Three plan options change how a subscription is paid: prepaid plans charge for several deliveries at once, a set billing day puts every charge on the same day, and gift plans let a customer pay for deliveries to someone else. All three are in the plan editor, in the Prepaid, billing day and gifts section.
Prepaid plans #
Prepaid deliveries: “The customer pays for this many deliveries at once (2 to 52). Leave empty to charge every delivery.” Then choose what happens After the prepaid deliveries:
- Charge for the next prepaid deliveries (default): the subscription renews with another prepaid charge;
- End the subscription: it ends after them.
For example, a monthly coffee plan with 3 prepaid deliveries charges once for 3 months, and Shopify makes an order for each delivery. The product page says “$54.00 for 3 deliveries ($18.00 per delivery).” and, for a plan that ends, “Ends after these 3 deliveries.” Customers see “3 deliveries prepaid, next charge on …” in their account.
- Prepaid plans can’t have a free trial.
- A prepaid plan that ends after its deliveries has no Fewest payments or Most payments.
- A prepaid subscription can’t be ordered early with Order now.
A set billing day #
Billing day puts every charge on the same day instead of The day the customer subscribes:
| Billing day | Works with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A day of the week | Weekly frequencies | Every Monday |
| A day of the month | Monthly frequencies | The 1st of each month |
| A date each year | Yearly frequencies | Every year on February 1 |
“Charges fall on this day. The checkout pays for the first delivery, sent on the next billing day; later charges fall on the billing days after it. In shorter months the 29th to 31st move to the last day.” There is no part-period charge: an order placed on October 14 for a plan billed on the 1st pays for the delivery of November 1, and the next charge is on December 1.
The product page and the account say “Billed on the 1st of each month.” A set billing day can’t be combined with a free trial.
Gift subscriptions #
Turn on Can be sent as a gift on a prepaid subscription plan. While that plan is selected, the product page shows This is a gift. When ticked, the customer fills in:
- Recipient’s name and Recipient’s email;
- Message (optional);
- Send the gift email on: “We email them on the day you choose (today if left empty).”
“Enter the recipient’s address as the shipping address at checkout.” The deliveries go there.
On the chosen day the recipient gets the Gift received email (“A gift for you”) with the items, the number of deliveries paid for and the message. The gift ends after its prepaid deliveries. The giver can keep it going from their account (Keep it going after the prepaid deliveries), charged to their own payment method.
In the app, a gift subscription has a Gift badge, “Gift for …”, the gift email date and status, and whether it ends or keeps going.
Good to know #
- Gifts need a prepaid plan: the giver pays for the deliveries at once. Only subscription plans can be sent as gifts.
- Rental plans can’t be prepaid, sent as gifts or billed on a set day.
- You can change the wording of the gift email in Settings › Emails. See Emails, Shopify Flow and the API.
