How SNAP helps rental car companies and shuttle operators accomplish predictable, usage-based billing for license plate recognition using Stripe integration and transparent cost reporting.
Introduction
Traditional LPR pricing often locks you into fixed contracts or opaque per-camera fees. SNAP’s usage-based billing ties cost directly to what you use: snaps created, LPR calls, and optional vehicle recognition. You pay for activity, not idle cameras.
Billing is configured per organization with support for flat rates, per-site fees, per-camera fees, and per-transaction fees. A daily job processes usage and creates Stripe invoices. Daily reports include previous-day and month-to-date costs so you stay informed without logging into a separate billing portal.
This guide covers how usage is tracked, how billing is configured, what appears in daily reports, and best practices for cost management.
Why This Feature Matters — Transparency and Flexibility
- Transparency: See exactly what you’re paying for—snaps, LPR, vehicle recognition.
- Flexibility: Mix flat, per-site, per-camera, and per-transaction fees to match your business model.
- Automation: Daily billing job processes usage and creates invoices; no manual reconciliation.
- Visibility: Daily reports show costs so you stay informed.
- Stripe integration: Leverage Stripe for invoicing, payment, and compliance.
What You Get When You Use This Feature
Your Workflow
- Configure billing: Set up Stripe and service rates in Org Admin or Sys Admin.
- Use SNAP: Create snaps, run LPR, optionally use vehicle recognition.
- Review usage: Daily reports show previous-day and month-to-date costs.
- Pay invoices: Stripe handles invoice delivery and payment.
What the Feature Produces
- Usage records: Snaps, LPR calls, and vehicle recognition calls are tracked.
- Stripe invoices: Generated based on usage and configured rates.
- Cost summaries: Previous-day and month-to-date costs in daily reports.
Understanding the Results
Billable Services
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| SNAP | Snap creation (manual or automated) |
| LPR | License plate recognition calls |
| Vehicle Recognition | Optional vehicle make/model/year identification |
Rate Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Flat | Fixed monthly fee |
| Per Site | Fee per site |
| Per Camera | Fee per camera |
| Per Transaction | Fee per snap, LPR call, or vehicle recognition |
Daily Report Cost Fields
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Previous Day Cost | Total cost for the previous day |
| Month-to-Date Cost | Cumulative cost for the current month |
Reports and Deliverables
- Daily reports: Cost summary in User, Org Admin, and Sys Admin daily reports.
- Billing admin: View usage and invoices in Admin > Billing.
- Stripe portal: Full invoice and payment history in Stripe.
Best Practices
- Monitor daily reports: Use previous-day and month-to-date costs to spot trends and anomalies.
- Align rates with usage: If you have high volume, per-transaction may be more cost-effective than flat rates.
- Review invoices: Periodically reconcile Stripe invoices with your expected usage.
- Use throttling: Per-camera and per-org throttling can help control runaway costs from automated triggers.
- Plan for vehicle recognition: If enabled, vehicle recognition adds cost per call; ensure it’s justified for your use case.
Conclusion
SNAP’s usage-based billing keeps costs aligned with usage. Configure rates, use the platform, and let Stripe handle invoicing. Daily reports keep you informed. Explore Admin > Billing to view usage and invoices.
The post Usage-Based Billing: A Complete Guide to Pay-As-You-Go LPR first appeared on C2IT Labs.