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Guides for the places you pay online.

Plain explanations of virtual cards, paying international websites, subscriptions, account safety and the services people pay for most.

Illustration for "A list of everything that renews"

Subscription control · 5 min

A list of everything that renews

Before you can manage subscriptions you need to see them all. How to find every renewing charge, including the hidden ones, and a simple list to keep them in.
Illustration for "Changing phones without losing your authenticator"

Account safety · 5 min

Changing phones without losing your authenticator

The authenticator app on your phone is half of your sign-in. When the phone changes, the codes have to move with it. A calm, step-by-step way to do it.
Illustration for "Hotel holds and deposits: the number you see before arrival"

Travel bookings · 5 min

Hotel holds and deposits: the number you see before arrival

Hotels often reserve more than the room price on your card, before and during a stay. How holds work, how long they stay, and how to size a card balance around them.
Illustration for "Why streaming services check where you are"

Streaming and games · 5 min

Why streaming services check where you are

Streaming services ask where you are because the films and music they show are licensed country by country. What they check, why payments get caught up in it, and what you can do.
Illustration for "Course bundles, memberships and single courses: how each bills"

Online learning · 5 min

Course bundles, memberships and single courses: how each bills

Buying one course, a bundle or a membership looks similar at checkout and behaves very differently afterwards. How each one charges, renews and ends.
Illustration for "Seats, tiers and usage: reading a software invoice before paying"

Software and tools · 5 min

Seats, tiers and usage: reading a software invoice before paying

A software invoice tells you exactly why you are paying what you pay, if you know how to read it. A line-by-line guide to seats, tiers, usage, proration and tax.
Illustration for "Domain renewals a year later: keeping a name alive"

Hosting and domains · 5 min

Domain renewals a year later: keeping a name alive

A domain name is rented, not owned, and renewal day comes once a year when nobody is thinking about it. How renewals work, what grace periods mean, and how to never lose a name.
Illustration for "Currency conversion at checkout: who converts, and at what cost"

Paying across borders · 5 min

Currency conversion at checkout: who converts, and at what cost

When a price is in one currency and a card in another, someone converts the amount. Who does it, how the rate is set, and how to see the final figure before paying.
Illustration for "The life of a virtual card, from order to last payment"

Virtual card essentials · 5 min

The life of a virtual card, from order to last payment

A virtual card has a beginning, a working life and an end. Following one card through each stage shows what happens, who does what, and what you decide.
Illustration for "Inside an online checkout: the parts you never see"

Platform guides · Main guide · 5 min

Inside an online checkout: the parts you never see

Between pressing "Pay" and seeing "Thank you" a card payment visits several companies and passes several checks. A plain explanation of who does what.
Illustration for "Money tools for remote and freelance work"

Remote work money · Main guide · 5 min

Money tools for remote and freelance work

Remote and freelance work turns one person into a small finance department: tools to pay for, clients to bill, expenses to separate and records to keep. A practical setup.
Illustration for "Taking control of subscriptions with separate cards"

Subscription control · Main guide · 5 min

Taking control of subscriptions with separate cards

Subscriptions are easy to start and just as easy to forget. A practical method: list them, give them separate cards with set balances, and review once a month.