How to add seats to a team plan during the year
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Quick answer: Yes, you can buy more seats at any point in the year. The team owner chooses a new total on the Team page and pays only the difference in yearly price for the rest of the current year, pro rata. New seats work as soon as payment is confirmed. Fewer seats take effect from the next renewal.
Your company bought a handful of seats in spring. Now two new team leads have started, the Manchester office wants in, and people are asking why they can't create a card.
This guide explains how to add seats to a team plan on SignThisCard, how the pro-rata charge is worked out (with examples you can check yourself), and what to do if you need fewer seats. If you're new to team accounts, our guide to group cards for companies covers the basics first.
Can we buy more seats during the year?
Yes. The owner can increase the seat count at any time, and the extra seats work as soon as the payment is confirmed. You don't need to wait for renewal.
A seat lets one person create cards on the Unlimited plan for the paid year. Signing never needs a seat, so you only add seats for people who'll organise cards.
Only the team owner buys seats and manages billing. Team admins can invite and remove people, but they can't change the seat count.
How do I add seats to a team plan?
Open the Team page, choose a new total number of seats, and pay the pro-rata difference. It takes a couple of minutes.
- Log in as the team owner and open the Team page.
- Choose the new total number of seats you want (not the number to add).
- Remember the whole team is charged at the tier your new total falls into.
- Pay the difference for the rest of the current year by card.
- Invite the new organisers. Owners and admins can enter up to 25 email addresses at a time.
Every payment has a Stripe invoice you can view and download as a PDF from the Team page, so finance has a record of the top-up.
How is the pro-rata charge worked out?
You pay the difference between the old and new yearly price, scaled to the part of the year that's left. From renewal, the plan continues at the new seat count and its full yearly price.
In plain terms:
Mid-year charge = (new yearly price − current yearly price) × share of the year remaining
The tier prices per seat per year, as shown on the plans page at the time of writing (November 2026), are £48 (3–10 seats), £42 (11–25), £36 (26–50), £30 (51–100), £26 (101–250) and £22 (251–500). Our business pricing guide explains the tiers and price cap in full.
The examples below use whole months to keep the maths easy to follow. The real charge depends on exactly how much of your paid year is left on the day you pay.
Example 1: adding seats within the same tier
Priya runs a small design studio. In March she bought 5 seats at £48 each: £240 a year.
In December, with three months (a quarter of the year) left, she wants 8 seats.
- New yearly price: 8 × £48 = £384
- Difference: £384 − £240 = £144
- Pro-rata charge: £144 × ¼ = £36
At renewal, the plan continues at 8 seats for £384 a year.
Example 2: moving into a cheaper tier
Tom's company has 8 seats: 8 × £48 = £384 a year. Halfway through the year, it grows to 15 seats.
Fifteen seats fall into the 11–25 tier, so every seat is now £42.
- New yearly price: 15 × £42 = £630
- Difference: £630 − £384 = £246
- Pro-rata charge: £246 × ½ = £123
Notice that all 15 seats move to £42. Crossing into a cheaper tier lowers the price of every seat, not just the new ones.
Example 3: when the price cap gives you an extra seat
Same company, 8 seats, halfway through the year. This time the owner asks for 10 seats.
Ten seats would cost 10 × £48 = £480 a year. But 11 seats cost 11 × £42 = £462, which is less. The price cap automatically gives the bigger number of seats when a slightly larger order costs the same or less.
- New yearly price: 11 seats for £462
- Difference: £462 − £384 = £78
- Pro-rata charge: £78 × ½ = £39
So the team ends up with an 11th seat and a lower bill than it expected.
When do new seats start working?
As soon as the payment is confirmed. You can then invite people, or let colleagues join with their work email if the owner has turned that on.
Seats go to the owner first, then team admins, then members in the order they joined. If people had joined before you had enough seats, the earliest joiners get the new seats first.
Remember that an invitation link works once and for 14 days. If someone's invitation expired while you were sorting out seats, send a fresh one. Our guide to managing a company group card account covers invitations, roles and domain join in more detail.
Can we reduce the number of seats?
Yes, but fewer seats only take effect from the next renewal. There's no mid-year reduction or partial refund for seats you no longer need.
That means you keep every seat you've paid for until the end of the paid year. Use them, then lower the count for the next year.
Before renewal, it's worth tidying up the member list:
- Remove people who've left the company. Owners and admins can remove members. Their cards stay in their own account.
- Check who actually creates cards. Someone who only signs doesn't need a seat.
- Mind the allocation order. Seats go to the owner, then admins, then members by join date, so the people who joined most recently are the last to get one.
If you want to stop the plan altogether rather than shrink it, see how to cancel a company group card plan. Cancelling renewal keeps the team active until the end of the paid year.
How many seats should we add?
Add one seat for each person who'll create cards in the coming months, then check the price cap. Don't add seats for people who only sign.
A quick way to decide:
- List new starters who'll organise cards (team leads, office managers, EAs).
- Add any department that's been asking a colleague with a seat to make cards for them.
- Check whether your new total sits just below a tier boundary. Orders of 10, 23–25, 43–50, 88–100 or 213–250 seats are capped up to the next tier automatically.
If you're heading past 500 seats, self-serve stops there. Contact SignThisCard for a quote and any special arrangements.
Common mistakes when changing seats
- Entering the number to add instead of the new total. The Team page asks for the total.
- Expecting an admin to buy seats. Only the owner manages billing.
- Reducing seats expecting money back. Reductions apply from renewal, not straight away.
- Forgetting the tier effect. Moving up a tier can make every seat cheaper.
Key takeaways
- The team owner can add seats at any time on the Team page.
- The mid-year charge is the difference in yearly price, pro rata for the rest of the current year.
- New seats work as soon as payment is confirmed, and renewal continues at the new count.
- Every seat is charged at the tier the new total falls into, and the price cap still applies.
- Fewer seats take effect from the next renewal, not mid-year.
Frequently asked questions
Who can add seats to our team plan?
Only the team owner. The owner buys seats and manages billing on the Team page. Team admins can invite and remove members, but they can't change the seat count or payment details. If the owner is leaving the company, contact SignThisCard about transferring ownership.
Do we pay the full yearly price for new seats?
No. You pay only the difference between the old and new yearly price for the part of the year that's left. From renewal, you pay the full yearly price for the new seat count.
How quickly can new organisers start creating cards?
As soon as the payment is confirmed. Then invite them from the Team page, or let them join with a confirmed email at your company domain if the owner has turned on domain join. Invitation links work once and expire after 14 days.
Can we remove seats mid-year and get money back?
No. Fewer seats take effect from the next renewal, so you keep the seats you've paid for until the end of the year. Unused time isn't refunded except where the law requires. Your statutory rights are unaffected.
Does adding seats change the price of our existing seats?
It can. Every seat is charged at the tier your total falls into. Moving from 8 to 15 seats, for example, takes every seat from £48 to £42 a year. The pro-rata charge reflects the new total yearly price.
Do people who only sign cards need one of the new seats?
No. Signing a card is always free and needs no seat or account. Add seats only for people who'll create and manage cards, such as HR staff, office managers and team leads.
Conclusion
Adding seats to a team plan is quick: choose the new total, pay the pro-rata difference, and invite your new organisers. Reductions wait until renewal, so plan them a few weeks before the date.
When you're ready, the owner can update your seat count on the Team page in a couple of minutes.