Freelancer Plus questions

[StanG]

We recently shared that we are launching a 3 month run with 6 new perks in the Freelancer Plus program! If you haven't had a chance to check out our landing page and FAQs thread here. Still have questions? Please comment on this thread.

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancer-Plus/tkb-p/FreelancerPlus

4/5/2023 update: The promotional period for the offer has ended. If you already have Freelancer Plus, you can request to take advantage of these additional benefits through the end of June.  Visit the Group to request access, please allow 24-48 hours for access to be granted. https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancer-Plus/gh-p/FreelancerPlus 

[ae7b7c54]

Hello Avery, 

You mentioned that the perks for this promo will only be available until June 30, 2023. But this was stated on the Upwork site "Receive 0% on fees with new clients that you bring to Upwork. That's 0% on all contracts with those clients forever"  here is a link(hover over the "i" next to the perk to see it).

Have there been any changes in Upwork's promise to give this perk forever, or is this particular perk an exception to "the rule of June 30 expiration"?

[AveryO]

Hi Abdulafeez, 

This particular perk is an exception to the expiration date of June 30. The 0% will be honored throughout the relationship with the client talent brought in through this program. 

[1779ddc2]

Thanks 

[julian_pineda]

Good Evening, 

If I subscribe for one month, will I receive the new perks for three months or should I have an active subscription to use them? 

[AveryO]

Hi Andrés Julian, 

As with any membership plan, the perks will run until the end of the billing cycle. If you decide to renew, you will continue having access to the perks. To avail of the promo features, you must upgrade to the Freelancer Plus Plan between March 14, 2023 - March 31, 2023. The perks for this promo will only be available until June 30, 2023. If you want to keep using the additional perks, you'll need to renew your subscription until the promo ends (June 30). 

[4c61a635]

Hi Avery, I already subscribed to Freelancer Plus on 12 march now what should I do to get the new 6 perks features? please guide me on that plan already subscribed to it on my profile but I bought it on 12 march 

[AveryO]

Hi Ali, 

Currently, the perks available during this promo are only available to users who purchase Freelancer Plus between March 14, 2023, and March 31, 2023, and will not be available to those already on the membership plan. 

If anything changes, we will make sure to update the Community. 

[4c61a635]

Is that possible if me to switch free plan and then buy again freelancer plus ?

[AveryO]

Hi Ali, 

Your membership billing cycle should be between March 14, 2023 - March 31, 2023 to avail of this promo. If you downgrade your membership now, you will need to wait until April 12 (your membership's billing cycle) to upgrade to the Freelancer Plus Plan. You won't be able to downgrade and then upgrade for the purpose of changing your billing date within the same monthly billing cycle.

So if you want to change your billing cycle date, you need to downgrade to a Freelancer Basic plan before April 12  and then upgrade back to a Freelancer Plus plan after your billing cycle (April 12) on your preferred billing date. 

You can read more about changing your monthly billing cycle in the FAQs of this article.

[feed_my_eyes]

---

Avery O wrote:

Currently, the perks available during this promo are only available to users who purchase Freelancer Plus between March 14, 2023, and March 31, 2023, and will not be available to those already on the membership plan. 

---

It's a real slap in the face that these new perks are obviously aimed at newbies (free coaching!), who will now go to the front of the line to become skill certified, while I know of talented freelancers with high earnings who've been waiting their turn for ages. 

[kochubei_valeria]

Ali and others

First off, thanks for being a Freelancer Plus member! We know there needs to be some clarification about why now and why do only the people who sign up during the promo period get the perks. These are valid questions! We've heard the feedback on the program, and to make it better, we are running a brief trial to help us gain more feedback and input into how to improve the program long term. For this current period, we are testing out six new perks. Going into this trial, our focus was specifically on new members. With all of that said, we are happy to let existing Freelancer Plus members who would like access to these new features in for the trial of the program. If you're an existing Freelancer Plus member and would like to be added comment here!

[iraiansar]

I am interested. 

[celerart]

I'm in 😀

[kashnuda]

I have activated the freelancer plus plan for months. And today I went to check about all the new perks. When I go to the "Freelancer Plus hub" it says "Your new benefits will appear approximately 48 hours after signing up. If after 48 hours you still see this message, please let us know." Can someone tell me what should I do at this point?

This is the page I'm refering to https://community.upwork.com/t5/custom/page/page-id/FreelancerPlusOptions

[anna-lyzhnik]

I have the same issue. I've been using Freelancer Plus for months now and at the "Freelancer Plus hub" none of the perks are visible. 

[anna-lyzhnik]

I am interested, add me!

[1e4ab883]

Hi

I signed up for freelancer plus but its benefits are not showing in my community profile.

[1db817f7]

Hi Valeria K,

I want to access new features and have a Freelance Plus membership. Please add me so that I can strive for Skill Certification and other perks. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

[c41b5f34]

Hi Valeria, I'm an existing Freelancer Plus member and would like access to the new features in the trial program. Thanks!

[epicaudio]

I have been Freelancer Plus member for many months and I would really like to part of the trial program.

[asad6410]

I am  really interested.

[25005175]

1. What safety fence is in place to prevent users from purchasing the membership plan, onboarding their non-Upwork clientele for ease-of-billing, getting the perpetual 0% waivers signed, then dropping the membership?
2. Will the Clients that create accounts as a result of the BYO perk be required to pay the normal transaction fee on payments to the Freelancer who brought them?
3. Why are existing members not eligible?
4. The 0% fee BYO perk claims to be permanent, per Client relationship. That same perk is listed as part of the trial, set to terminate this summer. Will users lose the 0% fee when the trial ends, despite the promise of permanence?
5. Will the Freelancer Plus forum group cease to exist once the trial ends?
6. Will users who downgrade from Freelancer Plus lose access to the Freelancer Plus forum group?

[AveryO]

Hi Jonathan, 

Please see my answers below. 

What safety fence is in place to prevent users from purchasing the membership plan, onboarding their non-Upwork clientele for ease-of-billing, getting the perpetual 0% waivers signed, then dropping the membership?

Everyone who isn't on the plan yet has the option to avail of the promo to get the perks. We will not limit users from downgrading to the Basic Plan if they feel this is the direction they wish to take for their independent business. 

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Will the Clients that create accounts as a result of the BYO perk be required to pay the normal transaction fee on payments to the Freelancer who brought them?

Yes, that is correct. 

---

Why are existing members not eligible?

These features are only available to users who purchase Freelancer Plus between March 14, 2023 - March 31, 2023. We want to understand how this impacts the talent community and encourage subscribers to leave feedback and share their favorite features. As we strive to perfect our offerings, we may hold additional specials throughout the year, incorporating changes and improvements based on your valuable feedback.

---

The 0% fee BYO perk claims to be permanent, per Client relationship. That same perk is listed as part of the trial, set to terminate this summer. Will users lose the 0% fee when the trial ends, despite the promise of permanence?

No, users will not lose the 0% fee on those relationships after June 2023. The 0% will be honored throughout the relationship with the client talent brought in through this program. Only the ability to bring new clients with 0% fee is available through June of this year as a part of this perk.

Will the Freelancer Plus forum group cease to exist once the trial ends? 
Will users who downgrade from Freelancer Plus lose access to the Freelancer Plus forum group?

I'm not sure about the plans for the Group, but do you have any feedback or concern you wish to share about the Group that I can sound off to the team? Once I have the information, I'll come back here and update this post. 

[abixbg]

Hi, Avery can you comment on my post? I am really curious what benefits i would get if i get Upwork Plus again. 

[kochubei_valeria]

Hi Radoslav,

You can find the list of perks currently available with the membership as well as the new features that are only available to users who purchase Freelancer Plus between March 14, 2023 - March 31, 2023 on this page.
We want to understand how this impacts the talent community and what other perks freelancers would love to see in the future. Feel free leave feedback and suggestion in this survey we included. 

[d26d5d29]

If I was managing private clients out side of here, I wouldn't be on here. Don't see this as a 'perk'.

"Hey Mike, I know we have been working together for a couple years, but how would you like to pay more, to pay me? Don't worry, I'll be paying some too, to get my pay"..........

Who is this perk actually for?

[25005175]

Don't underestimate the utility of automated billing.

[d26d5d29]

So..... the private client, that you haven't been able to properly manage payment from, is going to pay MORE to pay you?

Any client like that is a BAD client, and there is a ZERO percent chance they would ever pay MORE for your services. Good way to get dropped by your client.

All after YOU pay more, to get them to pay more?
Would have LOVED to sit in on the pitch meeting for this 'perk'......

[25005175]

Anecdotal as it may be, Upwork freelancers like Morgan Overholt have done exactly this, because no matter how much you hound your Client, you can't force them to pay by doing something like automatically charging their credit card - unless you choose to purchase that service from companies like VISA and Mastercard.

Are Clients that require this kind of automation the best clients? Perhaps not. But it may not be malevolence on their part, but instead scatter-brained / poor organization. And the transaction cost for them is really not an issue, because that cost will always be paid by either you or them, and if it is by you, then it is common to pass that cost onto the client anyways.

[d26d5d29]

I still see zero chance on 'convincing' an unmanagable client agreeing to do anything like this.

You also can't force them to pay more to pay you.

Other than the time to write my check, and pay postage, there was no transaction fees on either side for me to get payed from previous private clients.

[akiyomendoza]

If I subscribe for a month, will I still get perks for the next 3 months?

[AveryO]

Hi Akiyo Kyral, 

As with any membership plan, the perks will run until the end of the billing cycle. If you decide to renew, you will continue having access to the perks. To avail of the promo features, you must upgrade to the Freelancer Plus Plan between March 14, 2023 - March 31, 2023. The perks for this promo will only be available until June 30, 2023. If you want to keep using the additional perks, you'll need to renew your subscription until the promo ends (June 30). 

[bsejawal]

I've subscribed to Freelancer Plus Plan, where I can start skill ceritification perk to take? thanks

[AveryO]

Hi Bhesh, 

You can opt into Upwork Skills Certification inside your Community profile. The Upwork Skills Certification team will invite you to participate in one of our WMSD, D&C, or Customer Support assessments. 

Freelancer Plus members will be prioritized for Upwork Skills Certifications, which include skills in Web, Mobile, & Software Development, as well as Design & Creative skills. You can visit our Upwork Skills Certifications page for a full list of skills assessed.

[bsejawal]

Thanks for your explanation, Avery

[7fb0ccd4]

I have recently upgraded to freelance plus membership in the 14-31 march promotion and I am unable to access my perks on upwork community?

[PradeepH]

Hi Syed,

Thank you for your message. Could you please confirm the page/request you are trying to access?

Thank you,

Pradeep

[karan0805]

Hi Syed,
It will be activated within 24-48 hours and once activated you will get notification regarding it.

Thank You,
Karan

[7fb0ccd4]

I have got an email from upwork regarding my membership upgrade to freelance plus. The page I am trying to access is the join freelance plus group and perks provided in the email

[karan0805]

I am also having the same problem. But according to the articles, you will get access within 1-2 days