Hibernation lets you pause your account during the off-season. Keep your data safe while paying a reduced rate.
What is hibernation?
Instead of cancelling when business slows down, hibernation keeps your account on hold:
- Your booking page goes offline
- You pay a reduced rate ($29/month)
- All your data is preserved
- You can reactivate anytime
When to use hibernation
Seasonal businesses: If you close for winter, hibernate instead of cancelling. You'll be ready to go in spring without setting up again.
Extended vacation: Taking a few months off? Hibernate and come back to everything intact.
Temporary pause: Need to step away from the business? Hibernate keeps your options open.
What happens during hibernation
Your booking page
- Goes offline (shows a "temporarily unavailable" message)
- Doesn't accept new bookings
- Captures leads who visit (name, email, phone)
Your data
- All jobs, customers, and history preserved
- Settings and branding unchanged
- Nothing is deleted
Existing subscriptions
Customer subscriptions you've created continue normally. They're on your Stripe account, not PoolFlow, so they keep billing. You'll need to pause or cancel those separately if needed.
Lead capture
While hibernated, visitors to your booking page can leave their info. These leads are saved for when you return.
Entering hibernation
- Go to Settings → Billing
- Click Hibernate Account
- Confirm
Hibernation starts at your next billing date. You'll pay $29/month while hibernated.
Coming out of hibernation
- Go to Settings → Billing
- Click Reactivate
- Choose your plan
- Confirm
Your booking page comes back online immediately. Any captured leads are waiting in your dashboard.
Hibernation limits
- Maximum hibernation: 6 months
- After 6 months, you'll need to either reactivate or cancel
- You can hibernate again next season
Cost comparison
Let's say you're on the Pro plan and close for 4 winter months:
Without hibernation (cancel and restart):
- Risk losing settings and data
- Must set up again in spring
- Customers might not find you
With hibernation:
- 4 months × $29 = $116
- Everything preserved
- Back online in minutes
- Leads captured while away
Tips
Notify your customers
Before hibernating, let customers know when you'll be back. They'll appreciate the heads up.
Check your Stripe subscriptions
If you have active customer subscriptions, decide whether to pause them too. They're on your Stripe account and bill independently.
Plan your return
Note when you want to reactivate. Set a reminder so you're back online before busy season starts.
Follow up on leads
Check for captured leads when you reactivate. These people wanted to book while you were away.