> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.uplifter.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Start now or start next cycle: which do I pick?

> How the coverage choice on a membership card changes what you pay today.

<Note>
  **Must know**

  * The choice appears when more than one purchasable cycle is on sale at once — or when the only available cycle would bill a prorated mid-period amount — so any prorated "due today" charge is always shown before you buy.
  * Both options are paid today at checkout — the choice only changes the amount and when coverage begins, not when you're charged.
  * **Start now** charges a one-time partial amount for the rest of the current period; **Next cycle** usually charges the full price today and holds coverage until that period opens — though the amount can be smaller when the membership is set to end soon. Each option shows the exact dates it covers and its price, and the card's **Due today** total updates to the option you select.
  * A prorated **Start now** amount has no /mo or /yr suffix — it's a single partial payment, and normal cycles follow after it.
</Note>

When a membership is already partway through its current period, the card shows your coverage options, each labelled with its dates and price:

* **Start now** — coverage begins today. Because the current period is already underway, you pay only for the part that remains. This is a one-time partial amount, so it carries no /mo or /yr rate.
* **Next cycle** — you pay today, at checkout, and coverage is held until the next period opens rather than starting right away. This is usually the full period price, but it can be smaller when the membership is set to end soon. This option shows only when the upcoming period is on sale.

If your gym bills all of its monthly memberships on a shared day each month, the amount can be adjusted to line up with that billing day — sometimes bundling the rest of the current period with the next full one into a single up-front charge. Whichever option you select, the card's total updates and is captioned **Due today** — exactly what you'll be charged.

Pick **Start now** to cover your athlete right away — say, to satisfy a program requirement. Pick **Next cycle** if you don't need coverage until the new period.

After either choice, a recurring membership settles into its normal cycle and renews at the full price from then on. If you're joining right at a period's start with nothing else on sale, no options appear — you simply buy that period at its listed price.

**Related:** [How do I buy a membership?](/families/families-memberships-passes/how-to-buy-a-membership) · [When does my membership renew and what am I charged?](/families/families-memberships-passes/membership-renewal-and-charges) · [What is a membership?](/families/families-memberships-passes/what-is-a-membership)