diff --git a/src/packages/frontend/browser.ts b/src/packages/frontend/browser.ts
index ac8a5dccfb..c2ec74dda0 100644
--- a/src/packages/frontend/browser.ts
+++ b/src/packages/frontend/browser.ts
@@ -12,10 +12,13 @@ export function notifyCount() {
   const mentions = redux.getStore("mentions");
   const account = redux.getStore("account");
   const news = redux.getStore("news");
+  // we always count balance_alert as "1", since we don't even
+  // know how many of them there are until querying stripe.
   return (
     (mentions?.getUnreadSize() ?? 0) +
     (account?.get("unread_message_count") ?? 0) +
-    (news?.get("unread") ?? 0)
+    (news?.get("unread") ?? 0) +
+    (account?.get("balance_alert") ? 1 : 0)
   );
 }
 
diff --git a/src/packages/frontend/messages/counter.tsx b/src/packages/frontend/messages/counter.tsx
index 019da0c613..231f475d09 100644
--- a/src/packages/frontend/messages/counter.tsx
+++ b/src/packages/frontend/messages/counter.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ export default function Counter({
     set_window_title();
   }, [unread_message_count]);
   if (minimal) {
+    if (!unread_message_count) {
+      return null;
+    }
     return <span style={style}>{unread_message_count}</span>;
   }
   return (
diff --git a/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/site-license-public-info-component.tsx b/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/site-license-public-info-component.tsx
index 62fd3b320f..a710283388 100644
--- a/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/site-license-public-info-component.tsx
+++ b/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/site-license-public-info-component.tsx
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ export const SiteLicensePublicInfo: React.FC<Props> = (
       // a subscription will extend it (unless it is canceled)
       return null;
     }
-    const word = expired ? "EXPIRED" : "Paid through";
+    const word = expired ? "EXPIRED" : "Valid through";
     const when =
       info?.expires != null ? (
         <TimeAgo date={info.expires} />
diff --git a/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/site-license-public-info.tsx b/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/site-license-public-info.tsx
index 35fbba1062..e4ef896cb7 100644
--- a/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/site-license-public-info.tsx
+++ b/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/site-license-public-info.tsx
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ export const SiteLicensePublicInfoTable: React.FC<PropsTable> = (
 
       return (
         <>
-          {runLimitTxt} Paid through {when}.
+          {runLimitTxt} Valid through {when}.
         </>
       );
     }
diff --git a/src/packages/server/purchases/maintain-subscriptions.ts b/src/packages/server/purchases/maintain-subscriptions.ts
index 264b4bb74a..aac3d22b73 100644
--- a/src/packages/server/purchases/maintain-subscriptions.ts
+++ b/src/packages/server/purchases/maintain-subscriptions.ts
@@ -11,11 +11,20 @@ CREATE PAYMENTS:
   for that subscription, we do the following:
 
   - Create a payment intent for the amount to renew the subscription for the next
-    period. The metadata says exactly what this payment is for and what should happen
-    when payment is processed.
+    period. The metadata says what this payment is for and what should happen
+    when payment is processed.  If user has selected to pay from credit on file
+    and they have enough to covert the entire renewal, subscription is immediately
+    renewed using available credit.
 
-  - Also, when making the payment intent, extend the license expire date for 3 days,
-    as a free automatic grace period, since payments can take a while to complete.
+  - After successfully making the payment intent, extend the license so it does not
+    expires 5 days from now (3 days after expire), as a free automatic grace
+    period, since payments can take a while to complete.
+
+      ABUSE POTENTIAL: this is slightly DANGEROUS!!  The user could maybe cancel everything and
+      get a prorated refund on the license that would give them credit for these 3
+      days.  It's not too dangerous though, since this only happens automatically
+      on the subscription renewal and there is no way for the user to trigger it.
+      We might want to not allow this...  We'll see.
 
   - Send message about subscription renewal payment.  Including invoice
     payment link from stripe in that message.
@@ -90,6 +99,7 @@ import { getUser } from "@cocalc/server/purchases/statements/email-statement";
 import basePath from "@cocalc/backend/base-path";
 import { join } from "path";
 import { currency } from "@cocalc/util/misc";
+import dayjs from "dayjs";
 
 const logger = getLogger("purchases:maintain-subscriptions");
 
@@ -210,7 +220,7 @@ export async function createPayments() {
   SELECT id as subscription_id, account_id FROM subscriptions WHERE
       status != 'canceled' AND
       current_period_end <= NOW() + interval '48 hours' AND
-      payment#>>'{status}' != 'active'
+      coalesce(payment#>>'{status}','') != 'active'
   `,
   );
   logger.debug(
@@ -231,6 +241,55 @@ export async function createPayments() {
         `createPayments -- ERROR billing subscription id ${subscription_id} -- ${err}`,
       );
     }
+    await gracePeriod({
+      subscription_id,
+      until: dayjs().add(5, "days").toDate(),
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+export async function gracePeriod({
+  subscription_id,
+  until,
+}: {
+  subscription_id: number;
+  until: Date;
+}) {
+  logger.debug("gracePeriod", { subscription_id, until });
+  // Check to ensure the license does not expire until after "until".
+  // It might have been renewed already by the time we get here.
+  const pool = getPool();
+  const { rows: subscriptions } = await pool.query(
+    "SELECT metadata FROM subscriptions WHERE id=$1",
+    [subscription_id],
+  );
+  const license_id = subscriptions[0]?.metadata?.license_id;
+  if (!license_id) {
+    logger.debug("gracePeriod: no license_id");
+    return;
+  }
+  logger.debug("gracePeriod:", { license_id });
+  const { rows: licenses } = await pool.query(
+    "SELECT expires FROM site_licenses WHERE id=$1",
+    [license_id],
+  );
+  if (licenses.length == 0) {
+    logger.debug("gracePeriod: no such license", { license_id });
+    return;
+  }
+  const expires = licenses[0].expires;
+  if (expires == null) {
+    logger.debug("gracePeriod: suspicious license - no expires set (?)", {
+      license_id,
+    });
+    return;
+  }
+  if (expires < until) {
+    logger.debug("gracePeriod: adding grace period to license.");
+    await pool.query("UPDATE site_licenses SET expires=$1 WHERE id=$2", [
+      until,
+      license_id,
+    ]);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/packages/server/purchases/stripe/create-subscription-payment.ts b/src/packages/server/purchases/stripe/create-subscription-payment.ts
index ce264bd7c6..505d3f3560 100644
--- a/src/packages/server/purchases/stripe/create-subscription-payment.ts
+++ b/src/packages/server/purchases/stripe/create-subscription-payment.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import getBalance from "@cocalc/server/purchases/get-balance";
 import send from "@cocalc/server/messages/send";
 import adminAlert from "@cocalc/server/messages/admin-alert";
 import { getServerSettings } from "@cocalc/database/settings/server-settings";
+import base_path from "@cocalc/backend/base-path";
 
 // nothing should ever be this small, but just in case:
 const MIN_SUBSCRIPTION_AMOUNT = 1;
@@ -94,7 +95,7 @@ export default async function createSubscriptionPayment({
     }
   }
 
-  const { site_name } = await getServerSettings();
+  const { site_name, dns } = await getServerSettings();
 
   if (payNow) {
     // Instead of trying to charge their credit card (etc.), we just
@@ -167,6 +168,8 @@ export default async function createSubscriptionPayment({
     new_expires_ms,
   };
 
+  const site = `https://${dns}${base_path}`;
+
   await pool.query("UPDATE subscriptions SET payment=$1 WHERE id=$2", [
     payment1,
     subscription_id,
@@ -174,8 +177,7 @@ export default async function createSubscriptionPayment({
   await send({
     to_ids: [account_id],
     subject: `${site_name} Subscription Renewal: Id ${subscription_id}`,
-    body: `${site_name} has started renewing your subscription (id=${subscription_id}).\n\n
-Invoice: ${hosted_invoice_url}`,
+    body: `${site_name} has started renewing your subscription (id=${subscription_id}).\n\n- [Subscription Status](${site}/subscriptions/${subscription_id})\n\n- Your Account: [Subscriptions](${site}/settings/subscriptions), [Payments](${site}/settings/payments) and [Purchases](${site}/settings/purchases)\n\n- Hosted Invoice: ${hosted_invoice_url}`,
   });
 }