Definition
A plan change replaces the data plan currently on an IoT SIM with another plan. The change has to say what happens to leftover data on the old plan, and when the new plan starts. Together with plan subscription — a new purchase or a renewal — a packaged plan can be ordered and changed.
Change rules
- Effective immediately: The new plan replaces the old one as soon as it is bought. Leftover data and the remaining cycle on the old plan are usually cleared. This is used for an upgrade or a downgrade.
- Effective at the end of the cycle: When the current plan cycle ends, the SIM switches to the new plan. Leftover data on the old plan can still be used until then.
- Difference or refund: An upgrade pays the price difference. A downgrade may refund or carry the balance forward. The rule is configured for the business.
Where it is used
A change is common when consumer usage shifts, for example a device moving from a small allowance to video monitoring, or when an enterprise project is adjusted. The platform offers the change in user self-service or in the agent portal, for a switch that stays on the same operator. A change that crosses operators has to check whether the operator allows it and whether operator mapping is in place.
Change and billing
The change has to settle leftover data and the remaining cycle on the old plan. If it takes effect immediately, unused allowance on the old plan may be cleared. If it waits for the end of the cycle, that allowance stays until the cycle ends. An upgrade may collect a price difference. A downgrade may refund or carry the balance forward, according to the business rule. The new plan’s plan cycle starts on the effective date, and data billing follows the new plan. The bill should show the charges before the change and after it.
Where a change starts
A change can start in user self-service, where a C-end user changes a SIM on their account; in the agent self-service portal, where an agent changes a SIM they bought; or in the enterprise console, where a B2B customer changes SIMs in bulk. The change checks SIM status and attribution, and it can take WeChat Pay and Alipay. After the change, plan provisioning writes the new plan onto the SIM. The change order records sales attribution for settlement and revenue sharing or payment split. Plan change, plan subscription, and plan packaging are the plan-management set.
The two effective times
A change takes effect immediately, or at the end of the current cycle. Immediate effect usually clears leftover data and the remaining cycle on the old plan. Waiting until the cycle ends keeps them until then. An upgrade may collect a price difference. A downgrade may refund or carry the balance forward. The new plan cycle starts on the effective date, and data billing follows the new plan. Plan change is a main part of plan management on the IoT Cloud Platform.
Is the session before the switch rated on the old tier or the new one
A plan change replaces the house plan currently in effect on the SIM with another tier, and it deals with remaining data and remaining days. When the change takes effect immediately, billing usually follows the new tier from the moment the change receipt succeeds. The old tier’s remainder is voided or converted by rule. Only one of those two may be chosen. When the change takes effect after the cycle ends, the old tier runs to the cycle end, and the new tier starts at the next cycle. There should not be an empty day in between, and there should not be an overlapping day. During the stretch after the change request is submitted and before the receipt arrives, usage is still the old tier. Do not charge the new tier’s unit price first. SimtoLink plan change should write the effective method on the change order. If payment of the difference fails, the change order is cancelled and the SIM keeps the old plan. The page label alone must not change.
How an upgrade top-up and a downgrade carry-over avoid a double charge
The difference an upgrade has to collect should say whether it is proportional to remaining days, proportional to remaining data, or a fixed top-up. If a downgrade refunds, say whether the refund is the amount for unused days, or whether it may only carry into a balance and may not return on the original payment path. That choice is made together with the payment method. A balance carry-over cannot also be a refund. When immediate effect zeroes the old data, the zeroing and the difference calculation use the same snapshot of the remainder, so new usage does not arrive after the calculation and cause an over-refund. Changing to another operator’s tariff is allowed only when the SIM itself belongs to that operator and a mapping exists. Changing the SIM across operators is not a plan change. A suspended SIM can be changed and paid first, but whether it resumes still depends on the suspension reason. Changing the plan must not clear a manual freeze.
How the change order relates to the original subscription
A change creates a new order and refers to the original plan instance. The original instance closes at the effective point, the new instance opens, and historical usage stays on the old instance for reconciliation. Do not edit the plan name on the original order, or the invoice and the revenue share lose their basis. Channel share is calculated on the amount actually paid on the change order. Share already taken on the old order is not recalculated because of the change, unless the difference rule says it must be clawed back. A SIM allows only one change in progress at a time. A repeated click is merged by the change request id. If the new plan leaves the shelf after payment and before provisioning, cancel the change and refund the difference. Do not provision a code that is no longer sold. When SIM information is queried, the current plan, the plan waiting to take effect, and the previous tier are three rows. A plan that is waiting, and whose time has not arrived, cannot be treated as the tier already in use when the remaining allowance is calculated. If a waiting plan depends on stock or a mapping still being there in the next cycle, check again before the effective date. If it has lapsed, tell the user to choose again. Do not wait until the day it should start and then fail the provisioning.