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Membership ​

A membership with Upstate International gives you member pricing on language classes and access to member-only events and benefits. This page explains what membership is, how to join or renew, where to see your current membership, and how scholarship and family add-ons work.

What a Membership Is and Why It Matters ​

When you become a member, you get access to member rates on classes and events and to any member-only offerings. Your membership has a level (tier), a status (for example active or expired), and an end date. You can view and manage this from your account.

The Three Tiers ​

Upstate International offers three main membership tiers:

  • Gateway Member — Entry-level membership with member pricing on classes and events.
  • Crossroads Collective — Includes everything in Gateway plus additional benefits (for example Get One Give One, if offered).
  • World Horizon Patron — Highest tier, with all benefits plus perks such as a free class and patron events (if offered).

Exact benefits and prices are shown on the membership page at https://portal.uibeta.org/membership. Prices may change; always check the site for current rates.

How to Join (New Membership) ​

  1. Go to https://portal.uibeta.org/membership.
  2. Review the tiers and choose the one you want.
  3. Click the button to add that membership to your cart (for example Add to cart or Join).
  4. Go to checkout: open Your Cart from the cart icon and click Proceed to Checkout, or go to https://portal.uibeta.org/checkout. Review your order and complete payment.
  5. After payment, your membership is active. Open your account menu and choose Membership (or go to https://portal.uibeta.org/account/membership).

Member pricing at checkout

If you have an active membership when you enroll in a class or register for an event, member pricing is applied automatically at checkout. You do not need to enter a code; the system applies the discount when you are logged in and your membership is current.

How to View Your Current Membership ​

  1. Log in and open your account menu, then choose Membership (or go to https://portal.uibeta.org/account/membership).
  2. You will see your membership level, status (for example Active), and expiry date.

The start, renewal, and expiry dates are shown as the exact calendar day on your membership record, the same date staff see. They do not shift by a day depending on your time zone.

You can also start from Overview (https://portal.uibeta.org/account): the Renew Membership or Get Membership button at the top takes you toward membership actions.

Use the Membership page anytime you want to check your level or when your membership runs out.

Looking for a record of your dues payments? See your account's Payment History.

When Your Membership Expires and How to Renew ​

When your membership reaches its expiry date, it becomes inactive. You will no longer receive member pricing on new class enrollments or event registrations until you renew.

To renew:

  1. Go to https://portal.uibeta.org/membership and choose your tier again (or the renewal option if shown).
  2. Add the membership to your cart and complete checkout as you did when you first joined.
  3. After payment, your membership is active again and the new expiry date will appear under My Account → Membership.

You may receive a reminder email before your membership expires; you can renew at any time before or after the expiry date.

Renewal Flow ​

When your membership is approaching renewal, the portal will guide you through renewing without losing your benefits.

  • Reminder window (30, 14, and 7 days before renewal): You'll receive an email reminder at each milestone. Inside the portal, a yellow banner appears at the top of every page with a "Renew Now" button.
  • Grace period (up to 30 days after renewal): Member pricing and benefits remain available. The banner turns orange and shows how many days remain in the grace period.
  • After grace (expired): The banner turns red and reads "Your membership has expired." Member pricing is no longer applied automatically — but the portal still recognizes that you previously had a membership and offers a "Renew Membership" CTA from your account page and membership details page.
  • Cancelled memberships: If you cancel your membership, the portal will show a neutral "Your membership has been cancelled" banner with the option to rejoin anytime.

Family members linked to an account: when the account owner's membership expires or is cancelled, family members see a separate notice from their own account ("Your family membership access is managed by your account owner") and should contact the account owner to renew.

Membership funded by a recurring gift ​

If your membership was activated by a recurring gift rather than a one-time membership purchase, you won't see a renewal countdown, an "expiring soon" banner, or a renewal reminder email for it — there's nothing to renew. As long as your recurring gift keeps processing, your membership stays active automatically at whatever level your gift currently qualifies for.

If you also hold a separate paid annual membership at the same time, that membership follows the normal renewal schedule above and you'll still get its renewal reminders — one of them will mention that your recurring gift continues on its own, separately from the annual membership being renewed.

If a payment on your recurring gift doesn't go through, you'll see a banner near the top of the account page letting you know, along with how many days you have left to update your card — your membership stays fully active while that banner is showing. Only the account owner sees this banner; if you're a family member on someone else's account, it's not shown to you. See Giving for what to do about it.

If you choose to stop the recurring gift, that is different from a payment problem. The account owner can change the amount or frequency, or stop the gift, from Account → Recurring gift (https://portal.uibeta.org/account/giving). Stopping is at period end: your membership and benefits continue through the end of the period you already paid for, then end. You can reverse that with Keep my gift before that date. Full steps are on Giving. This is not the same as the 30-day payment-trouble grace window above.

Family members on a recurring-gift-funded membership: if the membership that gives you access ever ends — because the recurring gift stopped, was cancelled, or a payment issue was never resolved — you and every other family member on that account lose access at the same time, and each of you gets your own email letting you know individually. If the gift later starts again or increases, everyone's access on that account is restored automatically — nobody needs to be re-invited.

Where you'll see renewal prompts ​

  • Top-of-page banner: Yellow (renewal due soon), orange (in grace period), red (expired), or neutral (cancelled). Dismissible for 24 hours; reappears the next day or whenever your membership status changes.
  • /account quick action: The Renew Membership button reflects your current state — "Renew Membership" if you have or recently had a membership, or "Get Membership" if you've never been a member.
  • My Membership card on /account: Shows your level, status, and renewal date. For lapsed memberships, the card displays the expired date and a "Renew Membership" link.
  • /account/membership details page: Full details of your current or most recent membership with a Renew Membership button.

Scholarship (Subsidized Membership) ​

If Upstate International offers subsidized (scholarship) memberships, you can apply from the portal.

  1. Go to https://portal.uibeta.org/membership/scholarship.
  2. Read the information about who it is for and what is required.
  3. Fill in the form with the requested details (for example why you are applying and any required contact or eligibility information).
  4. Submit the form.

After you submit, staff will review your request. They will contact you to tell you whether it is approved and how to complete your membership (for example with a special checkout or link). You do not pay the full membership price when a scholarship is approved; staff will guide you through the next steps.

Family Add-On ​

Some memberships allow you to add family members (for example a spouse or child) to your household. Each family member needs a family add-on "slot," which has an extra fee per person. A membership covers up to 6 family members.

  1. Buy slots. When you choose a tier on the membership page, set the Family Add-ons quantity to the number of people you want to add. You can also buy slots later from Family in your account menu. If you ask for more than you are allowed, the quantity is lowered automatically and a note explains why (for example, how many slots you already have and how many more you can add).
  2. Check out. Each add-on you buy gives you one slot.
  3. Invite. After checkout, open your account menu and choose Family (or go to https://portal.uibeta.org/account/family). Click Invite Family Member, enter the person's name and email, and click Send Invitation. If you paid by check or in office, the slots appear once staff record your payment.
  4. The person must click the link in their invitation email and either log in or create an account to accept. Once they accept, they are linked to your membership.

Family members then get member benefits under your account. For full steps, see the Family members section of the docs.

Need help? Contact Upstate International staff for questions about membership tiers, renewal, scholarship, or family add-ons.

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