Seasonal Hold Questions

Need assistance setting up my seasonal hold.

Last year, I thought I had set up the correct dates for start/stop, but my service (and full bills) continued past the start date I had set and I got a Full bill for 2 months in the spring because I picked the wrong dates.

I tried dealing with customer service over the phone and just got to the point where I completely cancelled my service. Don't want to go through that again.

Should I start the hold 1 day prior to the billing date of the month I want it to start and stop on the billing date of the month I plan to return?

I am really just trying to avoid getting billed in full for partial months that I'm not there again.