Subscriptions

Subscriptions let you charge customers on a recurring basis for ongoing services, membership plans, or retainer agreements. Instead of manually creating an invoice every month, you define the billing terms once and the platform handles generation, delivery, and payment collection automatically. This creates predictable, hands-off revenue collection with automated dunning and retry logic.

What Subscriptions Does

Subscriptions automate the full recurring billing lifecycle from invoice generation through payment collection and failure recovery.

Core capabilities

• Create recurring billing schedules with weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual cycles inherited from your Products
• Auto-charge saved payment methods on file without manual intervention
• Apply setup fees (one-time charges on first invoice) and trial periods (delay first recurring charge)
• Handle failed payments with automatic retry logic (two additional attempts, 24 hours apart)
• Convert accepted Estimates into subscription billing
• Provide client portal self-service for cancellations, payment method updates, and invoice downloads

Where subscriptions are used

• Contact profile Payments tab for quick subscription creation
• Payments > Subscriptions dashboard for centralized management
• Workflow Builder with Send Recurring Invoice action
• Client portal Billing & Subscription section for customer self-service

Key Configuration Options

Billing cycle: Controlled entirely by the recurring product you attach. A product configured for monthly billing creates a monthly subscription. Custom intervals (every 2 weeks, every 3 months) are set at the product level under Payments > Products.

Auto-Pay: Choose a card source when setting up Auto-Pay:

• Customer Card uses whatever card the customer first uses to pay any invoice in the schedule (Auto-Pay begins on the next cycle)
• Saved Card uses a card already stored in the customer’s profile (Auto-Pay starts immediately from the first cycle)
• New Card lets you enter a new card during setup (saved to profile, Auto-Pay begins from first cycle)

Setup fees: Configure on the recurring product to charge a one-time fee on the first invoice. The setup fee is not repeated in subsequent billing cycles.

Trial periods: Set at the product level to delay the first recurring charge. During the trial, the customer has access without payment. When the trial expires, the first recurring invoice generates and charges automatically if Auto-Pay is enabled.

Recurring invoice templates: Subscriptions are powered by recurring templates with Draft, Active, Scheduled, Canceled, and Completed statuses. Draft templates can be freely edited. Active and Scheduled templates lock fields like frequency, price, and taxes.

Power Features

Dunning and retry logic: When an automatic payment fails, both the customer and location admin receive immediate notifications. The system makes two additional retry attempts spaced 24 hours apart. If all three attempts fail, the invoice must be paid manually. Customers can update their card during the retry window.

Client portal management: Customers can view all subscriptions, cancel active subscriptions, filter by source or status, view and download invoices, and manage payment methods to prevent future failures. Enable under Settings > Client Portal > Billing & Subscription.

Workflow automation: Use subscription triggers like Subscription Created, Payment Received, Payment Failed, and Subscription Canceled to automate follow-ups. Build recovery sequences that send SMS reminders, email payment links, and notify team members when payments fail.

Lifecycle status tracking: Monitor subscriptions through Active (currently generating invoices), Canceled (stopped, no future invoices), or Completed (reached end date or occurrence limit) statuses. Each status determines what actions are available.

Multi-subscription support: Create unlimited subscriptions per contact, each with its own products, billing dates, and payment methods.

Pro Tips

• Always configure products before subscriptions since billing cycles are inherited from products. Set up your product catalog with correct pricing and frequency first to prevent mismatched billing terms.
• Use saved cards whenever possible to enable Auto-Pay from the first cycle. Subscriptions with saved cards charge immediately without requiring manual payment.
• Set up dunning workflows beyond the built-in retry logic. Create automations that send SMS and email reminders to contacts with failed payments, add tags for segmentation, and create team tasks.
• Enable client portal access to let customers manage their own subscriptions, update payment methods, and download invoices. This reduces support tickets and improves customer satisfaction.
• Double-check draft templates before activation because once a template moves to Active or Scheduled status, you cannot edit pricing, frequency, or tax settings. Review everything while still in Draft.

Common Questions

How do I set the billing cycle for a subscription?

The billing cycle is inherited from the recurring product you select. Whatever cycle you set on that product (monthly, weekly, annually) becomes the subscription’s billing cycle. To change the cycle, update the product configuration under Payments > Products.

Can I create multiple subscriptions for the same customer?

Yes. Each subscription can have its own products, billing dates, and payment methods. There is no limit on the number of active subscriptions per contact.

What is the difference between canceling a subscription and voiding an invoice?

Voiding an invoice cancels only that single billing occurrence. The underlying subscription schedule remains active and continues to generate invoices on the next billing date. To permanently stop all future billing, you must end the recurring schedule itself.

Can customers cancel their own subscriptions?

Yes, if client portal access is enabled for subscription management. Customers can log into the portal, navigate to Account Settings > Billing & Subscription, and cancel any active subscription. Access to the associated service is revoked immediately.

How many retry attempts does the system make on a failed payment?

The system makes two additional retry attempts after the initial failure, spaced 24 hours apart. If all three attempts fail, the invoice must be paid manually.