--- title: "What EZ Preorder usage charges are and when they are billed" description: "Only Scale and retired usage-based plans have usage charges. Scale charges 1% past 500 preorders or $20,000, plus $0.01 per alert past 3,000. Cap: $250." url: https://docs.ezpreorder.com/plans-and-billing/usage-charges plan: Scale last_verified: 2026-11-11 --- # What EZ Preorder usage charges are and when they are billed EZ Preorder & Back In Stock, the Shopify app, adds usage charges only on the Scale plan and on retired usage-based plans. On Scale, after the first 500 preorders or $20,000 in preorder revenue in a 30-day billing cycle, whichever comes first, EZ Preorder charges 1% of the preorder revenue above that point. Each restock alert email past the first 3,000 in the cycle costs $0.01. Charges are recorded once a day, can't exceed $250 per cycle, and appear on your Shopify bill. The Free, Core, Growth and Professional plans never have usage charges. **Available on:** Scale plan, and the retired usage-based plans. **Where to find it:** EZ Preorder → **Usage**. The **Usage** menu item only appears for stores on these plans. ## Which EZ Preorder plans have usage charges Usage charges in EZ Preorder depend on your plan. On plans without usage charges, preorders switch off at the plan limit instead. See [What counts toward your EZ Preorder plan limits](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/plans-and-billing/plan-limits). | Plan | Usage charges | | --- | --- | | Free, Core, Growth, Professional | None | | Scale | 1% of preorder revenue past 500 preorders or $20,000 a cycle, plus $0.01 per restock alert email past 3,000 a cycle. Capped at $250 a cycle. | | Unlimited (usage based, retired) | 0.5% of preorder revenue after the first 25 preorders in each cycle | | Unlimited Plus (usage based, retired) | 0.5% of preorder revenue after the first 50 preorders in each cycle | | Payments Plus (usage based, retired) | 0.5% of preorder revenue after the first 100 preorders in each cycle | | Unlimited (all features, $50, retired) | None | ## How the Scale plan's preorder fee works The Scale plan's preorder fee in EZ Preorder starts once your billing cycle passes 500 preorders or $20,000 in preorder revenue. Whichever of the two your cycle reaches first decides how the fee is worked out for the rest of that cycle: - **500 preorders reached first.** Each preorder after the 500th is charged 1% of its preorder revenue. - **$20,000 reached first.** EZ Preorder charges 1% of the preorder revenue above $20,000. Only one method applies per cycle. If both are reached on the same day, the preorder-count method applies. Both reset when a new 30-day cycle begins. Preorder revenue means the price of the preorder items in each order, after discounts, converted to USD. Shipping and non-preorder items in the same order aren't included. [What counts toward your EZ Preorder plan limits](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/plans-and-billing/plan-limits) explains what counts as a preorder. ### Examples of the Scale plan preorder fee - **Many small orders.** Your cycle has 600 preorders of $20 each, $12,000 in all. You reach 500 preorders before $20,000, so the 100 preorders after the 500th are charged 1% of $2,000, which is $20. - **Fewer large orders.** Your cycle has 600 preorders of $50 each, $30,000 in all. Revenue reaches $20,000 at the 400th preorder, before 500 preorders, so you pay 1% of the $10,000 above $20,000, which is $100. ## How the Scale plan's restock alert fee works The Scale plan's restock alert fee in EZ Preorder applies to restock alert emails (back in stock alerts) sent, not to signups. Shoppers can sign up through the Notify Me button without limit. When a product comes back in stock, each email sent to a signed-up shopper counts. The first 3,000 emails sent in each billing cycle are included, and each email after that costs $0.01. ## When EZ Preorder usage charges are billed EZ Preorder usage charges are recorded on your Shopify app subscription once a day, and Shopify collects them on your Shopify bill. - Each day, EZ Preorder checks the previous day's activity (in UTC) and adds any new charges as usage records. - Shopify adds usage charges to your next Shopify bill. Because your app's 30-day cycle may not line up with your Shopify billing cycle, one cycle's usage can be split across two Shopify bills. See Shopify's guide to [app charges on your bill](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/your-account/manage-billing/your-invoice/apps). - Usage charges are separate from the $50 plan price. If you don't go past the included amounts, you pay no usage charges. - Usage charges are in USD. ### The $250 usage cap Scale plan usage charges can't exceed $250 in one billing cycle. You approve this cap on Shopify's approval page when you subscribe, where the plan's terms read "1% transaction fee on preorder revenue". Once a cycle's usage charges reach $250, no more are added until the next cycle starts. Your preorders keep working either way. ## How to read the Usage page The **Usage** page in EZ Preorder shows your current cycle on the Scale plan. Go to EZ Preorder → **Usage**. The cards at the top: | Card | What it shows | | --- | --- | | **Current Plan** | Your plan, Scale | | **Pre-orders Used** | Preorders this cycle, out of the 500 included | | **Restock Signups** | Restock alert signups this cycle, shown against 3,000 | | **Subscription Status** | **Active** | | **Preorder Revenue** | Preorder revenue this cycle in USD, out of the $20,000 included | | **Overage Fees** | The rates: "Preorder: 1% \| Restock: $0.01" | The **Restock Signups** card counts signups. The 3,000 included alerts are counted as emails sent. Restock alert fees show up in the **Usage Records** table as **Restock Alert Overage**. Below the cards, **Usage Records** lists the charges for your current subscription: - **Billing Period** shows the start and end of your current 30-day cycle, with your subscription status. - **Balance Used** shows the usage charged so far out of your $250 cap, for example "Balance Used: $12.40 / $250.00 USD". - The table lists each charge with its **Date**, **Description** and **Amount**, 10 to a page. Descriptions are **Preorder Overage** (the per-preorder method), **Revenue Overage (above $20k)** (the revenue method) and **Restock Alert Overage**. **Usage Billing Information** at the bottom repeats the rules in short form. ## Usage charges on retired usage-based plans Retired usage-based plans in EZ Preorder charge a 0.5% fee on preorder revenue after a number of free preorders in each 30-day cycle: 25 on Unlimited, 50 on Unlimited Plus and 100 on Payments Plus. As on Scale, charges are recorded daily as **Preorder Overage** and billed by Shopify. Stores on these plans see a **Usage** page with these cards: **Billing Period**, **Current Plan**, **Free Preorders Used** (for example "30 / 25"), **Subscription Status**, **Preorder Revenue**, **Accrued Charges** and **Transaction Fee** (0.5%). These plans can't be chosen again once you leave them. See [What each EZ Preorder plan costs and includes](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/plans-and-billing/plans-and-pricing). ## Limitations - EZ Preorder sets the $250 cap. There's no setting to raise or lower it. - The daily check records the previous day's usage, so a charge appears the day after the activity. - Exchange rates for non-USD orders are taken when the usage is checked, so the USD amount can differ slightly from what you'd work out yourself. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do the Core, Growth or Professional plans have usage charges? No. Those plans have fixed allowances, and EZ Preorder switches preorders off at the limit instead of charging more. Only Scale and the retired usage-based plans have usage charges. ### Why is there an EZ Preorder usage charge on my Shopify bill? On Scale, you passed 500 preorders or $20,000 in preorder revenue, or 3,000 restock alert emails, in a billing cycle. Open EZ Preorder → **Usage** to see each charge with its date and description. ### Is the Scale plan fee 1% of all preorder revenue? No. The 1% applies only past the included amount: to preorders after the 500th, or to revenue above $20,000, whichever your cycle reaches first. ### Do restock alert signups cost anything on the Scale plan? No. Signups are unlimited and free. Only restock alert emails sent past the first 3,000 in a cycle cost $0.01 each. ### What is the most EZ Preorder can charge in usage in one cycle? $250. Shopify won't accept usage charges past the cap you approved, and your preorders keep working after it's reached. ### What happens to usage charges if I downgrade or uninstall mid-cycle? Charges already recorded stay on your Shopify bill. No new usage charges are added once you're off Scale. Shopify notes that uninstalling stops future billing but doesn't remove a pending charge. ### Can I see usage charges from earlier cycles in EZ Preorder? The **Usage** page shows the current subscription's usage records. For earlier charges, check your bills in Shopify admin under **Settings** → **Billing**. ## Related articles - [What each EZ Preorder plan costs and includes](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/plans-and-billing/plans-and-pricing): prices, limits and features by plan. - [What counts toward your EZ Preorder plan limits](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/plans-and-billing/plan-limits): what counts as a preorder and as preorder revenue. - [How to change or cancel your EZ Preorder plan](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/plans-and-billing/change-or-cancel-your-plan): moving on or off Scale. - [The EZ Preorder Dashboard and metrics](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/reports-ai-and-support/dashboard-and-metrics): usage and results on every plan.