Quick answer: pauses scheduled through the website take effect at your next billing cycle, not immediately. If you've already been charged for the current cycle, that charge stands — but no future charges will occur during the pause.
If you've been charged after pausing, this article walks through why and what to do next.
How pauses actually work
When you pause your Maximus subscription:
Service and billing are temporarily halted from the date the pause takes effect — not the date you clicked pause.
You must specify an end date when pausing. Your subscription automatically resumes on that date unless you extend the pause or cancel.
A pause is not a cancellation. To stop billing permanently, you need to cancel.
Important: skipping the intake questionnaire does not pause your subscription. Auto-renewal continues regardless of whether the questionnaire is completed. To stop charges, you must explicitly pause or cancel from your dashboard.
Why you might see a charge right after pausing
There are three common reasons:
Pause scheduled for the next cycle. This is by far the most common. The pause begins at your next renewal date, not the moment you clicked. Any charge already in flight for the current cycle still processes.
Pause expired and auto-resumed. Pauses have an end date. If yours arrived without you noticing, billing restarted automatically. Check the pause status in your account settings.
Outstanding balance at the time you paused. A subscription cannot be paused while there is an outstanding balance. If a charge was being collected when you tried to pause, the pause may not have taken effect.
What's different on a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) plan
If you signed up under BNPL, pausing stops shipments and services — but monthly installment payments continue until the end of the 12-month term. The installment is a financing obligation, not a subscription charge, so it's not affected by the pause.
When you reactivate
Payment is processed immediately at reactivation to reset your billing cycle and assign your next refill date. This is the standard subscription amount that would have been due — it is not an additional fee.
If credits were applied to your account during the pause, those remain applied when you resume. Pausing again later does not erase them.
How to avoid this in the future
Pause before your next renewal date if you want the current cycle to be your last paid cycle.
If you intend to stop permanently, cancel rather than pause — pauses auto-resume.
Keep the questionnaire and the pause action separate in your head. The questionnaire affects whether your next refill is processed; the pause action affects whether you are billed at all.
FAQ
Will I be charged during the pause period itself? No, you will not be charged during the active pause window. However, if your pause is scheduled to begin at the next renewal rather than immediately, the current cycle's charge may still process.
Why was my subscription automatically reactivated? Subscriptions resume when the pause end date is reached. To keep your subscription on hold, extend the pause or consider canceling temporarily.
I got a questionnaire email while paused — does that mean I'm being charged? No. The questionnaire email is sent automatically. Completing it does not unpause you, and skipping it does not pause you. If you want to resume early, log in and reactivate.
Does pausing my BNPL plan stop my payments? No. BNPL installment payments are a financing obligation and continue through the end of the 12-month term, even while shipments and services are paused.
Was this charge a one-time event or will it repeat? If the charge was for the current cycle right before your pause took effect, it's a one-time charge — no future charges will occur during the pause. If the charge happened because your pause auto-resumed, your subscription is back to active billing and will keep charging until you pause or cancel again.
Still need help? If your charge doesn't fit any of the above, contact support with the charge date and amount and we can review your account.