Pricing & Billing FAQs

Everything you need to know about how billing works for your wine club membership, including pricing, fees, overages, taxes, and payment management.

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How Much Does It Cost?

Subscription Clubs

• You pay a recurring membership fee on a set schedule (monthly, every 2 months, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually).
• The price depends on the tier you selected when joining (e.g., "Classic - $69/month", "Premium - $129/quarter").
• Your membership price covers a set number of bottles per cycle.

Release Clubs

• You pay per release, not on a fixed schedule.
• The price depends on which wines are in the release and how many you select.
• Tier pages show an estimated price range (e.g., "$120 - $180 per release") since the exact cost varies.

Membership-Only Clubs

• You pay a recurring fee for access to member benefits (discounts, tastings, event access).
• No wine shipments are included - it's purely a benefits membership.

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What's Included in the Price?

Your membership price typically covers:

• Wine - the bottles included in your tier
• Curation or selection access - the winery's work in selecting or making wines available to you

Not always included (may be additional):

• Shipping costs - depends on the club's shipping policy (free, flat rate, or actual cost)
• Tax - sales tax and any wine-specific taxes based on your delivery state
• Service fee - some businesses charge a small service fee on transactions
• Enrollment fee - a one-time fee when you first join (shown during checkout)

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Overages (Customer Choice Clubs)

If your club uses Customer Choice and you select wines that cost more than your per-cycle base amount:

• The difference is called an overage.
• The overage amount is shown in the sticky footer on the selection page: "Estimated Additional: $XX.XX"
• The breakdown shows:
  • Overage: the dollar amount beyond your base price
  • Service fee: if the business charges a percentage fee, it's applied to the overage
  • Total additional charge: overage + fee
• This additional charge is processed when you confirm your selection.
• If you stay within your base amount, there is no additional charge - your regular membership fee covers it.

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Taxes

• Tax is calculated based on your delivery destination (your shipping address state or pickup location state).
• Tax line items (e.g., "State Tax", "County Tax", "Excise Tax") appear in:
  • The checkout footer during sign-up (as an estimate)
  • The order detail page (as the actual charged amount)
  • The selection confirmation page (as part of the Payment Summary)
• Tax rates vary by state and locality.
• Some businesses use an outside service to calculate tax on shipped orders. Once you've entered your full shipping address at checkout (joining or the online store), the tax shown comes from that service and matches what you're charged.
• If that service can't price your order, checkout stops before payment and says why, so you're never charged a guessed tax. See How to Join and Shopping a Business's Online Store.

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Service Fee

Some businesses charge a service fee (labeled as such in the pricing breakdown):

• It's a percentage of your order subtotal.
• It appears as a separate line item in:
  • The checkout footer
  • The order detail pricing summary
  • The selection confirmation Payment Summary
• Not all clubs charge a service fee - it depends on the business.

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Enrollment Fee

Some clubs charge a one-time enrollment fee when you first join:

• The enrollment fee is shown during checkout in the footer's price breakdown as "Enrollment fee (one-time)."
• It's charged alongside your first membership payment.
• It does not recur - it's a one-time charge.

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Payment Methods

Adding or Updating Your Payment Method

1. Click Wallet in the top tabs (the bottom bar on a phone).
2. Cards are saved per business. If you belong to several and are viewing all of them, pick the business from the menu at the top.
3. Add a new card, or remove one you no longer use. Card details are entered in a secure Stripe form.

Payment Method Per Business

Your payment method is stored per business. If you belong to clubs from two different wineries, each has its own card on file. Updating one doesn't affect the other.

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Billing Issues

Payment Failed

If a payment fails:

1. A red "Payment Failed" banner appears on your Membership Detail page with a Pay Now button.
2. Stripe will automatically retry the payment over the next few days.
3. You can resolve it immediately by:
   • Clicking Pay Now on the membership page, which takes you to Wallet.
   • Going to Wallet and updating your card.
4. If payment continues to fail, your membership status changes to Payment Failed and eventually may be suspended.

Membership Suspended

If your membership is suspended due to repeated payment failure:

• An amber banner appears: "Your membership was suspended due to payment failure."
• Click Restart Membership to restart with a fresh billing cycle (your card on file will be charged).
• Update your payment method first if the old card is no longer valid.

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Subscription Billing Cycle

When Am I Charged?

• You're charged when you first join (the first billing cycle).
• After that, you're charged automatically at the start of each billing period.
• Your next billing date is shown on the Membership Detail page.

What Happens During Pause?

• When you pause, no further charges are made after your current billing period ends.
• Your rewards stay active through the end of the current period.
• When you resume, a new billing cycle starts immediately.

What Happens When I Cancel?

• For subscription clubs: your membership remains active through the end of the current billing period, then cancellation takes effect. You will not be charged again.
• You can restart at any time, which begins a new billing cycle.

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Release Club Billing

When Am I Charged?

• You're charged when you confirm your selection for each release.
• If the club uses Customer Choice, you're charged when you click "Confirm [N] items" on the selection page.
• If the club uses Exact Set (winery-curated), you may be charged automatically when the release is created, or when the winery processes the order.

Skipping a Release

• If you skip a release, you are not charged for it.
• You can skip from the Membership Detail page by clicking the Skip Next Release button.

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Price Breakdown Reference

Here's what each line item means when you see a pricing summary:

Line Item	Description
Subtotal	The base cost of your wines (before tax and fees)
Membership (per [frequency])	Your recurring subscription price
[N] items	Cost of selected bottles (for release clubs or initial purchase)
Enrollment fee	One-time joining fee (first payment only)
Overage	Extra charge when your selections exceed your per-cycle base
Service fee	Business service fee (percentage of subtotal)
[Tax name] (e.g., State Tax)	Tax charged based on your delivery location
Member discount	Reward discount applied to your order (shown in green as a deduction)
Total	Your final charge amount
Total due today	What you pay right now (shown in checkout footer)
Estimated Additional	Extra amount beyond your subscription price (shown in selection footer)

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Common Questions

Q: Can I get a refund if I cancel? A: Cancellation stops future billing but does not refund the current period. For refund requests on specific orders, contact the winery directly.

Q: Why was I charged more than my membership price? A: If you selected premium wines in a Customer Choice club that exceed your per-cycle base amount, the overage is charged as an additional amount. The overage and any applicable fees are shown before you confirm your selection.

Q: How do I see my billing history? A: Go to Wallet. Recent Transactions lists your past charges with dates, amounts and status.

Q: Is my payment information secure? A: Yes. MemberZone uses Stripe to process all payments. Your card details are handled directly by Stripe and are never stored on MemberZone's servers.

Q: Can I use different cards for different clubs? A: Yes. Payment methods are stored per business. If you belong to clubs from different businesses, each has its own card on file.

Q: What currency are prices in? A: In the currency of the business you're buying from. Businesses in the United States charge in US dollars (USD); businesses in Canada charge in Canadian dollars (CAD), shown as CA$, for memberships, store orders, gift cards, receipts and emails alike.