Overview
If you have an active subscription or payment plan with a school on Teachable Payments, you can manage it through the Stripe Customer Portal — a secure, Stripe-hosted page where you can update your payment method, view your invoice history, upgrade or downgrade your subscription (if applicable), and cancel your subscription.
Access the Stripe Customer Portal
There are a few ways to get to the Customer Portal:
From a billing email — any invoice or subscription reminder email includes a link to manage your billing. Click Manage your subscription or Update billing in the email.
From your account — log in to the school, go to your profile, and look for the 'Subscriptions & Payment Plans' menu option.
From a failed payment email — if a payment fails, the notification email includes a direct link to update your payment method in the portal.
Note: The Customer Portal is hosted by Stripe, not Teachable. You may notice Stripe branding — this is expected and confirms the portal is secure.
Update your payment method
Open the Stripe Customer Portal using one of the methods above.
Under Payment methods, click Add payment method.
Enter your new card details and save.
Set the new card as your default if you have multiple cards on file.
Tip: Updating your payment method here applies it to all active subscriptions.
Note: If your payment recently failed and you update your card in the portal, Stripe's Smart Retry system will automatically attempt to charge your new card. You don't need to do anything else to trigger the retry.
View your invoice history
All invoices for your subscription payments and payment plans are available in the Customer Portal under Invoice history. Each invoice shows:
The date of the charge
The amount charged
The payment status
A link to download the PDF invoice
You can download any invoice as a PDF for your records or for expense reporting purposes. These are the same tax-compliant invoices generated automatically by Stripe at the time of each payment.
Upgrade or downgrade your plan
If the school offers multiple membership tiers or subscription plans, you may be able to upgrade or downgrade from the Customer Portal.
Open the Stripe Customer Portal.
Under your active subscription, click Update plan.
Select the plan you'd like to switch to.
Confirm the change.
How the change takes effect:
Change type | When it takes effect | Billing impact |
Upgrade | Immediately | A prorated charge is applied for the remainder of the current billing period |
Downgrade | Immediately | A credit is applied to your next payment |
Note: Not all schools offer plan changes through the Customer Portal. If you don't see an Update plan option, contact the school owner directly.
Cancel your subscription
Open the Stripe Customer Portal.
Under your active subscription, click Cancel plan.
Follow the prompts to confirm your cancellation.
When you cancel:
Your subscription remains active until the end of your current billing period — you won't lose access immediately
You won't be charged again after the current period ends
Once the billing period ends, you'll be automatically unenrolled from the product
To regain access, you'll need to repurchase the product
Changed your mind? If you cancel and then decide to keep your subscription, you can reactivate it from the Customer Portal before your current billing period ends. After the period ends, you'll need to repurchase.
Note: Payment plans cannot be cancelled. If you wish to cancel, contact the school owner for assistance.
FAQs
I can't find the Customer Portal link — where do I look?
You can access the Customer Portal at any time from your User Profile. Log into the school, click the user icon in the top right corner, and you'll see the 'Subscriptions & Payment Plans' option here.
Will I lose access immediately when I cancel?
No — you keep access until the end of your current billing period. Cancellation takes effect at the next renewal date, not immediately.
Can I get a refund when I cancel?
Cancellation stops future charges but does not automatically issue a refund for the current period. For refund requests, see Request a refund or contact the school owner.
My payment failed — what happens now?
Stripe will automatically retry your payment numerous times prior to removal from the product. You'll receive an email notification with a link to update your payment method. If all retry attempts fail, your subscription will be cancelled and you'll lose access to the product. To regain access, you'll need to repurchase.
Can I switch from one subscription to another across different schools?
Each school has its own Customer Portal. Subscriptions in different schools are managed separately.
My subscription was purchased with PayPal — can I manage it here?
PayPal subscriptions on the new Teachable Payments experience are managed through the Stripe Customer Portal the same as card subscriptions. If you purchased before the school migrated to Teachable Payments, contact the school owner for assistance.