Link to full documentation:: https://hostkey.com/about-us/payment-terms-and-methods/

Payment methods, termination, and refund policy for HOSTKEY services¶

In this article

• Hourly Server Billing
• VAT for our services
• How to Pay for HOSTKEY’s Services

All our services are paid for in advance. We accept payments via credit, PayPal, P2P cryptocurrency payments from any wallet, application or exchange through BitPay. We also accept Alipay and wire transfers.

Hourly Server Billing¶

With hourly billing, you pay only for the actual time you use the server. Billing starts after the server has been provisioned and activated and ends when the service is cancelled.

How does it work?¶

1. Select a server with hourly billing and place your order.
2. To activate the service, your account balance must be sufficient to cover at least 24 hours of server usage, or a bank card must be linked to your account.
3. Billing starts only after the server has been successfully deployed and activated. You are not charged while payment or deployment is pending.
4. You are charged for each started hour of usage. Charges are deducted from your account balance daily.
5. Turning off the server does not stop billing. As long as the server remains assigned to you, rental time continues to accrue.
6. You can cancel the server at any time. Upon cancellation, the system will calculate the cost of the time used and make the final deduction.
7. Unused funds remain on your account balance and can be used to pay for other services or refunded in accordance with our refund policy.

For more information about hourly billing, see the Documentation section.

Frequently Asked Questions¶

Which servers are available with hourly billing?¶

Hourly billing is available for VPS, virtual GPU servers, and ready-to-use dedicated servers, including GPU servers.

When does billing start?¶

Billing starts only after the server has been successfully deployed and activated. You are not charged while payment or deployment is pending.

How is the cost calculated?¶

You are charged for each started hour of server rental. Rounding is applied separately within each calendar day. For example, using a server from 12:02 to 16:14 is billed as 5 hours.

What happens if I turn off the server?¶

Billing continues. You are charged for the entire time the server is assigned to your account, regardless of whether it is powered on or off.

How much money do I need on my balance to place an order?¶

To activate a new hourly billed service, your available balance must be sufficient to cover at least 24 hours of service, including VAT. If recurring card payments are enabled, the system may also use your linked bank card.

Can I cancel the server at any time?¶

Yes. Hourly billed services can be cancelled immediately. The system will calculate the cost of usage up to the time of cancellation and terminate the service after the final charge has been processed.

What happens if my account balance runs out?¶

If the system cannot collect payment for charges accrued during the previous period, the service will be suspended. If the outstanding balance is not paid by the specified deadline, the server will be decommissioned. Any debt for usage already incurred will remain payable.

How long will it take for the server to be decommissioned if there are insufficient funds?¶

If the system cannot collect payment for the previous day, the server will be suspended. It will be decommissioned at 00:00 on the day following the suspension.

Until then, you can top up your balance and resume the service. Once the server has been decommissioned, restoring the server and its data may no longer be possible.

Will the server resume after I top up my balance?¶

If the server was suspended due to insufficient funds, pay the outstanding balance before it is decommissioned. The service can then be resumed.

If the server has already been decommissioned, topping up your balance will not restore it automatically.

If my account balance runs out, how much will be charged to my card?¶

If your balance is insufficient to pay for hourly billed services and automatic payments are enabled, the system will attempt to charge the linked card for the amount required to cover the current accrued charges.

If you have several hourly billed services, their charges may be combined into a single payment.

VAT for our services¶

If you are an EU citizen or company, you have to pay VAT on every product/service purchased in the EU. VAT will be charged at the rate applicable to the EU country you are located in.

If you are not an EU citizen or company, then the price remains without VAT (0% VAT).

If your company is VAT registered, you can claim all your VAT back from your local tax authorities. Alternatively, you can provide us with your business VAT registration number to avoid VAT charges.

How to Pay for HOSTKEY’s Services¶

All our services are paid for in advance. Funds are added to your account credit balance and can be used to pay for any of our services.

Stripe¶

We accept payments via Stripe — a fast and secure payment platform. The following methods are available at checkout:

• Cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover, Diners Club, UnionPay — debit and credit cards accepted.
• Digital wallets: Apple Pay and Google Pay are supported for quick one-tap checkout.
• Local payment methods:
• iDEAL — available for customers in the Netherlands
• Bancontact — available for customers in Belgium
• Alipay — available for customers in China
• Link: Stripe Link allows you to save your payment details for faster checkout on future orders.

PayPal¶

We accept payments via PayPal. You can pay using:

• Your PayPal balance or any payment method linked to your PayPal account
• Credit and debit cards directly (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club) — no PayPal account required via guest checkout
• PayPal subscriptions — for automatic recurring payments

Cryptocurrency (via BitPay)¶

We accept P2P cryptocurrency payments through BitPay from any wallet, app, or exchange. Supported currencies:

• Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Litecoin (LTC), Dogecoin (DOGE)
• Ethereum (ETH), Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), Shiba Inu (SHIB)
• Stablecoins: USDC, USDT, DAI, GUSD, USDP, BUSD

How to pay with crypto:

1. Select BitPay at checkout and choose your preferred cryptocurrency.
2. Scan the QR code or copy the payment address and amount.
3. Send the exact amount from your wallet or exchange.
4. Enter a valid email address — it will be used for refunds if any payment issues arise.

Wire Transfer (SWIFT & SEPA)¶

We accept bank wire transfers via SWIFT (global) and SEPA (for EUR payments within Europe). Bank details are provided on your invoice.

Credit Balance¶

Once a payment is received, funds are credited to your account balance. Your balance can be used to pay for any HOSTKEY service or refunded via the original payment method.

For payment-related questions, please contact our Sales Department.

Refund Policy¶

In case of an early termination of the service by the Client, refund for unused time is processed in the following way: https://hostkey.com/about-us/legal/refund-policy/

Products that are not eligible for a refund:¶

• Various license costs (Windows, cPanel, etc).
• Domain names / Redemption Fees.
• SSL certificates.
• Server administration fees.