# Payment reminders, overdue notices, freezing, suspension

If a payment doesn’t arrive, a fixed sequence of reminders and deadlines follows. Your displays keep playing for a long time. Find your payment way below and the day you are at to see what happens next.

> **Type:** reference
> **For:** Owners and Managers who see a warning above the billing page or want to know what follows an open invoice
> **Prerequisite:** the Owner or Manager role
> **Where in the portal:** **Settings › Organization › Billing** › **Status** tile · warning above the page

## The chain for purchase on account

Two letters come before any suspension, and both cost nothing. You can find them in the portal on the document.

| When | What happens | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days after the due date | **Payment reminder** | Friendly and without consequences. Your payment has probably crossed paths with the letter. |
| 14 days after the due date | The first **Overdue notice**, with seven days of grace period | The document shows “Grace period ends …” and the sentence “This notice is not an invoice. VAT has already been shown on the invoice named above.” |
| after the grace period has expired | Access is on hold | Content, devices, and settings are kept and are immediately available again after the payment arrives. |

Szenera does **not** claim default interest and the flat fee under § 288 of the German Civil Code (BGB) as long as the amount arrives within the grace period. The overdue notice says so with a date: “We will not claim default interest or the flat fee of … if the amount reaches us by ….”

## The chain for a charge

With a charge by card or SEPA direct debit, the chain is shorter.

| When | What happens | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| The charge fails | Status **Payment failed** | 14 days to add a new payment method. |
| after 14 days | The organization is frozen | Your displays keep running, and changes in the portal are locked. |
| after a further 30 days | Access is on hold | Content and devices remain. After the payment arrives, access is free again immediately. |

## At the end of the trial

| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 7 days and 1 day before the end of the trial | Szenera reminds you of the missing payment method. |
| End of trial with a payment method on file | Everything continues without interruption. |
| End of trial without a payment method | The organization is frozen. |
| 14 days after that | Access is on hold. |

## What still works in each status

| Status | What keeps running | What is locked |
|---|---|---|
| **Invoice overdue** / **Payment failed** | All displays keep playing. The portal is open. | The contract can only be reduced. |
| **Frozen** | All displays keep playing. Reading remains possible, including analytics with its analysis, documents, and log. Closings and proofs of bookings continue to be created automatically. | Everything that creates or changes something: pairings, scenes, programs, an interim proof, or a link for an advertiser. |
| **Access suspended** | Content and devices remain fully intact. | The portal. Anyone who is signed in is signed out after a few seconds. |

The note on freezing reads “Your displays keep running. Add a payment method and changes are possible again right away.” For suspended access: “Your access is suspended. We restore it as soon as your payment arrives.”

## Where the deadlines appear

| Detail | Where it appears |
|---|---|
| Next payment, overdue since … | Tile **Next payment** |
| **Grace period ends …** or **Grace period ended …** | Footer of the **Status** tile and on the document |
| Status **Invoice overdue**, **Payment failed**, **Reminder 1**, **Frozen**, **Access suspended** | Tile **Status** |
| Date until which a warning applies | in the warning itself |

The portal mentions freezing and suspension only when a payment is overdue and a grace period is running. If a deadline has passed, the warning says that too and does not promise a way out by a date that is already over.

## The warnings above the page

| Title | Text | Way out |
|---|---|---|
| **Invoice overdue.** | “An invoice is open. Please settle it so your displays keep running.” | **Open invoice** |
| **Payment failed.** | “The direct debit came back. Please check your payment method so your displays keep running.” | **Check payment method** |
| **Organization frozen.** | “Your displays keep running. Add a payment method and changes are possible again right away.” | **Add payment method** |
| **Access suspended.** | “Your access is suspended. We restore it as soon as your payment arrives.” | — |
| **No payment method yet.** | “Free until …. To keep everything running afterwards, add a payment method by then.” | **Add payment method** |

If a deadline is running, the warning names the date: “Please settle the open invoice by …. Your displays keep running. While the invoice is open, you can only reduce your contract.”

## Messages that always arrive

The messages **Payment failed**, **Payment past due**, and **Account frozen** cannot be turned off. They appear under **Settings** › **My account** › **Notifications** in their row with **Always** instead of a switch and additionally go out by email. With suspended access, email is the only way that still works.

## Related

- [Add a payment method](/billing/add-payment-method) — the fastest way out of freezing.
- [Invoices, credit notes, and documents](/billing/invoices) — find the open invoice and pay it with the EPC QR code.
- [Messages and banners in the portal](/help/messages-and-banners) — all warnings at a glance.