Subscriptions - Dodo Payments Documentation

Subscriptions automate recurring revenue. Create flexible billing cycles, free or paid trials, plan changes with proration, and add-ons. Customers renew automatically until they cancel or the term ends.

Upgrade & Downgrade

Control plan changes with proration and quantity updates.

On‑Demand Subscriptions

Authorize a mandate now and charge later with custom amounts.

Customer Portal

Let customers manage plans, billing, and cancellations.

Subscription Webhooks

React to lifecycle events like created, renewed, and canceled.

What Are Subscriptions?

A subscription is a recurring product that charges customers on a schedule. Ideal for SaaS, memberships, digital content, and support plans.

SaaS licenses: Apps, APIs, or platform access
Memberships: Communities, programs, or clubs
Digital content: Courses, media, or premium content
Support plans: SLAs, success packages, or maintenance

Key Benefits

Predictable revenue: Recurring billing with automated renewals
Flexible cycles: Monthly, annual, custom intervals, and trials
Plan agility: Proration for upgrades and downgrades
Add-ons and seats: Attach optional, quantifiable upgrades
Hosted checkout: Checkout pages and Customer Portal
Developer-first: Clear APIs for creation, changes, and usage tracking

Creating Subscriptions

Create subscription products in your Dodo Payments dashboard, then sell them through checkout or your API. Separating products from active subscriptions lets you version pricing, attach add-ons, and track performance independently.

Subscription Product Creation

Configure the fields in the dashboard to define how your subscription sells, renews, and bills. The sections below map directly to what you see in the creation form.

Product Details

Produktnamn (obligatoriskt): Visningsnamnet som visas i kassan, Customer Portal och fakturor.
Produktbeskrivning (valfritt): En tydlig värdebeskrivning som visas i kassan och på fakturor.
Produktbild (valfritt): PNG/JPG/WebP på upp till 3 MB. Används i kassan och på fakturor.
Varumärke: Koppla produkten till ett specifikt varumärke för temaanpassning och e-postmeddelanden.
Skattekategori (obligatoriskt): Välj kategori (till exempel SaaS) för att fastställa skatteregler.

Pick the most accurate tax category to ensure correct tax collection per region.

Pricing

Pricing Type: Choose Subscription (this guide). Alternatives are Single Payment and Usage Based Billing.
Price (required): Base recurring price with currency. A non-zero price must be at least $1 (or the equivalent in your chosen currency) — amounts below this minimum are not supported. A price of exactly $0 is a separate, supported case; see Card-Optional at Zero Price.
Discount Applicable (%): Optional percentage discount applied to the base price; reflected in checkout and invoices.
Repeat payment every (required): Interval for renewals, e.g., every 1 Month. Select the cadence (months or years) and quantity.
Subscription Period (required): Total term for which the subscription remains active (e.g., 10 Years). After this period ends, renewals stop unless extended.
Trial Period Days (required): Set trial length in days. Use 0 to disable trials. The first charge occurs automatically when the trial ends.
Trial Amount: Optional upfront charge for a paid trial. Leave it unset for a free trial. See Paid Trials.
Card-optional at $0 Price: Let customers start the subscription without adding a card when a $0 price or a discount leaves nothing due today. A free trial has its own Start the trial without a card checkbox. See Card-Optional at Zero Price.
Select add-on: Attach up to 10 add-ons that customers can purchase alongside the base plan.

Editing the price of an active product changes what new customers pay. Existing subscriptions are never repriced — each one keeps the price it was created with and renews at that price for as long as it stays active.To move an existing subscriber onto a different price, change their plan explicitly with Change Plan, or let them switch through the Customer Portal if you have enabled self-service plan changes. Your proration settings apply to that plan change, not to product price edits.

Add-ons are ideal for quantifiable extras such as seats or storage. You can control allowed quantities and proration behavior when customers change them.

Advanced Settings

Tax Inclusive Pricing: Display prices inclusive of applicable taxes. Final tax calculation still varies by customer location.
Generate license keys: Issue a unique key to each customer after purchase. See the License Keys guide.
Digital Product Delivery: Deliver files or content automatically after purchase. Learn more in Digital Product Delivery.
Metadata: Attach custom key–value pairs for internal tagging or client integrations. See Metadata.

Use metadata to store identifiers from your system (e.g., accountId) so you can reconcile events and invoices later.

Subscription Trials

Trials let customers evaluate a subscription before paying the full recurring price. A trial can be free (no charge until it ends) or paid (a reduced amount charged upfront). After the trial, the full price charges at the first renewal.

Configuring Trials

Set Trial Period Days in the product’s pricing section (use 0 to disable). Override it when creating a subscription:

// Via checkout session (recommended)
const session = await client.checkoutSessions.create({
  product_cart: [{ product_id: 'pdt_monthly', quantity: 1 }],
  subscription_data: { trial_period_days: 14 }
});

// Via subscription creation (deprecated)
// Note: POST /subscriptions is deprecated — prefer checkout sessions
const subscription = await client.subscriptions.create({
  customer: { customer_id: 'cus_123' },
  billing: { country: 'US' },
  product_id: 'pdt_monthly',
  quantity: 1,
  trial_period_days: 14
});

trial_period_days must be between 0 and 10,000 days.

Paid Trials

Charge a reduced amount upfront for the trial window. Set Trial Amount on the product’s price. The full recurring price charges at the first renewal.

Subscription pricing form with a trial duration and an optional trial amount for a paid trial

Paid trials are configured on the product’s price, not per subscription or per checkout session:

Field	Type	Description
`trial_amount`	integer	Amount charged today for the trial, in the price currency’s minor units (for example, `500` for $5.00). Requires `trial_period_days > 0`. Omit or set to `null` for a free trial.
`trial_apply_discounts`	boolean	Whether checkout discount codes reduce the trial charge. Defaults to `false`, so the trial amount is charged in full even when a discount applies to the recurring price.

const product = await client.products.create({
  name: 'Pro Plan',
  tax_category: 'saas',
  price: {
    type: 'recurring_price',
    price: 2900,                      // $29.00 per month after the trial
    currency: 'USD',
    discount_bps: 0,
    purchasing_power_parity: false,
    payment_frequency_count: 1,
    payment_frequency_interval: 'Month',
    subscription_period_count: 1,
    subscription_period_interval: 'Year',
    trial_period_days: 14,
    trial_amount: 500,                // $5.00 charged today
    trial_apply_discounts: false
  }
});

The trial amount is taxed and included in checkout calculations and payment link pricing. Adaptive Currency markup applies per currency. The preview endpoint returns trial_amount and trial_period_days so you can show the amount due today before creating the subscription.

Card-Optional at Zero Price

Let customers start a subscription without adding a payment method when nothing is due today. Enable it per price in the product’s pricing section, with one checkbox for each case below.

Subscription pricing form with the Card-Optional at $0 Price checkbox next to Trial Period and Default Discount

Nothing due today happens in two cases:

A free trial: trial_period_days is set with no trial_amount, so the first charge is $0 while the trial runs. Check Start the trial without a card under Trial Period (Days).
A $0 recurring price: Either the price itself is $0, or a discount brings it to $0 (the product’s Default Discount (%) or a discount code stacked at checkout). Check Card-optional at $0 Price.

A paid trial always requires a card. Setting a Trial Amount means something is due, so the card requirement stays on.

Each checkbox maps to its own API field: trial_payment_method_optional (free trial case) and zero_amount_payment_method_optional ($0 price case). You can enable either one on its own.

What Happens Without a Card

A card-optional subscription is created and activated immediately with no payment method on file. The create response returns payment_method_required: false, and the subscription object shows has_payment_method: false. Then:

A reminder email goes out before billing starts. The number of days is set in Settings → Subscriptions → Payment Method Reminder (see Subscription Settings). The Add Payment Method Reminder email (see Customer Emails) links the customer to the Customer Portal to add a card.
If no card is added in time, the subscription goes on_hold when the trial ends or the discounted period runs out and a real charge is due. The customer receives the Subscription On Hold, No Payment Method email.
Adding a payment method reactivates the subscription (see Reactivating from On Hold). A charge is created for the amount now due, and the subscription returns to active on success.

Subscriptions settings tab showing the Payment Method Reminder days field

A card added before the trial or discounted period ends prevents the hold. The next renewal charges that card.

Preventing Trial Misuse

Stop customers from repeatedly claiming trials of the same product. When enabled, a customer who has already redeemed a trial of a product gets a paid subscription instead of a fresh trial of that product.

Prevent Trial Misuse toggle in the Subscriptions settings tab

Enable it from Settings → Subscriptions. Once enabled:

Customers are matched by normalized email (plus-aliases stripped), so user+trial@example.com and user@example.com count as the same person.
Redemptions are recorded at trial activation, so a customer who cancels the same day has still consumed their trial.
Existing customers are backfilled from historical trials by email, so past trial users are recognized immediately.
Passing trial_period_days explicitly on a checkout session or subscription skips the check and grants that trial.

Off by default. See Subscription Settings for all business-level subscription controls.

Detecting Trial Status

The subscription object has no trial status field. For a free trial, retrieve the subscription’s payments: if there is exactly one payment with a total_amount of 0, the subscription is in trial. This check doesn’t work for paid trials, where the first payment is the trial_amount.

const subscription = await client.subscriptions.retrieve('sub_123');
const payments = await client.payments.list({
  subscription_id: subscription.subscription_id
});

const isInTrial = payments.items.length === 1 && 
                  payments.items[0].total_amount === 0;

This check only works for free trials. For a paid trial, the first payment equals the trial amount. Compare the first payment against the subscription’s trial_amount, or check whether next_billing_date is still within the trial window.

Updating Trial Period

Extend the trial by updating next_billing_date:

await client.subscriptions.update('sub_123', {
  next_billing_date: '2025-02-15T00:00:00Z'  // New trial end date
});

You cannot set next_billing_date to a past time. The date must be in the future.

Subscription Plan Changes

Upgrade or downgrade subscriptions, adjust quantities, or migrate to different products. Proration mode controls whether the change triggers an immediate charge, creates credit, or applies no billing adjustment. You can change plans and update the next billing date from the dashboard, or change plans with the API. To let customers change plans themselves, add subscription products to a Product Collection and enable Allow Subscription Updates in Settings → Subscriptions.

Product Collections

Group related products to enable upgrade/downgrade paths in the Customer Portal.

Proration Modes

Choose how customers are billed when changing plans:

Mode	Upgrade	Downgrade	Billing Cycle	Best For
`prorated_immediately`	Credit unused time, charge full new cycle	Credit unused time, charge full new cycle	Resets to today	Fair time-based billing
`difference_immediately`	Charge price difference	Credit price difference	Resets to today	Simple tier changes
`full_immediately`	Charge full new plan price	Charge full new plan price	Resets to today	Billing cycle resets
`do_not_bill`	Switch immediately, no charge	Switch immediately, no charge	Stays the same	Free migrations

`prorated_immediately`

Credits the unused portion of the current billing cycle, then charges a full cycle at the new plan. The new plan is never charged at a fraction of its price. Net immediate charge = (full new cycle) minus (remaining fraction × full old cycle). If the credit exceeds the new cycle charge, the difference is held as subscription-scoped credit for future renewals. The billing cycle re-anchors to the change date.

await client.subscriptions.changePlan('sub_123', {
  product_id: 'pdt_pro',
  quantity: 1,
  proration_billing_mode: 'prorated_immediately'
});

`difference_immediately`

Charges the price difference immediately (upgrade) or adds credit for future renewals (downgrade).

// Upgrade: charges $50 (difference between $30 and $80)
// Downgrade: credits the price difference, auto-applied to renewals
await client.subscriptions.changePlan('sub_123', {
  product_id: 'pdt_pro',
  quantity: 1,
  proration_billing_mode: 'difference_immediately'
});

Credits from downgrades are subscription-scoped and auto-applied to future renewals. They’re distinct from Credit-Based Billing entitlements.

When a customer downgrades with difference_immediately, the unused value becomes a subscription-scoped credit that automatically offsets future renewals:

`full_immediately`

Charges the full new plan amount immediately, ignoring remaining time. Best for resetting billing cycles.

await client.subscriptions.changePlan('sub_123', {
  product_id: 'pdt_monthly',
  quantity: 1,
  proration_billing_mode: 'full_immediately'
});

`do_not_bill`

Switches to the new plan immediately without any billing adjustment. No charges, no credits. The new plan is active as soon as the call succeeds but is not charged until the next renewal. The customer keeps the upgraded plan free for the rest of the current cycle. The original renewal date is preserved, and the new plan price applies at that renewal.

await client.subscriptions.changePlan('sub_123', {
  product_id: 'pdt_new_plan',
  quantity: 1,
  proration_billing_mode: 'do_not_bill'
});

Example: Prorated upgrade calculation

Scenario: Customer on Basic ($30/month) upgrades to Pro ($80/month) on day 16 of a 30-day cycle using prorated_immediately.

Credit for unused time on Basic = $30 × (15 remaining / 30 total) = $15.00
Full cycle of Pro               = $80.00 (never prorated)
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Immediate charge                = $80.00 − $15.00 = $65.00

The customer starts a full new month of Pro today, so Pro is charged in full and only the unused time on Basic is credited.Next renewal on February 15 (January 16 + 30 days): $80.00/month.

For more detailed calculation examples and edge cases, see our full Upgrade & Downgrade Guide.

Example: Downgrade credit calculation

Scenario: Customer on Pro ($80/month) downgrades to Starter ($20/month) using difference_immediately.

Credit = Old plan − New plan = $80 − $20 = $60.00

The $60 credit auto-applies to future renewals:

Renewal 1: $20 − $20 (credit) = $0.00 ($40 credit remaining)
Renewal 2: $20 − $20 (credit) = $0.00 ($20 credit remaining)
Renewal 3: $20 − $20 (credit) = $0.00 (credit exhausted)
Renewal 4: $20.00 (full price)

Learn more about how credits are managed in the Upgrade & Downgrade Guide.

Changing Plans with Add-ons

Modify add-ons when changing plans. Add-ons are included in proration calculations:

await client.subscriptions.changePlan('sub_123', {
  product_id: 'pdt_pro',
  quantity: 1,
  proration_billing_mode: 'difference_immediately',
  addons: [{ addon_id: 'addon_extra_seats', quantity: 2 }]
  // addons: []  // Empty array removes all existing add-ons
});

By default (effective_at: 'immediately') plan changes trigger immediate charges. Pass effective_at: 'next_billing_date' to schedule the change for the next billing date instead — the pending change is returned on the subscription as scheduled_change, and you can cancel it with Cancel Scheduled Plan Change. Failed charges may move the subscription to on_hold status, unless you pass on_payment_failure: 'prevent_change', which keeps the subscription on its current plan until payment succeeds. Track changes via subscription.plan_changed webhook events. Plan changes are rejected while a subscription is past_due — see Grace Period.

Previewing Plan Changes

Preview the exact charge before committing:

const preview = await client.subscriptions.previewChangePlan('sub_123', {
  product_id: 'pdt_pro',
  quantity: 1,
  proration_billing_mode: 'prorated_immediately'
});

console.log('You will be charged:', preview.immediate_charge.summary.total_amount, preview.immediate_charge.summary.currency);

Preview Change Plan API

Preview plan changes before committing.

Pausing and Resuming Subscriptions

Pause a subscription to freeze it instead of ending it. Billing stops, access is revoked, and the subscription keeps its plan and history. Use it as a retention alternative to cancellation. Open any active subscription under Sales → Subscriptions and click Pause subscription. The status changes to paused and renewals stop until resumed.

What Happens When You Pause

Renewals stop. No invoice is generated and no renewal charge is attempted while paused.
Access is revoked immediately. Pausing revokes every delivered and pending entitlement grant, which disables license keys and stops new digital product download URLs. Resuming re-grants them.
The billing clock freezes. next_billing_date and expires_at both move forward by the exact length of the pause, so the customer keeps the time they already paid for.
No pause duration limit. A paused subscription stays paused until resumed. You don’t set a pause length upfront.

Pausing revokes access immediately, not at the end of the billing period. Make that clear to the customer before they confirm.

Resuming returns the subscription to active and restores entitlements. Because the clock was frozen, the next renewal lands the paused duration later than originally scheduled.

Pausing Usage-Based Subscriptions

A usage-based subscription can have usage recorded but not yet billed when paused. Bill Usage at Pause under Settings → Subscriptions controls what happens:

Setting	Behavior
On (default)	Dodo Payments raises an invoice for accrued usage since the last billing date and collects it immediately.
Off	Owed usage is carried forward and billed on the next regular invoice.

Only metered usage is settled this way. The recurring base fee is never charged at pause time. Standard and on-demand subscriptions have nothing to settle.

Bill Usage at Pause is recorded per billing cycle. Changing it mid-cycle doesn’t affect the cycle already in progress; the new value applies from the next cycle onward.

The settlement invoice is collected like any other invoice, so it can fail. If it goes unpaid past the dunning grace period, the subscription moves to on_hold while remaining flagged as paused.

A subscription in that state has two exits:

Exit	Result
The settlement invoice is paid	The subscription returns to `paused`, not `active`. Resume it explicitly when the customer is ready.
You resume it directly	The subscription goes straight to `active` and the unpaid settlement invoice is voided, along with its pending retries. The owed usage is written off.

Resuming is a valid exit from this hold. You don’t have to collect the settlement invoice first. Resuming forgives the outstanding usage rather than deferring it.

Letting Customers Pause Their Own Subscriptions

Allow Subscription Pause under Settings → Subscriptions controls whether customers can pause and resume from the Customer Portal. Off by default, so self-service pause is opt-in.

This setting only governs the Customer Portal. You can always pause and resume from the dashboard or the API. Turning it off stops new customer pauses, but doesn’t trap a customer who is already paused. They can still resume a pause they started. Pauses you started stay under your control.

Pausing from the Customer Portal

See what the customer sees, including the confirmation dialog.

Pausing via API

Pause and resume run through the status field on the update subscription endpoint:

// Pause
await client.subscriptions.update('sub_123', { status: 'paused' });

// Resume
await client.subscriptions.update('sub_123', { status: 'active' });

Send paused or active on its own. Combining either with any other field is rejected with 422. The older boolean pause field is removed and always fails with 422, so a caller still on it gets a loud error instead of a silent no-op.

Pausing emits subscription.paused and resuming emits subscription.unpaused. Both carry the full subscription object, with paused_at set while paused and null once resumed.

Pause and Other Subscription Actions

Cancellation still works. You can cancel a paused subscription exactly as you would an active one. Any open settlement invoice from the pause is voided.
Scheduled plan changes are delayed, not dropped. A plan change scheduled for the next billing date sits untouched while paused, then applies at the shifted billing date once resumed. Its scheduled_change.effective_at is a snapshot from when it was scheduled and is not adjusted for the pause. To drop the change, use Cancel Scheduled Plan Change.

Subscription States

A subscription moves through defined statuses over its lifetime:

Status	Meaning	Recoverable?	Recovery
`pending`	Being created or processed	—	Wait for `subscription.active` or `subscription.failed`
`active`	Active and will renew automatically	—	No action needed
`past_due`	Renewal payment failed and grace period is open; customer keeps full access	Yes	Settle renewal debt before deadline (see Grace Period)
`on_hold`	Renewal or plan-change charge failed; renewals stopped, access revoked	Yes	Recover automatically via Payment Retries and Dunning, or update the payment method (see Reactivating from On Hold)
`paused`	Deliberately paused by you or customer; billing frozen, access revoked	Yes	Resume with `status: active` or from Customer Portal (see Pausing and Resuming Subscriptions)
`cancelled`	Cancelled and will not renew	Re-purchase only	Customer must start a new subscription; Dunning can prompt a re-purchase
`failed`	Creation failed (initial mandate or payment did not succeed)	No — terminal	Customer must create a new subscription with a working payment method
`expired`	Reached the end of its term	—	Customer must start a new subscription if desired

on_hold and failed are often confused. on_hold is recoverable for an already-active subscription whose renewal failed. failed is terminal and only occurs when initial subscription creation fails.

past_due and on_hold are both involuntary but differ in one way: past_due keeps the customer’s access, on_hold removes it. A subscription reaches past_due only when you enable a grace period. Without one, a failed renewal goes straight to on_hold.

on_hold and paused are distinct. on_hold is involuntary (payment failed). paused is deliberate (you or the customer chose to freeze it). A usage-based subscription can still owe a settlement invoice at the moment it is paused (see Pausing Usage-Based Subscriptions).

State Machine

On Hold State

A subscription enters on_hold when:

A renewal payment fails (insufficient funds, expired card, etc.)
A plan change charge fails
Payment method authorization fails
A pause settlement invoice for a usage-based subscription goes unpaid
A grace period ends with renewal debt unpaid and expiry action is on_hold
A Card-Optional at Zero Price subscription’s free trial or $0 period ends with no payment method ever added

If you set a grace period, a failed renewal moves the subscription to past_due first. It reaches on_hold only when the window ends.

When a subscription is in on_hold, it will not renew automatically. You must update the payment method to reactivate it.

Reactivating from On Hold

Update the payment method to reactivate a subscription from on_hold. This automatically:

Creates a charge for remaining dues
Generates an invoice
Processes the payment using the new payment method
Reactivates the subscription to active on successful payment

The one exception is a hold caused by an unpaid pause settlement invoice. Clearing that invoice returns the subscription to paused, not active, because pause is where it was before the payment failed. Resume it explicitly once the invoice is settled.

const response = await client.subscriptions.updatePaymentMethod('sub_123', {
  payment_method: {
    type: 'new',
    return_url: 'https://example.com/return'
  }
});

if (response.payment_id) {
  console.log('Charge created:', response.payment_id);
  // Redirect customer to response.payment_link to complete payment
  // Monitor webhooks for payment.succeeded and subscription.active
}

After successfully updating the payment method for an on_hold subscription, you’ll receive payment.succeeded followed by subscription.active webhook events.

Grace Period

A grace period is a window between a failed renewal and loss of access. The subscription moves to past_due instead of on_hold, and the customer keeps everything they bought until the window ends. This gives them time to fix a card without losing your product. Off by default. Enable one from Settings → Subscriptions → Subscription Grace Period.

Settings

Setting	Values	Description
Subscription Grace Period	on / off	Enable grace period for the business. Off by default.
Number of days of grace period	1 to 30 days	Window length. Default is 3 days.
Status of subscription after grace period	`on_hold` or `cancel_subscription`	What happens when the window ends unpaid.

What Happens During the Window

While a subscription is past_due:

The customer keeps access. Entitlement grants, license keys, and digital product downloads all stay live.
Usage-based billing keeps recording usage.
The subscription does not renew.
The subscription cannot be paused.
Dunning emails go out, and payment retries continue.
subscription.past_due is emitted at entry.

The subscription.past_due webhook carries the deadline as past_due_ends_at. Store it when the event arrives — the subscription API does not return this field. Every subscription webhook while the window is open carries the same value, next to a status of past_due.

The window is fixed when the subscription enters it. If you change the length or expiry action later, a window already open keeps its original values. New values apply to the next subscription that enters a window.

Recovery

The window closes when the renewal debt is settled through a successful retry or when the customer updates the payment method. The subscription returns to active, and a subscription.active webhook is sent. Only the failed renewal opens a window. An unrelated merchant charge that goes unpaid does not move a subscription to past_due.

When the Window Ends

If the renewal debt is still unpaid at the deadline, the subscription moves to on_hold or to cancelled, as you configured. At the same time:

A scheduled plan change on the subscription is cancelled.
A pending plan change whose invoice is still unpaid is cancelled.

If the expiry action is cancel_subscription, open invoices are also voided, and their payment retries stop.

A pending plan change whose invoice was paid is applied while the window is still open, not at the deadline. A paid invoice settles the change whatever the subscription status.

Plan changes are rejected while a subscription is past_due. Settle the renewal debt first.

Webhook Events by Transition

Each transition emits a webhook so you can drive entitlement logic without polling:

Transition	Event
Subscription activated	`subscription.active`
Renewal succeeds	`subscription.renewed`
Renewal fails, grace period opens	`subscription.past_due`
Renewal fails → on hold	`subscription.on_hold`
Subscription paused	`subscription.paused`
Paused subscription resumed	`subscription.unpaused`
Creation fails	`subscription.failed`
Plan upgraded/downgraded	`subscription.plan_changed`
Cancelled	`subscription.cancelled`
Term ended	`subscription.expired`
Any field changes	`subscription.updated`

Subscription Webhook Payloads

View the full payload schema for subscription lifecycle events.

API Management

Create subscriptions

Use POST /checkouts to create subscriptions programmatically from products, with optional trials (subscription_data.trial_period_days) and add-ons (product_cart[].addons).

POST /subscriptions is deprecated. Existing integrations keep working, but new integrations should use Checkout Sessions.

API Reference

View the create checkout session API.

Update subscriptions

Use PATCH /subscriptions/{subscription_id} to cancel at the next billing date, extend the subscription period, update billing details, or modify metadata. To change quantity, use the Change Plan API instead.

API Reference

Learn how to update subscription details.

Pause and resume subscriptions

Pause and resume run through the status field on PATCH /subscriptions/{subscription_id}: status: paused pauses an active subscription and status: active resumes it. Neither value can be combined with any other field in the same request. See Pausing and Resuming Subscriptions for full behavior and billing effects.

API Reference

View the update subscription API, including the status field.

Change plans (proration)

Change the active product and quantities with proration controls.

API Reference

Review plan change options.

On-demand charges

For on-demand subscriptions, charge specific amounts on demand.

API Reference

Charge an on-demand subscription.

List and retrieve

Use GET /subscriptions to list all subscriptions and GET /subscriptions/{id} to retrieve one.

API Reference

Browse listing and retrieval APIs.

Usage history

Fetch recorded usage for metered or hybrid pricing models.

API Reference

See usage history API.

Update payment method

Update the payment method for a subscription. For active subscriptions, this updates the payment method for future renewals. For subscriptions in on_hold, this reactivates the subscription by creating a charge for remaining dues.When generating a new payment-method link, you can pass allowed_payment_method_types to restrict which payment methods the customer sees. Customers will never see a method that isn’t in the list, though including a method does not guarantee it appears (availability depends on factors like customer location and your business settings).

API Reference

Learn how to update payment methods and reactivate subscriptions.

Common Use Cases

SaaS and APIs: Tiered access with add-ons for seats or usage
Content and media: Monthly access with introductory trials
B2B support plans: Annual contracts with premium support add-ons
Tools and plugins: License keys and versioned releases

Integration Examples

Checkout Sessions (Subscriptions)

Create a checkout session with a subscription product and optional add-ons:

const session = await client.checkoutSessions.create({
  product_cart: [
    {
      product_id: 'pdt_subscription',
      quantity: 1
    }
  ]
});

Plan Changes with Proration

Upgrade or downgrade a subscription and control proration behavior:

await client.subscriptions.changePlan('sub_123', {
  product_id: 'pdt_new',
  quantity: 1,
  proration_billing_mode: 'difference_immediately'
});

Cancel at Next Billing Date

Schedule a cancellation that takes effect at the end of the current billing period:

await client.subscriptions.update('sub_123', {
  cancel_at_next_billing_date: true
});

Extend the Subscription Period

Extend how long a subscription runs by passing a new subscription_period_count and subscription_period_interval to PATCH /subscriptions/{subscription_id}. The subscription’s expiry is recomputed from the new count and interval:

await client.subscriptions.update('sub_123', {
  subscription_period_count: 5,
  subscription_period_interval: 'Month'
});

A subscription’s period can only be increased, never shortened.

On‑Demand Subscriptions

Create an on‑demand subscription and charge later as needed:

// Note: POST /subscriptions is deprecated — prefer checkout sessions
const onDemand = await client.subscriptions.create({
  customer: { customer_id: 'cus_123' },
  billing: { country: 'US' },
  product_id: 'pdt_on_demand',
  quantity: 1,
  on_demand: { mandate_only: true }
});

await client.subscriptions.charge(onDemand.subscription_id, {
  product_price: 4900,
  product_currency: 'USD',
  product_description: 'Extra usage for September'
});

Update Payment Method for Active Subscription

Update the payment method for an active subscription:

const response = await client.subscriptions.updatePaymentMethod('sub_123', {
  payment_method: {
    type: 'new',
    return_url: 'https://example.com/return'
  }
});

// Or use existing payment method
await client.subscriptions.updatePaymentMethod('sub_123', {
  payment_method: {
    type: 'existing',
    payment_method_id: 'pm_abc123'
  }
});

Reactivate Subscription from on_hold

Reactivate a subscription that went on hold due to failed payment:

const response = await client.subscriptions.updatePaymentMethod('sub_123', {
  payment_method: {
    type: 'new',
    return_url: 'https://example.com/return'
  }
});

if (response.payment_id) {
  // Charge created for remaining dues
  // Redirect customer to response.payment_link
  // Monitor webhooks: payment.succeeded → subscription.active
}

Subscriptions with RBI-Compliant Mandates

UPI and Indian card subscriptions operate under RBI (Reserve Bank of India) regulations with specific mandate requirements.

Mandate Limits

The mandate type and amount depend on your subscription’s recurring charge:

Charges below the mandate floor (default ₹15,000): We create an on-demand mandate for the floor amount. The subscription amount is charged periodically according to your subscription frequency, up to the mandate limit.
Charges at or above the mandate floor: We create a subscription mandate (or on-demand mandate) for the exact subscription amount.

The mandate floor is configurable per merchant or per request via mandate_min_amount_inr_paise (INR paise). The amount registered with the bank is max(mandate_floor, billing_amount) — so the floor effectively becomes the customer-facing authorization ceiling whenever billing is lower. See India Payment Methods for detailed information about RBI-compliant mandates and the configurable mandate floor.

Upgrade and Downgrade Considerations

When upgrading or downgrading subscriptions, consider the mandate limits:

Om en uppgradering/nedgradering resulterar i ett debiteringsbelopp som överstiger mandatets minimigräns (standard ₹15 000) och överskrider den befintliga gränsen för betalningar på begäran, kan transaktionsdebiteringen misslyckas.
Kunden kan behöva uppdatera sin betalningsmetod eller ändra prenumerationen igen för att upprätta ett nytt mandat med rätt gräns.

Authorization for High-Value Charges

For subscription charges of ₹15,000 or more:

The customer will be prompted by their bank to authorize the transaction.
If the customer fails to authorize, the transaction fails and the subscription goes on hold.

48-Hour Processing Delay

Recurring charges on Indian cards and UPI subscriptions follow a unique processing pattern:

Charges are initiated on the scheduled date according to your subscription frequency.
The actual deduction from the customer’s account occurs only after 48 hours from payment initiation.
This 48-hour window may extend up to 2-3 additional hours depending on bank API responses.

Mandate Cancellation Window

During the 48-hour processing window:

Customers can cancel the mandate via their banking apps.
If a customer cancels the mandate during this period, the subscription will remain active (edge case specific to Indian card and UPI AutoPay subscriptions).
However, the actual deduction may fail, and in that case, we will put the subscription on hold.

If you provide benefits, credits, or subscription usage to customers immediately upon charge initiation, handle this 48-hour window appropriately:

Delay benefit activation until payment confirmation
Implement grace periods or temporary access
Monitor subscription status for mandate cancellations
Handle subscription hold states in your application logic

Monitor subscription webhooks to track payment status changes and handle edge cases where mandates are cancelled during the 48-hour window.

Best Practices

Start with clear tiers: 2-3 plans with obvious differences
Communicate pricing: Show totals, proration, and next renewal date
Use trials thoughtfully: Convert with onboarding, not just time
Leverage add-ons: Keep base plans simple and upsell extras
Test changes: Validate plan changes and proration in test mode

Subscriptions are a flexible foundation for recurring revenue. Start simple, test thoroughly, and iterate based on adoption, churn, and expansion metrics.

Upgrade & Downgrade

On‑Demand Subscriptions

Customer Portal

Subscription Webhooks

​What Are Subscriptions?

​Key Benefits

​Creating Subscriptions

​Subscription Product Creation

​Product Details

​Pricing

​Advanced Settings

​Subscription Trials

​Configuring Trials

​Paid Trials

​Card-Optional at Zero Price

​What Happens Without a Card

​Preventing Trial Misuse

​Detecting Trial Status

​Updating Trial Period

​Subscription Plan Changes

Product Collections

​Proration Modes

​prorated_immediately

​difference_immediately

​full_immediately

​do_not_bill

​Changing Plans with Add-ons

​Previewing Plan Changes

Preview Change Plan API

​Pausing and Resuming Subscriptions

​What Happens When You Pause

​Pausing Usage-Based Subscriptions

​Letting Customers Pause Their Own Subscriptions

Pausing from the Customer Portal

​Pausing via API

​Pause and Other Subscription Actions

​Subscription States

​State Machine

​On Hold State

​Reactivating from On Hold

​Grace Period

​Settings

​What Happens During the Window

​Recovery

​When the Window Ends

​Webhook Events by Transition

Subscription Webhook Payloads

​API Management

API Reference

API Reference

API Reference

API Reference

API Reference

API Reference

API Reference

API Reference

​Common Use Cases

​Integration Examples

​Checkout Sessions (Subscriptions)

​Plan Changes with Proration

​Cancel at Next Billing Date

​Extend the Subscription Period

​On‑Demand Subscriptions

​Update Payment Method for Active Subscription

​Reactivate Subscription from on_hold

​Subscriptions with RBI-Compliant Mandates

​Mandate Limits

​Upgrade and Downgrade Considerations

​Authorization for High-Value Charges

​48-Hour Processing Delay

​Mandate Cancellation Window

​Best Practices

What Are Subscriptions?

Key Benefits

Creating Subscriptions

Subscription Product Creation

Product Details

Pricing

Advanced Settings

Subscription Trials

Configuring Trials

Paid Trials

Card-Optional at Zero Price

What Happens Without a Card

Preventing Trial Misuse

Detecting Trial Status

Updating Trial Period

Subscription Plan Changes

Proration Modes

`prorated_immediately`

`difference_immediately`

`full_immediately`

`do_not_bill`

Changing Plans with Add-ons

Previewing Plan Changes

Pausing and Resuming Subscriptions

What Happens When You Pause

Pausing Usage-Based Subscriptions

Letting Customers Pause Their Own Subscriptions

Pausing via API

Pause and Other Subscription Actions

Subscription States

State Machine

On Hold State

Reactivating from On Hold

Grace Period

Settings

What Happens During the Window

Recovery

When the Window Ends

Webhook Events by Transition

API Management

Common Use Cases

Integration Examples

Checkout Sessions (Subscriptions)

Plan Changes with Proration

Cancel at Next Billing Date

Extend the Subscription Period

On‑Demand Subscriptions

Update Payment Method for Active Subscription

Reactivate Subscription from on_hold

Subscriptions with RBI-Compliant Mandates

Mandate Limits

Upgrade and Downgrade Considerations

Authorization for High-Value Charges

48-Hour Processing Delay

Mandate Cancellation Window

Best Practices