That's why once when I first joined Nostr I asked someone whether their paid relay access was a one time fee or recurrent.
They said it would eventually be recurrent, and more expensive, but wouldn't say how much, so I declined.
No drama here. I totally understand them. I just was not interested in signing up for a service with an undetermined future price. If I liked it and then they hiked prices up too much, I would have to give up a service I had gotten used to.
Once relay admins figure out their real costs and value and we have a real market with more or less real prices, then I will look into paid relays. Too much hassle now. nostr:note1dy4xqazyv40u5a5ycmsrxxznz6xggs24aakznr6hu9nqv5lszc0su4rjyx