Thank you for your interest and purchasing a subscription for GitLab.
## Know our product
Learn how GitLab helps you in the stages of the DevOps lifecycle by learning more [about the GitLab product](https://about.gitlab.com/product/), [GitLab features](https://about.gitlab.com/features/), and [GitLab Documentation Overview](../README.md).
### Self-managed: Install GitLab
Take a look at [installing GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/install/), and our [administrator documentation](../administration/index.md).
### GitLab.com: Create a user and group
Start with creating a user account for yourself using our [sign up page](https://gitlab.com/users/sign_in#register-pane).
[GitLab groups](../user/group/index.md) help assemble related projects together allowing you to grant members access to several projects at once. A group is not required if you plan on having [projects](../user/project/) inside a personal namespace.
## Your Subscription
You can view and manage subscriptions through our [Customers portal](https://customers.gitlab.com/). Information on applying your subscription is below.
Please also see our [subscription FAQ](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/licensing-faq/)
### View Subscription and Seats
To view and manage the subscriptions you have purchased and the number of seats associated with the subscription, please visit and log into the [Customers’ Portal](https://customers.gitlab.com/subscriptions). For more information, please see our [subscription FAQ](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/licensing-faq/) and [pricing page](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/), which includes information on our [true-up pricing policy](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/pricing/#true-up-pricing) when adding more users than at time of purchase.
Please note that this account may have the same email, but is a _separate_ login from your GitLab.com account. If the two accounts are linked together, then you can use the "sign in with GitLab.com account" link underneath the `Sign In` button.
### Change Billing Information
In the customers portal, go to the `My Account` page, then revise the `Account Details` information and click on the `Update Account` button.
Future purchases will use the information in this section. The email listed in this section is used for the Customers Portal login and for license related email communication.
### Link Your GitLab.com Account with Your Customers Portal Account
NOTE: **Note:** This is *required* for GitLab.com subscriptions.
Once signed into the customers portal, if your account is not already linked, you should be prompted to link your account with a "Link my GitLab Account" button.
You can also go to the [My Account](https://customers.gitlab.com/customers/edit) page to add or change the GitLab.com account link.
### Change the Linked GitLab.com Account for Your Customers Portal Account
To change which GitLab.com account is associated with a Customers Portal account, please follow these steps:
1. Log into the [Customers Portal](https://customers.gitlab.com/customers/sign_in).
1. In a separate browser tab, visit [GitLab.com](https://gitlab.com) to ensure you are not logged in, or if you are, log out.
1. Back on the Customers Portal page, click on [My Account](https://customers.gitlab.com/customers/edit) in the top menu.
1. Under `Your GitLab.com account`, click on `Change linked account` button.
1. Have the user you want associated log into their [GitLab.com](https://gitlab.com) account.
### Types of Subscription
Please take a look at the [Subscribe to GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/README.html#subscribe-to-gitlab) information for the types of subscriptions.
*NOTE:* Let's put the below information in the [subscribe to GitLab.com](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/README.html#gitlabcom) section and use the above text for this doc.
GitLab.com allows you to apply your subscription to a group or your personal user.
When applied to a **group**, the group, all subgroups, and all projects under the selected group on GitLab.com will have the features of the associated plan. It is recommended to go with a group plan when managing projects and users of an organization.
When associated with a** personal userspace** instead, all projects will have features with the subscription applied, but as it is not a group, group features will not be available.
### Self-Managed: Apply Your License File
After purchase, the license file is sent to the email address tied to the Customers portal account, which needs to be [uploaded to the GitLab instance](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/admin_area/license.html#uploading-your-license).
### GitLab.com: Associate Your Namespace with Your Subscription
Once your GitLab.com account is linked, you can go to your [Subscriptions](https://customers.gitlab.com/subscriptions) page to choose or change the namespace your subscription applies to.
Please note that you need to be a group owner to associate a group to your subscription.
## Need Help?
[GitLab docs](http://docs.gitlab.com) offers a wide range of topics covering the use of GitLab.com along with tutorials, FAQs and guides.
We also encourage all users to search our project trackers for known issues and existing feature requests in:
-[GitLab CE](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/) for features included in all tiers, and
-[GitLab EE](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/) for paid tier features.
Project issues are the best avenue for getting updates on existing issues and for communicating directly with the relevant GitLab team members.
### Contacting Support
GitLab offers 24x5 support. We will make a best effort to resolve any issues to your satisfaction as quickly as possible. [Learn more about GitLab Support](https://about.gitlab.com/support/).
Contact us through the [Support Portal](https://support.gitlab.com) or in the case the portal is unavailable, email us directly at [support@gitlab.com](mailto:support@gitlab.com).
