Your ZOLEO billing invoice provides a detailed record of all charges applied to your account during each billing cycle. This article explains how to read your invoice, how each type of charge is timed and calculated, and answers the most common billing questions. Charges on your invoice cover different periods and billing timings depending on the type of fee, which can be confusing at first. Understanding the structure of your invoice makes it easier to verify that everything on your bill is correct. If you have reviewed this article and still have questions about a specific charge, contact us at ZOLEO Contact Us.
What Your Invoice Date Means
Your Invoice Date marks the start of your 30-day billing cycle. It is set on the date you first activated your ZOLEO device, and it does not change for the life of your account. All additional services you activate after your initial setup will align to this same billing cycle and may be prorated accordingly when first added.
Your Invoice Date can be found in the Account Details section on the first page of your invoice. You can also view it by logging into your MyZOLEO account.
Understanding your Invoice Date helps clarify why charges may appear at different times or seem to cover overlapping periods. Monthly subscription plan fees are billed in advance for the upcoming billing cycle — you pay for the next 30 days before they begin. Usage charges that exceed your plan's monthly message allowance are billed in arrears — they appear on your invoice after the cycle in which they occurred. Both charge types appear on the same invoice, but they cover different time periods.
What Charges Appear on Your First Invoice
Your first ZOLEO invoice will include two charges for each newly activated device: a one-time $54.99 activation fee and a subscription fee covering one full month based on the plan you selected. The activation fee is applied once, on the day your ZOLEO service begins, and will not appear on any future invoices. It is separate from your subscription fee and covers the cost of activating the device on the ZOLEO network.
If you activate additional devices on different days within the same billing cycle, the first month's subscription fee for each new device will be prorated to align with your existing billing cycle. The prorated amount is preauthorized on your credit card and added to your account balance. Your credit card is then charged after your next monthly invoice is generated. This means you may see an additional charge shortly after activation if your billing cycle renews soon.
On subsequent invoices, you will see your monthly subscription fee billed in advance and any overage usage charges from the previous cycle billed in arrears. These two charge types will often cover different date ranges on the same invoice, which is expected and not an error.
Why Different Charges Are Billed at Different Times
Not all charges on your ZOLEO invoice cover the same billing period, and understanding the timing of each type helps avoid confusion when reviewing your statement.
Activation fees are charged on the day your ZOLEO service begins. This is a one-time fee that applies only when a device is activated for the first time. It will not recur on future invoices.
Monthly subscription plan fees are billed in advance for the upcoming 30-day billing cycle. You will see these charges before the period they cover begins, which means the subscription fee on any given invoice is for the next month, not the current one.
Usage charges that exceed your plan's included message allowance are billed in arrears for the previous billing cycle. These appear on your invoice after the usage has already occurred, which is why usage overage charges and your subscription fee on the same invoice often cover different date ranges.
Top-up bundles added during a billing cycle will appear on your next invoice rather than the current one. If you added a top-up bundle during the current cycle, it will not appear until your next invoice is generated.
Why You May See Partial or Prorated Charges
Partial charges, also called prorated charges, appear on your invoice when you change your monthly subscription plan or suspend your service partway through a billing cycle. When either of these changes occurs mid-cycle, your invoice will reflect a prorated credit for the unused portion of your old plan and a prorated charge for the new plan or suspension period. This ensures you are only billed for the days you were on each plan, rather than a full month for both.
For example, if you switch from the Basic plan (75 messages) to the In Touch plan (300 messages) on Day 20 of a 30-day billing cycle, your message allocation will be split as follows:
- Old plan (Days 1–20): Two-thirds of 75 messages = 50 messages.
- New plan (Days 21–30): One-third of 300 messages = 100 messages.
For that billing cycle, you would have a total of 150 messages across both plans. The same prorated calculation applies to the subscription fees for each plan. Prorated charges and credits will be itemized separately on your invoice so you can see exactly how the split was calculated.
Why Some Usage Charges Show $0 and Others Show an Amount Owed
Your ZOLEO plan includes a monthly allocation of satellite messages. Any usage within that allocation appears on your invoice as individual line items with a $0 charge, confirming that each message was covered by your plan. These $0 entries are normal and are included on the invoice to give you a complete record of all satellite activity on your account.
Once you have used all of your included messages for the month, any additional usage is billed based on your plan's per-message overage rate. These overage charges appear as separate line items with an amount owed rather than $0. If you notice overage charges on your invoice, it means your usage exceeded your monthly message allocation during that billing cycle.
If you find yourself regularly going over your message allowance and accumulating overage charges, consider upgrading to a higher-tier plan or adding a top-up bundle. Both options are available through your MyZOLEO account.
How Usage Is Billed When You Change Rate Plans
When you change your ZOLEO rate plan, any usage that occurs on the day of the change is billed at the new plan's rate. Your message allocation for the current billing cycle is also prorated based on the number of days you were on each plan, so you will not lose or gain messages in a way that is disproportionate to the time spent on each plan.
For example, if you switch from the Basic plan (75 messages) to the In Touch plan (300 messages) on Day 20 of a 30-day billing cycle, your prorated message allocation for that cycle would be:
- Basic plan (Days 1–20): 50 messages (two-thirds of 75).
- In Touch plan (Days 21–30): 100 messages (one-third of 300).
In total, you would have 150 messages available for that billing cycle across both plans. Any messages used beyond the combined prorated allocation would be billed at the In Touch plan's overage rate, since the change occurred on Day 20 and all usage from that day forward is billed at the new plan's rate.
What UTC Means on Your Invoice
UTC stands for Coordinated Universal Time, and all usage timestamps on your ZOLEO invoice are recorded in UTC. UTC is the global time standard used across all satellite communication systems. It does not observe daylight saving time, which means it stays fixed year-round, while your local time may shift by one hour seasonally.
The difference between UTC and your local time depends on your timezone. For example, Eastern Standard Time (EST) is UTC minus 5 hours, and Pacific Standard Time (PST) is UTC minus 8 hours. When daylight saving time is in effect, those offsets shift by one hour. To convert a UTC timestamp on your invoice to your local time, look up the current UTC offset for your timezone.
If a usage event on your invoice appears to show a date that does not match when you expected to see activity, a UTC conversion is often the explanation. A message sent late in the evening in your local time may show a different date on your invoice because UTC is several hours ahead of North American time zones.
Why Two Credit Card Charges May Appear for Your First Month
If you notice two charges on your credit card statement for your first month's subscription fee, this is expected behavior and not a billing error. The first charge is a preauthorization, a standard practice in billing systems used to confirm that sufficient funds are available before the actual payment is processed. A preauthorization temporarily holds the funds but does not complete a payment.
The second charge is the actual payment for the subscription fee. You will typically see the actual charge posted to your card within 10 business days of the invoice being generated. Depending on your bank's processing time, the preauthorization and the actual charge may both appear on your statement at the same time, making it look as though you have been charged twice.
In most cases, the preauthorization will drop off your statement once the actual payment is posted. If both charges remain on your statement after 10 business days, contact us at ZOLEO Contact Us, and we can look into it.
Why You May Be Billed for a Second Month Shortly After Your First
Your ZOLEO billing cycle runs for 30 days from the activation date of your first device. For example, if you activated your first ZOLEO device on the 15th of the month, your billing cycle runs from the 15th through the 14th of the following month. On the 15th of each month, a new invoice is generated, and the next cycle's subscription fee is charged in advance.
If your first invoice was generated shortly before your billing cycle renewed, you may receive a second invoice within a short period. This is not an error — it simply reflects the timing of the billing cycle. Because subscription fees are billed in advance, the second invoice covers the upcoming 30-day period, not a period you have already paid for.
If you activated additional devices on different days within the same billing cycle, their first month's subscription fees will be prorated to align with your billing date and may also appear shortly after your initial invoice. If you believe you have been charged for a period already covered, log into your MyZOLEO account to review your invoice history, or contact us at ZOLEO Contact Us.
How to Pay an Outstanding Balance
Payment cards on file are charged automatically once an invoice is due. If automatic payment does not succeed on the first attempt, the system will try to process the payment again. To pay an outstanding balance manually before the automatic retry, log in to your MyZOLEO account and navigate to Make a Payment. You can pay the full outstanding balance or a specific invoice from this section of your account.
To update the payment card on file, navigate to Payment Info in your MyZOLEO account and follow the on-screen prompts. Keeping your payment information current helps avoid failed automatic payments and any resulting service interruptions. If your card has expired or the billing address has changed, updating it promptly will prevent your next invoice from going unpaid.
If you are experiencing difficulty making a payment or believe a charge on your invoice is incorrect, contact us at ZOLEO Contact Us so we can assist you.
Why a Balance May Still Show After a Recent Payment
The balance shown in your MyZOLEO account may include charges that are currently in progress and not yet reflected in your most recent payment. These are usage charges or other fees that have been incurred during the current billing cycle but have not yet been included in a finalized invoice. They appear as a running balance in your account before the invoice is generated at the end of the billing cycle.
This means that even if your most recent invoice has been paid in full, your account balance may still show a non-zero amount. This is expected and does not indicate a problem with your payment. The in-progress charges will be itemized and included in your next monthly invoice when it is generated.
If you have made a payment and the outstanding balance appears higher than you would expect based on your plan and usage, contact us at ZOLEO Contact Us, and we can review your account in detail.
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