Subscription billing types: pay as you go and prepaid

A billing type decides when customers pay for a subscription option and how their Shopify orders are created. You choose it for each option: go to Subscription Plans, click Edit on a plan, and under Subscription options, click an option or Add option. The option opens on the Basics step (titled Billing & frequency), where you pick a card under How customers pay. If you haven't made a plan yet, start with Create a subscription plan.

Appstle offers four billing types:

The How customers pay cards, with Pay as you go selected and the How it works tab on the right.

Selecting a card updates the How it works tab on the right, which shows when customers pay and which Shopify orders are created. Its amounts are for the Example product named at the top (by default, the first product in the plan with a price), for someone signing up today. The Product page tab previews the option in your live widget.

Changing an option's billing type affects new subscriptions only: current subscribers keep the schedule they signed up with.

Set Deliver every for how often an order is created and charged. If you choose Fixed calendar dates in the Schedule step, the interval comes from your dates, and Deliver every shows it with a Change in Schedule link in place of the box.

On all three prepaid types, Billing frequency sets how much time one payment covers, and Deliver every sets how often a delivery ships. Both use the same unit, and the deliveries have to fit in evenly, with at least 2 per payment (1 for a gift option).

When you pick a prepaid card, Billing frequency starts at three deliveries' worth: with Deliver every 2 weeks, it's 6 weeks, so customers pay for 3 deliveries at a time. The line under Billing frequency shows the count.

On Prepaid, auto renew and Prepaid, one time, each payment is the product's price times the number of deliveries, before any discount: an $18.00 product with 3 deliveries per payment costs $54.00 at checkout. In the Discount step, an amount off comes off each payment, not each delivery, and a Fixed price is the price for all the deliveries in one payment. On Prepaid, auto renew, the Discount and Cancellation steps also count payments, not deliveries.

Prepaid, separate orders is priced differently: see its section below.

Prepaid, auto renew selected, with Billing frequency 6 weeks and Deliver every 2 weeks.

Prepaid, one time selected, including the optional Sell as a gift checkbox.

You can select Sell as a gift only on a new Prepaid, one time option, and once a gift option is saved, its billing type can't change. If the checkbox is greyed out, the option has rewards: remove them in the Rewards step first.

When you select it, any minimum quantity is turned off (gifts are bought one at a time), Maximum days ahead to schedule a gift invitation appears (90 by default), and Basics reminds you to turn on the Subscription Validations checkout rule in Shopify. See Gift Subscriptions for the full setup.

For the full setup, including the customer portal and cancelling, see Prepaid subscriptions with separate orders.

Prepaid, separate orders isn't included in every Appstle plan. If yours doesn't include it, the card is greyed out and shows the plan that does, with an Upgrade link below the cards. You also can't change a saved option to or from separate orders: click Add option on the plan page to create a new one instead.

Prepaid, separate orders selected: the $18.00 product is charged once for 3 deliveries, so Basics warns you to price it for all 3.

Unlike the other prepaid types, Appstle doesn't multiply the price: each charged order costs the product's price once, with your discount. Put this option on a variant priced for all the deliveries (for example, a 3-pack at $54.00), raise the product's price (this also changes its one-time price), or, if every product and variant in the plan costs the same, set a Fixed price of $54.00 in the Discount step.

At checkout, Shopify shows the first payment followed by $0.00 (for example, "First payment $54.00, then $0.00 every 2 weeks"), and the subscription widget says the discount goes to 100% after the first order. That's expected: Appstle charges the later payments itself. In the Display step, turn on Add a description and explain how the option is charged.

Shipping on the $0.00 orders comes from your Shopify shipping profile, so unless that rate is free, customers pay shipping on every delivery. If you add a shipping reward in the Rewards step, Appstle charges the reward's shipping price on every order from the one it starts on (order 2 at the earliest), $0.00 ones included.

Some settings depend on the billing type. Here's what each type supports:

Your Appstle plan doesn't include it (the card shows the plan that does), or the option is already saved with another billing type (the card shows New plans only). Upgrade your plan, or click Add option on the plan page and choose Prepaid, separate orders in the new option.

Saved Prepaid, separate orders options and saved gift options keep their billing type, so all the cards are greyed out. Other saved options can switch between Pay as you go, Prepaid, auto renew and Prepaid, one time, but not to Prepaid, separate orders. To use another billing type, click Add option on the plan page and create a new option.

On the prepaid types, Billing frequency has to hold a whole number of deliveries, and at least 2 (1 for a gift option). "Every 4 weeks doesn't fit evenly into 6 weeks" means Deliver every doesn't divide the billing frequency exactly: pick one of the intervals the message lists, or change Billing frequency. "Customers must pay for at least 2 deliveries at once" means the billing frequency is too short: make it at least twice Deliver every.

Trials aren't available on Prepaid, one time or Prepaid, separate orders, and reminder emails aren't available on Prepaid, one time. During the app's first-time setup, both steps stay greyed out until setup is done: then open the option from the plan page. If the Trial step shows a lock instead, your Appstle plan doesn't include free trials: upgrade to turn them on.

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