Postman Auto-Flex, renewals and Terms of Service covers the commercial mechanics of a Postman subscription after purchase. It explains how seats added during a term are billed, how and when plans renew, how much prices may rise, and what notice is needed to reduce or leave. The governing documents are the Postman Terms of Service, effective 2026-06-08, and the Auto-Flex Policy, effective 2026-03-15. For the Auto-Flex Program, the Auto-Flex Policy supersedes the Terms of Service.[1][2] The general framework is in Postman licensing.
Editions
Most of these rules differ by purchase channel and billing cycle. The Terms of Service distinguish:
- Self-Serve plans, bought online without a sales representative, which may be Free, Monthly or Annual Plans.[2]
- Sales-Assisted plans, where a Postman representative “directly supports or facilitates” the purchase, usually through an Order Form.[2]
- Enterprise Plans, to which section 17 applies. Section 17.2 covers Enterprise Annual Plans and replaces several general clauses.[2]
The order of precedence is the Order, then the Product Terms, then the Terms of Service. Terms in a customer’s own purchase order are void.[2] Catalog proof: Order prevails over Product Terms, which prevail over the ToS.
Metrics
The Auto-Flex Program measures Consumed Seats, defined as “the number of Users and/or ‘seat-based’ add-ons (i.e., Simple Security, Advanced Security Administration) that Customer (generally via its Admin User(s)) enables within its Postman Organization Account”.[1] Auto-Flex Usage is the number of Consumed Seats added in an Auto-Flex Period above the number purchased for the current Subscription Term.[1] The underlying seat unit is the User. Who consumes a seat is covered in Postman plans, seats and add-ons.
Counting / floors
Auto-Flex: how added seats are counted
Auto-Flex charges for provisioned seats, not active ones. The policy states that “Auto-Flex Usage is determined based upon the seat being provisioned, not whether or how frequently that Consumed Seat is actually utilized”.[1] The measurement point differs by channel:
| Channel | What counts as Auto-Flex Usage |
|---|---|
| Sales-Assisted | Additional Consumed Seats in the account “for a period of at least fifteen (15) calendar days during the Auto-Flex Period”[1] |
| Self-Serve | Additional Consumed Seats in the account at the Auto-Flex billing date[1] |
A seat that a Sales-Assisted customer adds and removes within two weeks is therefore not billed. A Self-Serve customer is billed for whatever is present on the billing date. Catalog proof: Auto-Flex counts seats when provisioned, not when used.
Auto-Flex Periods
| Plan | Auto-Flex Period | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Plans | One calendar month | Added seats join the monthly bill going forward[1] |
| Self-Serve Annual Plans | Three months | Added seats billed pro rata for the rest of the term; renewal at the new total[1] |
| Sales-Assisted Annual Plans (including Enterprise) | Each calendar month from day 121 of the Initial Term | Monthly in arrears; first 90 days not billed[1] |
The billing guide describes the Sales-Assisted change that took effect on 2026-03-15: annual plans moved from quarterly to monthly Auto-Flex billing, with “a grace period of 90 days” and the first invoice at day 120.[3] Invoices for Sales-Assisted non-Enterprise annual plans, “typically referred to as ‘Professional’, ‘Basic’, or ‘Team’”, start from day 61 of the term.[1] Catalog proof: Auto-Flex Periods and the 90-day Enterprise grace period; Auto-Flex seats are prorated and carried into the renewal.
Price, reductions and disputes
- List price. Auto-Flex Usage is billed at Postman’s then-current standard pricing on postman.com/pricing. For customers who bought through a reseller or partner, Auto-Flex is billed directly by Postman, “irrespective of the pricing set forth in the order by and between Customer and the partner”.[1] A negotiated per-seat discount therefore does not apply to true-up seats unless the Order says otherwise. Catalog proof: Auto-Flex is billed at list price, even for reseller customers.
- No reductions after billing. Admins may adjust a period’s usage before its billing date, but “upon the Auto-Flex Usage billing date for that Period, no further Auto-Flex Usage reductions or other such adjustments may be made”.[1] Seats already billed in an earlier cycle cannot be removed until renewal.[3] Removing a member does not reduce paid seats unless the member was added by Auto-Flex in the current cycle.[4] Catalog proof: Auto-Flex seats cannot be reduced after the billing date.
- Disputes. Auto-Flex billing errors must be raised within 10 calendar days of the invoice.[1]
- Abuse. Manipulating seats before and after billing dates to avoid payment lets Postman suspend or end the customer’s Auto-Flex participation. Unpaid Auto-Flex fees can lead to suspension of a matching number of User Accounts or of the whole Organization Account.[1]
Enrolment and exclusions
Self-Serve customers are enrolled in Auto-Flex on purchase. They can stay out only by not exceeding their Usage Limit. Sales-Assisted customers are enrolled unless they opt out at purchase or later by email, and Enterprise Ultimate customers “must actively opt-in”.[1] The billing guide says all Team and Enterprise plans have Auto-Flex activated automatically.[3] Consumption Features are excluded: AI credits, Monitoring, Insights and Flows follow Usage-Based Billing instead.[1] Auto-Flex is not available in Sandbox instances.[5] Catalog proof: Auto-Flex enrolment: automatic, opt-out, or opt-in for Enterprise Ultimate.
Without Auto-Flex, seats added during the term are billed at the current Pricing and co-terminate with the Order.[2] For plan changes in the dashboard, the new plan and any new seats “are prorated based on the time left in your team’s billing cycle”.[3]
Renewal and price increases
Auto-renewal. Free plans renew automatically. Paid Self-Serve plans renew for periods equal to the initial term unless auto-renewal is cancelled in the billing dashboard. Sales-Assisted Annual Plans renew for one-year periods unless notice of non-renewal is emailed to sales@postman.com at least 30 days before the term ends.[2] Catalog proof: Sales-Assisted Annual Plans auto-renew for one year.
Price increases. For plans other than Enterprise Annual, renewal fees may rise, on 30 days’ email notice, “by the greater of (i) 5% or (ii) the percentage increase in the U.S. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers”. The increase applies to standard pricing, not to any discounted Initial Term rate.[2] For Enterprise Annual Plans, section 17.2(d) removes the formula: on at least 60 days’ notice, fees “may be increased by Postman”.[2] In both cases Discounts, including complimentary add-ons and temporary unlimited usage, “are not guaranteed to continue past the Initial Term”.[2] Catalog proof: Renewal fees may rise by the greater of 5% or CPI-U (non-Enterprise); Enterprise renewal fees may be increased on 60 days' notice.
Plan changes announced by Postman. New Pricing or plan changes normally apply from the customer’s first Renewal Term after they take effect. Postman may modify a plan during the term, but it may not raise the current price during that term.[2] The March 2026 plan change followed this pattern: legacy customers kept their plans until renewal. Professional customers were not required to change plans.[7]
Late renewals. If a Sales-Assisted renewal Order is not signed by expiry, Postman may suspend the account, withdraw Discounts and charge “a reinstatement fee equal to 10% of the annual Fees being charged”. Use during the gap is chargeable at the renewal rates.[2] For Enterprise Plans, Postman will not downgrade the account to Free while the customer is negotiating a renewal in good faith.[2] Catalog proof: Late renewal may cost a 10% reinstatement fee.
Downgrades, cancellation and expiry
- Downgrades of plan type or User count at renewal need at least 30 days’ written notice to sales@postman.com. Later requests may be delayed or rejected.[2] Downgrades and annual-to-monthly switches take effect only at renewal.[3] Catalog proof: Downgrades at renewal need 30 days' notice.
- Self-Serve cancellations end the paid plan at expiry, with no refund for amounts already accrued or paid.[2]
- Sales-Assisted Annual Plans “are non-cancelable and non-refundable”. A Complete Account Cancellation request must be made at least 30 days before term end. All fees owed, including future years of a multi-year Order, then become payable immediately.[2] Catalog proof: Sales-Assisted Annual Plans are non-cancelable and non-refundable.
- Expiry without cancellation. Unless a Complete Account Cancellation is requested, a paid plan “will, upon the Effective Date of Expiration, automatically downgrade to a Free Plan”. Every User Account in the organisation becomes an individual Free account.[2] Customer content therefore survives non-renewal in individual Free accounts unless deletion is requested. Catalog proof: Expired paid plans convert to individual Free accounts.
- After termination the customer must delete downloaded Software within 30 days.[2]
Payment and disputes
Fees are in US dollars and, except as stated, “non-cancelable” and “non-refundable”.[2] Billing errors must be raised within 10 days of the error appearing. For Enterprise Annual Plans the window is 10 business days from receipt of the invoice, after which the invoice is deemed undisputed.[2] Overdue amounts can attract interest of 1.0% per month and lead to suspension.[2] For card payments, the billing guide describes three automatic retries and a 21-day grace period before service disruption.[3] Catalog proof: Billing errors must be raised within 10 days; Failed payments have a 21-day grace period.
Virtualization & partitioning
Not applicable. Auto-Flex and renewal terms concern users and seats.
Cloud / BYOL
Purchases through AWS Marketplace use annual, 2-year or 3-year billing cycles with optional auto-renewal. Seats added after the initial purchase are billed monthly.[6] Catalog proof: AWS Marketplace purchase.
Programs
- Purchase through a Reseller. The Terms apply whether the customer buys directly or through a Reseller. The customer pays the Reseller, but Postman may suspend the Services if the Reseller does not pay Postman. Resellers cannot make commitments on Postman’s behalf.[2] Catalog proof: Reseller purchases: Postman may suspend if the Reseller does not pay.
- Trial Offerings. Continued use of a free or temporarily unlimited offering after Postman gives notice of fees counts as acceptance of those fees.[5] Catalog proof: Continued use of a Trial Offering after notice means accepting fees.
- Assignment. The customer may not assign the rights without Postman’s prior written approval. For Enterprise Annual Plans, section 17.2(l) permits assignment to majority-owned Affiliates or to a successor of the business.[2] Catalog proof: Rights cannot be assigned without Postman approval.
Audits and verification
There is no audit clause with inspection rights or cost-shifting. For downloadable Software, the customer must confirm compliance in writing on Postman’s written request.[2] Seat compliance is enforced through the billing dashboard and Auto-Flex. The Terms also forbid credential sharing and “any other arrangement which bypasses or defeats Postman’s system controls designed to enforce Usage Limits”.[2] Catalog proof: Written confirmation of compliance on request; One person per login, at most three computers at a time. See also true-up.
Out of scope
- Negotiated Enterprise Master Services Agreements, custom Auto-Flex terms and Order Forms, which override these documents but are not public.[3]
- The Postman Reseller Agreement between Postman and its resellers.
- Data processing, security and confidentiality terms.