# Payment reminders, overdue notices, freezing, suspension

If a payment does not arrive, a fixed chain of letters and deadlines follows. Find the table for your payment way below, find the row for the day you are at, and then check the overview of the statuses for what still works in that status.

> **Type:** reference
> **For:** Owners and Managers who see a warning above the billing page or want to know what follows an open invoice.
> **Prerequisite:** Read permission for billing (Owner, Manager).
> **Where in the portal:** **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](/docs/billing/add-payment-method) — the fastest way out of freezing.
- [Invoices, credit notes, and documents](/docs/billing/invoices) — find the open invoice and pay it with the EPC QR code.
- [Messages and banners in the portal](/docs/help/messages-and-banners) — all warnings at a glance.