After

Set the duration after which trial accounts will be suspended if not upgraded to a paid plan
Specifies the number of days before the trial service gets suspended

# Remove Trial After

Define when trial accounts should be completely removed from the system if they remain inactive
Specifies the number of days before the trial service gets permanently deleted

# Default Site Name

Sets the default name for trial sites
Similar to the site name setting in WHMCS, as trial services don't exist in WHMCS initially

# Upgrade URL

Identical to the "Upgrade Link" in plan details
Changes made here will be synchronized with the corresponding plan settings and vice versa

# Trial Registration Links

Special URL parameters to customize the registration experience:

Accessing the /register endpoint directly creates a user account and assigns the configured trial plan. When this user later decides to create an instance, it will be provisioned using the Pre-Created Accounts system, significantly reducing installation time and improving user experience.
Adding ?new-site to the /register URL (e.g., /register?new-site) automatically initiates a new instance installation process after registration, as if the user clicked "Add New" → "New instance"
Adding ?new-import to the /register URL automatically initiates an import process after registration, as if the user clicked "Add New" → "Import"

You can also pre-populate the email field by adding it to the URL, for example: /register/email@example.com?new-site - this will auto-fill the email address and display a registration placeholder.

You can use these registration links in a form on your website to allow users to start trials directly:

<form method="get" action="https://example.com/register" >
  <input type="hidden" name="new-site" />
  <input type="email" name="email" placeholder="Enter Your Email Address" required />
  <button type="submit">Start Your Trial</button>
</form>

Note: Remember to replace https://example.com/register with your actual PanelAlpha registration URL.

# Other

# Registration Terms Text

Content displayed in the modal on the register page under the link "By registering, you accept Terms of Service"

# reCAPTCHA

# Control Panel Upgrades

This section includes the configuration of upgrades from control panels.

For full functionality of this section, you need to use the new connector available from version 1.4.2.

# Registration

# Skip Password

Disabled: Requires users to set a password and confirm their email address using a verification code sent to their email.
Enabled: Users only need to set a password, with email verification required at their second login.

# Trial Settings

# Trial Plan

Configure which plan should be assigned to users during their trial period.

# Suspend Trial After

Set the duration after which trial accounts will be suspended if not upgraded to a paid plan.

# Remove Trial After

Define when trial accounts should be completely removed from the system if they remain inactive.

# Upgrade URL

Specify the URL where users will be redirected to upgrade their trial accounts to paid plans.

# Other

# Registration Terms Text

Configure the terms and conditions text that will be displayed during the registration process for control panel upgrades.

# Configuring 'Upgrade to PanelAlpha' in Connector

The 'Upgrade to PanelAlpha' feature allows users to switch from their current control panel to PanelAlpha to access a faster, more secure, and user-friendly control panel with improved performance and modern features.

# How to Configure Upgrade to PanelAlpha

To fully configure the Upgrade To PanelAlpha plugin, follow these steps:

Log in to your PanelAlpha account.
To configure the trial account plan, go to the Background Billing page, select the Control Panel Upgrades tab, and choose the appropriate Trial Plan from the dropdown menu.
Ensure you save your changes after selecting the plan.
Navigate to your hosting server administration panel.
Go to the plugin/extensions settings section.
Find and access the "Upgrade to PanelAlpha" section.
In the plugin configuration, provide the URL of your PanelAlpha instance in the API URL field.
If you already possess an API Token, please paste it into the designated field. If not, you can generate a new token by navigating to the Configuration page under the Admins section in PanelAlpha.
Configure the "Don't Show Again Expiration" setting according to your preferences.
Run a test connection to verify integration.
Once everything is correctly set up, new users will be eligible to receive trial accounts via PanelAlpha.

# Settings

# API URL

The address to the PanelAlpha admin area, required to establish connection with PanelAlpha.

# API Token

Generated API Token in PanelAlpha Admin Area under the Admins tab. This token is required for secure communication between the connector and PanelAlpha.

# Don't Show Again Expiration (in days)

Options for controlling the display of the upgrade banner in the client area of the hosting server. This setting determines how long the banner remains hidden after a user dismisses it.

# Trial Notifications

# Send Trial Expiration Reminders

Configure up to 7 notifications for each user, each with its own template:

# First Reminder Before Expiration

Notification sent a specified number of days before the trial period ends. This serves as an early warning to encourage users to upgrade to a paid plan.

# Second Reminder Before Expiration

A follow-up notification sent closer to the trial expiration date. This provides another opportunity to convert trial users before their access is suspended.

# Third Reminder Before Expiration

The final reminder sent before the trial expires. This is typically sent 1-2 days before expiration as a last chance to upgrade.

# On Expiry Date

Notification sent on the exact day when the trial period ends. This informs users that their trial has expired and guides them on how to upgrade.

# First Reminder After Expiration

Notification sent after the trial has expired but before the account is suspended. This gives users a grace period to upgrade even after expiration.

# Second Reminder After Expiration

A follow-up notification sent to users whose trials have expired. This continues to encourage upgrading before the account is completely removed.

# Third Reminder After Expiration

The final notification sent to expired trial users before their accounts are permanently removed from the system.

Social Media Login is a feature within Background Billing that allows users to register and log in to your PanelAlpha installation using their existing social media accounts. This simplifies the registration process and increases conversion rates by removing the need to create and remember another set of credentials.

# Available Providers

PanelAlpha supports integration with various popular social media platforms:

Microsoft
LinkedIn
Google
GitHub
Facebook

When Social Media Login is enabled:

Users can quickly register and login with their existing social accounts
Registration through social media bypasses the email verification requirement
User retention increases due to simplified access
Authentication is delegated to secure, established platforms
Users don't need to remember additional passwords

# Client Area

The Client Area for Background Billing provides users with a comprehensive interface to manage their subscriptions, billing information, and trial periods. This section describes the key components and features available to users.

For users with active trial accounts, a prominent banner is displayed on the main dashboard after logging in. This banner:

Shows the exact number of days remaining in the trial period
Provides a direct link to upgrade to a paid plan

# My Plans

The "My Plans" tab allows users to:

View all active and expired plans
Upgrade user plan

# My Billing

The "My Billing" tab provides users with:

Complete billing history
Payment method configuration
Option to download invoices