diff --git a/app/Models/Subscription.php b/app/Models/Subscription.php
index d323f0a..5b654bf 100644
--- a/app/Models/Subscription.php
+++ b/app/Models/Subscription.php
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ class Subscription extends Model
      */
     public const FROZEN = [
         'plan', 'term', 'price_cents', 'currency', 'quota_gb', 'traffic_gb',
-        'seats', 'ram_mb', 'cores', 'disk_gb', 'performance', 'started_at',
+        'seats', 'ram_mb', 'cores', 'disk_gb', 'performance', 'tier', 'started_at',
     ];
 
     protected $guarded = [];
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ class Subscription extends Model
             'ram_mb' => 'integer',
             'cores' => 'integer',
             'disk_gb' => 'integer',
+            'tier' => 'integer',
             'started_at' => 'datetime',
             'current_period_start' => 'datetime',
             'current_period_end' => 'datetime',
@@ -101,6 +102,9 @@ class Subscription extends Model
             'cores' => (int) ($catalogue['cores'] ?? 0),
             'disk_gb' => (int) ($catalogue['disk_gb'] ?? 0),
             'performance' => $catalogue['performance'] ?? null,
+            // Frozen too: which direction a later change goes must not depend
+            // on where the plan sits in today's catalogue.
+            'tier' => (int) ($catalogue['tier'] ?? 0),
         ];
     }
 
diff --git a/app/Services/Billing/PlanChange.php b/app/Services/Billing/PlanChange.php
index 164f256..fbfeb1a 100644
--- a/app/Services/Billing/PlanChange.php
+++ b/app/Services/Billing/PlanChange.php
@@ -38,7 +38,11 @@ final readonly class PlanChange
         $at = $at?->copy() ?? now();
         $target = Subscription::snapshotFrom($targetPlan, $subscription->term);
 
-        $isUpgrade = $target['price_cents'] > $subscription->price_cents;
+        // Direction comes from the plan's rank, never from the prices: a
+        // grandfathered business plan can cost less than today's team plan, and
+        // comparing those would call losing resources an "upgrade" and charge
+        // for it immediately. Prices decide the amount, not the direction.
+        $isUpgrade = (int) $target['tier'] > (int) $subscription->tier;
 
         // Whole days, and never zero: on the last day of a term there is still
         // a day of service left to charge or refund.
@@ -88,6 +92,11 @@ final readonly class PlanChange
             throw new RuntimeException('An upgrade is charged, not credited.');
         }
 
+        // A sideways move at the same rank has no difference to credit.
+        if ((int) Subscription::snapshotFrom($targetPlan, $subscription->term)['tier'] === (int) $subscription->tier) {
+            return 0;
+        }
+
         $target = Subscription::snapshotFrom($targetPlan, $subscription->term);
         $difference = $subscription->price_cents - $target['price_cents'];
 
diff --git a/config/provisioning.php b/config/provisioning.php
index 6a34ad1..2faca93 100644
--- a/config/provisioning.php
+++ b/config/provisioning.php
@@ -67,10 +67,10 @@ return [
     // ADMIN-ONLY. Customers compare seats, storage, performance class and
     // features — never raw vCPU/RAM (see docs/specs/2026-07-25-portal-d-*).
     'plans' => [
-        'start' => ['traffic_gb' => 1000, 'quota_gb' => 100, 'disk_gb' => 120, 'ram_mb' => 4096, 'cores' => 2, 'seats' => 5, 'performance' => 'standard', 'price_cents' => 4900, 'template_vmid' => 9000],
-        'team' => ['traffic_gb' => 3000, 'quota_gb' => 500, 'disk_gb' => 540, 'ram_mb' => 8192, 'cores' => 4, 'seats' => 25, 'performance' => 'enhanced', 'price_cents' => 17900, 'template_vmid' => 9000],
-        'business' => ['traffic_gb' => 8000, 'quota_gb' => 1000, 'disk_gb' => 1050, 'ram_mb' => 16384, 'cores' => 8, 'seats' => 100, 'performance' => 'high', 'price_cents' => 39900, 'template_vmid' => 9000],
-        'enterprise' => ['traffic_gb' => 20000, 'quota_gb' => 2000, 'disk_gb' => 2100, 'ram_mb' => 32768, 'cores' => 16, 'seats' => 500, 'performance' => 'dedicated', 'price_cents' => 79900, 'template_vmid' => 9000],
+        'start' => ['tier' => 1, 'traffic_gb' => 1000, 'quota_gb' => 100, 'disk_gb' => 120, 'ram_mb' => 4096, 'cores' => 2, 'seats' => 5, 'performance' => 'standard', 'price_cents' => 4900, 'template_vmid' => 9000],
+        'team' => ['tier' => 2, 'traffic_gb' => 3000, 'quota_gb' => 500, 'disk_gb' => 540, 'ram_mb' => 8192, 'cores' => 4, 'seats' => 25, 'performance' => 'enhanced', 'price_cents' => 17900, 'template_vmid' => 9000],
+        'business' => ['tier' => 3, 'traffic_gb' => 8000, 'quota_gb' => 1000, 'disk_gb' => 1050, 'ram_mb' => 16384, 'cores' => 8, 'seats' => 100, 'performance' => 'high', 'price_cents' => 39900, 'template_vmid' => 9000],
+        'enterprise' => ['tier' => 4, 'traffic_gb' => 20000, 'quota_gb' => 2000, 'disk_gb' => 2100, 'ram_mb' => 32768, 'cores' => 16, 'seats' => 500, 'performance' => 'dedicated', 'price_cents' => 79900, 'template_vmid' => 9000],
     ],
 
     // Default branding applied when a customer has not set their own (resolved by
diff --git a/database/migrations/2026_07_26_020001_add_tier_to_subscriptions.php b/database/migrations/2026_07_26_020001_add_tier_to_subscriptions.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df80447
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2026_07_26_020001_add_tier_to_subscriptions.php
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+/**
+ * The plan's rank, frozen with the rest of the snapshot.
+ *
+ * Which direction a later plan change goes must not be read from prices: a
+ * grandfathered plan can cost less than a smaller plan does today, and
+ * comparing those would charge a customer immediately for losing resources.
+ */
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('subscriptions', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->unsignedTinyInteger('tier')->default(0)->after('plan');
+        });
+    }
+
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('subscriptions', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->dropColumn('tier');
+        });
+    }
+};
diff --git a/tests/Feature/Billing/PlanChangeTest.php b/tests/Feature/Billing/PlanChangeTest.php
index a9b5596..35b8ae4 100644
--- a/tests/Feature/Billing/PlanChangeTest.php
+++ b/tests/Feature/Billing/PlanChangeTest.php
@@ -123,3 +123,24 @@ it('prices a yearly term as twelve months of the same plan', function () {
     // Any discount belongs in the catalogue, not hidden in the conversion.
     expect($yearly['price_cents'])->toBe($monthly['price_cents'] * 12);
 });
+
+it('reads the direction from the plan rank, not from a grandfathered price', function () {
+    $start = Illuminate\Support\Carbon::parse('2026-08-01');
+
+    // A business customer from back when business cost less than today's team.
+    $subscription = Subscription::factory()->plan('business')->create([
+        'current_period_start' => $start,
+        'current_period_end' => $start->copy()->addMonth(),
+    ]);
+    $subscription->forceFill(['price_cents' => 9900])->saveQuietly();   // grandfathered
+
+    config()->set('provisioning.plans.team.price_cents', 17900);        // today's team costs more
+
+    $change = PlanChange::evaluate($subscription->fresh(), 'team', Illuminate\Support\Carbon::parse('2026-08-15'));
+
+    // Moving to team takes resources away — that is a downgrade whatever the
+    // prices say, and it waits for the end of the term.
+    expect($change->isUpgrade)->toBeFalse()
+        ->and($change->allowedNow)->toBeFalse()
+        ->and($change->chargeCents)->toBe(0);
+});