DHC Subscription Billing Explained: Monthly vs. Prepay Savings

Subscription boxes bill on one of four schedules: monthly, or prepaid in 3, 6, or 12-month blocks, with each longer prepay term unlocking a bigger discount per box than the one before it. The box itself doesn't change based on billing choice, only how often you're charged and how much each box ends up costing.

How Monthly Billing Works

Monthly billing is the pay-as-you-go option. Your card is charged for the first box the day you place your order, and every charge after that hits automatically around that same date each month. If you sign up on the 10th, for example, you'll be billed around the 10th every month going forward. It's the most flexible of the four billing options, but it also carries the smallest discount.

How Prepay Billing Works

Prepay plans work differently. Instead of being billed every month, you pay for a block of boxes upfront, either 3, 6, or 12 months at once, and a box ships out once a month for the length of that term. The core tradeoff across all three prepay options is the same: the longer the term you commit to, the bigger the discount on each individual box.

• 3-month prepay: the smallest discount of the three prepay tiers, good for testing whether prepaying is worth it without committing too far out
• 6-month prepay: a bigger discount per box than the 3-month term, aimed at subscribers who already know they want to stick around
• 12-month prepay: the biggest discount of the four billing options, built for anyone confident they'll want a box every month for a full year

Exact discount percentages for each tier aren't published, so the specific savings amount is worth checking on the subscription plans page directly before you commit, since it's the kind of detail most likely to be updated over time.

Accepted Payment Methods

Billing runs through major credit cards, debit cards, or an official gift card. Digital wallets like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay aren't currently supported for checkout, and neither is cryptocurrency or Buy Now, Pay Later, a policy tied to how payment processing works in this industry. If a payment fails, updating your card details in account settings is the fix, since whatever card is on file gets charged on your renewal date.

What Happens After You Choose a Plan

Once you select a billing option and complete checkout, age verification is required before the subscription activates, since all subscribers must be 21 or older. From there, your subscription renews automatically on your signup anniversary date, and a new box ships on that same recurring cycle until you change or cancel the plan.

Changing or Cancelling Your Plan

Subscriptions can be paused or cancelled through your account dashboard at any time, and these are two different things. Pausing temporarily stops charges without ending the subscription, while cancelling stops future renewals permanently, though you'll still receive any box you've already paid for. Either way, changes take effect before your next billing date rather than mid-cycle, so any change needs to go through before the next charge is set to process.

Simply updating your card details won't stop billing on its own, since most payment systems automatically pull updated card info from your bank to avoid interrupting service; a formal pause or cancel through your account is the only way to actually stop payments. If you're on a monthly plan and want to switch to a prepay term to save more, or the other way around, that change goes through the same account settings. Boxes that have already shipped can't be cancelled or refunded.

Which Billing Option Should You Choose?

If you're not sure yet whether a subscription box fits your routine, monthly billing is the lowest-commitment way to try it without locking into a longer discount tier. If you already know you want a box every month going forward, moving to a prepay plan, especially the 12-month term, gets you the best per-box price of the four options. The 3 and 6-month terms sit in between, useful for anyone who wants some savings without committing to a full year upfront.