Annual or monthly — and why it matters.
Talk with Guest bills either monthly or annually on any plan. Annual billing is fifteen percent cheaper across the board; monthly billing carries no lock-in but the sticker price is higher. The right choice depends on cash flow, cancellation risk and how likely you are to change plan mid-year.
The headline numbers
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (15% off) | Saving per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | €29 / month | €25 (€296/yr) | €48 |
| Growth | €69 / month | €59 (€703/yr) | €120 |
| Business | €149 / month | €127 (€1,522/yr) | €268 |
Enterprise plans are priced individually and typically move to annual as part of the negotiation. Prices are exclusive of VAT.
When monthly is the right choice
Monthly billing is the safe choice for most first-time customers. It gives you every month to cancel with no exit fee, it makes plan changes cheap (a downgrade from Business to Growth takes effect on the next billing cycle), and it lines up with how most independent hotels manage cash — receipts are monthly, so subscriptions are monthly.
Monthly is also the right choice if you are running a pilot on a specific property and expect to make the group-wide commitment later. Two properties monthly for ninety days, then a group deal is a very typical Talkguest path.
When annual saves real money
The fifteen percent discount adds up. For a Business-plan property, the twelve-month saving is €268 — enough to cover a WhatsApp sessions overage in a peak month, or a night's ADR for a boutique in Chiado. Across a group of six properties on Business, the annual saving is €1,608 — a proper number that shows up in the operating budget.
Annual is the right choice if you know you are staying (which is the case for the majority of properties past the first ninety days) and if paying twelve months in advance suits the property's cash cycle. Annual invoices are issued on the first of the month, payable within thirty days.
The trade-offs
Cancellation window
Annual subscriptions can be cancelled at renewal — the next annual cycle — with no exit fee. Cancellation partway through an annual term is not billed a penalty, but the paid-up portion is not refunded. Monthly subscriptions can be cancelled at any time before the next billing cycle. See the refund and cancellation policy for the full detail.
Plan changes
Upgrades on annual take effect immediately and prorate the difference against the remaining months. Downgrades on annual take effect at renewal (this is the normal SaaS rule and Talkguest sticks to it). On monthly billing, either direction of plan change takes effect on the next billing cycle.
Add-ons and overages
Add-on line items — extra WhatsApp sessions beyond the plan cap, extra channels beyond ten on Growth, extra properties — are metered and billed at month-end regardless of whether the base plan is monthly or annual. The fifteen percent discount applies only to the base plan.
Multi-property groups
Groups of five or more properties negotiate a group deal that is typically annual with an additional volume discount on top of the fifteen percent. Contact sales@talk.mindbery.org for a group quote — the standard shape is annual base + metered overages consolidated across the group.
Payment methods
Annual invoices can be settled by SEPA bank transfer, SEPA direct debit, or card. SEPA direct debit is preferred for group finance teams because the mandate covers every future annual invoice; card is convenient for a single property. Portuguese customers can also pay by Multibanco reference through our billing partner.
Monthly invoices are typically on card auto-debit, with SEPA direct debit available on request for customers who prefer bank rails.
Currency and VAT
All Talkguest invoices are denominated in euros. VAT is charged on the invoice at the rate applicable to the customer's country and status — 23% for Portuguese customers, reverse-charge for EU-VAT-validated customers in other EU countries, no VAT for non-EU customers. The invoice sequence is certified for Portuguese tax authority reporting.
Which plan should I choose?
Most independent hotels between 15 and 40 units end up on Growth; hostel networks of two to five sites usually pick Business at the group level; boutique groups above five sites end up on Enterprise with a named CSM. The ROI calculator models the projected saving on your specific numbers, and the pilot pack is the low-commitment path to trying the platform on one property before making the group commitment.