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Sponsored Client Accounts

Agencies can buy and assign managed workspace slots to fund client accounts.

What Sponsored Client Accounts are for

Sponsored Client Accounts let agencies:

  • Buy managed workspace slots on the agency's Stripe account
  • Assign slots to client-owned workspaces
  • Clients use the workspace at the funded tier with no card or payment required
  • Agency controls the subscription and billing

Perfect for agencies that want to fund clients' tools as part of the service contract.

Before you start

  • You must be an Agency-plan user
  • Slot prices are $25/month (Launch slot) and $97/month (Scale slot)
  • You control slots via Account Settings → Sponsored Client Accounts
  • Clients don't see the sponsorship — they just see their workspace gated at the funded plan level

How sponsorship works

Precedence:

  1. Client's own subscription (if they have one) — takes priority
  2. Sponsored slot (if assigned) — funds the workspace if client has no active sub
  3. Free tier (fallback) — if no sponsorship and no client sub

This means clients can upgrade their own plan anytime, and it takes over the sponsored slot.

Step 1 — Buy managed slots

  1. Go to Account Settings → Billing
  2. Under Managed Workspace Slots, click Buy Launch slots or Buy Scale slots
  3. Choose how many slots to buy (1–20)
  4. Complete Stripe checkout
  5. Your inventory updates immediately

Slots remain active until you cancel them in Stripe.

Step 2 — Assign a slot to a client workspace

  1. Go to Account Settings → Sponsored Client Accounts
  2. Click Assign workspace
  3. Choose:
    • Workspace (client-owned workspaces you're a member of)
    • Tier (Launch or Scale)
  4. Click Assign
  5. The client workspace is now funded at that tier

The client sees their workspace gated at the funded tier but doesn't see the sponsorship.

Step 3 — Manage slots

In Sponsored Client Accounts, you see:

ItemWhat it means
Slot inventoryHow many Launch/Scale slots you've bought and how many are assigned
Assigned workspacesList of clients and their funding status
StatusActive, Idle (client upgraded), or Grace (awaiting unassignment)

Actions per workspace:

  • Change tier — upgrade/downgrade from Launch to Scale
  • Unassign — free up the slot for another client

Understanding slot status

StatusMeaningWhat happens
ActiveWorkspace is funded by this slotClient posts publish at the funded tier
IdleClient has their own active subscriptionTheir plan takes priority; slot is unused but still yours
GraceUnassignment pending (7-day wait)Workspace still publishes; slot frees up after 7 days

Grace periods:

  • Appear when you unassign a slot
  • Last 7 days
  • Workspace stays fully funded during grace
  • After 7 days, the slot is free to reassign

Payment and billing

  • Billing: Slots charge on your agency's Stripe account (not the client's)
  • One invoice: All slots appear on one monthly bill to you
  • Quantity changes: Buy/cancel slots anytime from Stripe portal
  • Over-assignment: If you run out of slots mid-month, Aidelly automatically puts the newest surplus slots into grace (oldest slots keep funding)

Payment issues and grace

If your Stripe payment fails:

  1. 14-day grace period starts
  2. Client workspaces keep publishing (posts don't pause)
  3. You get a payment reminder (agency-only, not sent to clients)
  4. After 14 days: If still unpaid, workspaces are suspended (posts can't publish)
  5. Pay: Suspended workspaces resume immediately

Grace only applies to payment failures, not subscription cancellations.

Unassigning slots

When you unassign a slot:

  1. Immediate: Slot shows as "Grace" status
  2. 7-day wait: Workspace stays fully funded
  3. Day 8: Slot is free; workspace downgrades to free tier (posts pause until client subscribes)

You can reassign the slot to another client during grace.

Client's own plan takes over

If a client buys their own subscription:

  1. Their subscription takes priority (precedence rule)
  2. Sponsored slot shows Idle status
  3. You keep paying for the slot (unused)
  4. If client's subscription expires, sponsored slot auto-resumes funding
  5. Unassign the slot if you want to stop paying

Tip: Coordinate with clients about plan changes to avoid idle slots.

Common questions

Q: Can a client see that their workspace is sponsored?
A: No. They only see their workspace is on (e.g.) the Launch plan, not why or who's paying.

Q: What if I assign a slot to the wrong workspace?
A: Unassign and reassign to the correct one. The 7-day grace gives you a buffer.

Q: Do sponsored clients still have posting limits?
A: Yes. They're gated at the tier you assigned (Launch or Scale). If they need more, you upgrade the slot or they subscribe on their own.

Q: Can I change the tier of a sponsored workspace?
A: Yes. Click Change tier in the Sponsored Client Accounts panel. The new tier takes effect immediately.

Q: What happens if I cancel all my slots?
A: Assigned workspaces immediately downgrade to free tier. Posts pause until clients subscribe or you reassign new slots.

Q: Can a client unassign their own slot?
A: No. Only you (the agency owner) can unassign. Clients can't remove sponsorship.

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