Society dues and renewal

Society dues are the only paid feature on Underground Aquarium. You pay them on the membership page through a secure Stripe checkout. Nothing is ever charged automatically: each year you choose to pay again.

How much are Society dues?

Current prices are shown on the site, not in this guide:

• The What it costs section of the Society page.
• The plan cards on the membership page.
• The Pay button itself, which always shows the exact amount you'll be charged.

Individual dues are "per year." Lifetime dues are "once · never renews." Family memberships are no longer offered. The site takes no cut of dues.

How do I pay my Society dues?

You can only pay after your application has been approved.

1. Sign in and go to the membership page. (Society links also take you there automatically when dues are owed.)
2. Find the box titled Activate your membership (first payment), Renew your membership (after a lapse) or Lifetime membership (Lifetime plan).
3. Click the green Pay [amount] dues button (on the Lifetime plan it reads Pay [amount]). It shows "Starting..." while it opens checkout.
4. Complete the payment on the Stripe checkout page. Your email address is filled in for you.
5. You come back to the membership page with a green banner: "Dues paid, thank you! Your membership is active." The banner disappears after a few seconds.
6. Click Go to the member area.

How long does one Society payment last?

• Individual: each payment covers 12 months.
• Lifetime: one payment covers your membership for good. You'll never see a renewal box again.

Your member card shows how far you're covered: Paid through followed by a month and year (for example "Paid through Sep 2027"), or Lifetime member for lifetime and honorary members.

How is my paid-through date worked out?

• First payment: 12 months from the day you pay.
• Renewing on time: 12 months are added to your current paid-through date, so your renewal date never drifts.
• Renewing late: your date rolls forward to the next anniversary after today. One payment catches you up, but you don't get bonus time for the months you were lapsed. For example, if you were paid through March and renew in May, you're paid through next March.

Do Society dues renew automatically?

No. Nothing charges your card automatically. The Society page says it plainly: "Cancel or lapse any time. Nothing auto-charges without warning." To keep your membership, you pay again each year. The renewal emails use the word "renews," but they're reminders to pay, not a charge.

When can I renew?

The Renew your membership box appears on the membership page once your paid-through date has passed. While you're still paid up, the membership page sends you into the member area instead and there's no Pay button to click. If you want to pay early, email support@undergroundaquarium.com.

What renewal reminder emails will I get?

Individual members with a paid-through date get up to four emails per renewal cycle, each with a Renew your membership button that links to the membership page:

• 10 days before: "Your Underground Aquarium Society dues renew in 10 days" with the amount and the renewal date.
• 3 days before: "Your Underground Aquarium Society dues renew in 3 days."
• On the day: "Your Underground Aquarium Society dues are due today."
• 3 days after: "Your Underground Aquarium Society membership has lapsed" with the date it lapsed.

Each reminder is sent once per cycle. Lifetime and honorary members don't get them.

Do I get a receipt for my Society dues?

Yes. After a successful payment, a receipt email is sent to the email you paid with. The subject is "Your Underground Aquarium Society dues receipt." It shows the Amount and Membership active through date, and says "Keep this email as your receipt."

What happens when my Society dues lapse?

When your paid-through date passes and you haven't renewed:

• The whole member area locks. That includes Overview, Breeder Program, Spawn Logs, My Submissions, Review Queue, Leaderboard, Certificates and Raffle. Any Society link sends you to the membership page with a Renew your membership box instead.
• You can't open new spawn logs or add stages until you renew.
• The brass ring on your avatar goes away until you're back in good standing.
• Nothing is deleted. Your spawn logs, points and certificates are kept and come back the moment your renewal clears. The renewal box says: "Your member area, spawn logs and certificates unlock again the moment it clears."
• Your certificates still verify. Anyone checking your certificate code at the Certificate Registry still sees the record while you're lapsed.
• Your free account isn't affected. Classifieds, messages, forums, feed and tools keep working.

Lifetime members, honorary members and Society officers never lock out.

What does "Your dues have lapsed. Your records are safe" mean?

If this banner appears at the top of the member area, your paid-through date has passed. Go to the membership page and click the Pay button in the Renew your membership box. (The banner itself links back to the Overview page, so use the membership page link to pay.)

How do I renew my Society membership?

1. Sign in and click The Society in the menu. If you're lapsed, you land on the membership page automatically. You can also go straight to the membership page.
2. Click the Pay [amount] dues button in the Renew your membership box.
3. Complete Stripe checkout.

Everything unlocks as soon as the payment clears, and you'll get a receipt email.

I cancelled at checkout. Was I charged?

No. If you close or back out of the Stripe checkout page, you return to the membership page and nothing is charged. You can click Pay again whenever you're ready.

Can I get a refund on Society dues?

The site has no refund button. Email support@undergroundaquarium.com and include the email address you paid with.

Is my card information safe?

Dues are processed by Stripe on Stripe's own checkout page. Underground Aquarium never sees or stores your card number.

Common problems

"Couldn't start checkout." or "Something went wrong." The checkout page couldn't be opened. Wait a moment and click Pay again. If it keeps failing, email support@undergroundaquarium.com.

"This club isn't set up to collect dues yet." The Society's payment account isn't ready to take payments at the moment. Email support@undergroundaquarium.com and we'll sort it out.

"This club has no dues." or "This club has no dues for your membership type." There's no price set for your plan. Email support@undergroundaquarium.com.

"This club hasn't set a lifetime membership rate yet." You're on the Lifetime plan but no Lifetime price is set. Email support@undergroundaquarium.com to switch plans or get help.

"Please sign in." Your session ended. Sign in again, return to the membership page and click Pay.

I paid but the page still asks me to pay. Payments are confirmed by Stripe a moment after checkout. Wait a minute and reload the membership page. If you still see the Pay box and you have a receipt email, email support@undergroundaquarium.com with the receipt.

I got a "renews in 10 days" email but there's no Pay button. The Pay button only appears after your paid-through date has passed. You can pay then, or email support@undergroundaquarium.com to pay early.

I was approved but there's no Pay button at all. If the Society can't take payments at that moment, the Pay box doesn't appear. Email support@undergroundaquarium.com.