Members can move to a higher-priced plan (an upgrade) or a lower-priced plan (a downgrade) without cancelling and buying again. You can also change a member's plan yourself from the member's page in the app. When the plan changes, the member gets the new plan's tags and perks, and the unused part of what they paid is credited or refunded.
On some stores, member upgrades and downgrades need the Business plan or higher and an unlock from our support team. Step 2 below shows how to tell.
Turn it on for members
In your Shopify admin, open Apps → Appstle℠ Memberships, then go to More → Customizations → Member Portal Settings.
If you see The upgrade/downgrade feature is restricted by default, click Chat with support to unlock and send the message. If an upgrade button covers the card, move to the Business plan or higher first. Come back to this page when our support team confirms the unlock.
Tick Member can upgrade/downgrade membership?
Optional: tick Member can upgrade/downgrade membership Only for same product variants? Members can then switch only between variants of the same membership product, not to a different product.
Under Membership settings, choose an option for Membership Swap. The next section explains each option.
Click Save.
Choose what members can switch to
Membership Swap decides which plans a member can pick in their upgrade and downgrade window.
Option | What the member sees |
Upgrade Only | Plans that cost more than the current plan. |
Downgrade Only | Plans that cost less than the current plan. |
Both | Plans that cost more and plans that cost less. This is the default. |
None | Currently shows the same plans as Both. To stop members from changing plans, untick Member can upgrade/downgrade membership? instead. |
The list shows every product and variant in your membership plans, except the one the member has now. Plans at the same price show a Same Price badge, whatever you choose here.
What members see
Members change their plan in the member portal of their Shopify customer account. To set up the portal, see Member Portal (for customers) - Overview.
The member signs in to their customer account and opens Subscription management → Manage Membership.
On their membership, they click See more details, then Upgrade/Downgrade Membership.
They choose a plan under Select New Plan. Each plan shows its price, the difference from the current plan and an Upgrade or Downgrade badge.
They click Add Product to confirm. The window shows Success when the change is done.
The window is titled Upgrade Membership. When the member picks a cheaper plan, the title changes to Downgrade Membership.
What happens to billing
By default the change takes effect straight away. The old plan's customer tags are removed and the new plan's tags are added. A new billing period also starts that day, so the member's next billing date moves to one billing period after the change, at the new plan's billing frequency.
Upgrades
The unused days of the old plan are credited against the new plan's price, and the member is charged the rest straight away. If that payment fails, the member goes back to their old plan and tags, and the member's Activity Logs tab shows Upgrade Rolled Back.
Downgrades
If the unused part of the old plan is worth more than the new plan's price, the difference is refunded on the member's last membership order. If it is worth less, it is credited against the new price and the member is charged the rest straight away.
Three settings change how plan changes are billed. Open More → General Settings → Shop Settings and look under Member Settings.
Setting | What it does |
Immediately charge/refund members on membership upgrade/downgrade | On by default. When you untick it, upgrades and downgrades wait until the member's next billing date. Nothing is charged or refunded at the time of the change, and the renewal charges the new plan's price. |
Schedule membership downgrades to end of billing cycle | Off by default. When you tick it, downgrades wait until the member's next billing date, and nothing is refunded. Upgrades follow the setting above. |
Update max billing cycles on membership plan change | Off by default. When you tick it, switching a member to a different plan also updates their max billing cycles to match the new plan, so automatic expiration settings carry over. |
When a change is scheduled, you and the member both see the date it takes effect, and either of you can cancel it before then.
Change a member's plan yourself
Go to Memberships and open the member.
In the Products card, click Edit next to the membership, then choose Upgrade/Downgrade.
Under Select New Plan, click the plan you want. To find it quickly, search for it in the Search products... box.
Click Confirm Upgrade or Confirm Downgrade. For a plan at the same price, the button says Confirm Change.
Billing follows the rules in the previous section. This window lists every product in your membership plans, whatever you chose for Membership Swap, and it works even when member upgrades are switched off.
To move a member to another plan without charging or refunding them, choose Switch Membership in step 2 instead.
Things to know
The Upgrade/Downgrade Membership button doesn't show on a cancelled membership.
A plan doesn't show in the member's list when its product is sold out, or when the product's status in Shopify is Draft or Archived. You can still choose it when you change a member's plan yourself.
When a change is scheduled, the member keeps their current plan and perks until it takes effect. On the member's page in the app, a Scheduled Upgrade or Scheduled Downgrade banner shows the date, with a Cancel Upgrade or Cancel Downgrade button. Members see it at the top of their window and can cancel it with Cancel Pending Upgrade or Cancel Pending Downgrade.
If you change a member's next billing date while a change is scheduled, the scheduled change is cancelled. The app asks you to confirm first.
Each change sends the member the Membership Product Replaced email, if that template is active. To check it, go to More → Subscriber Acquisition & Automation → Email Settings and open the Email Templates tab.
If your store is connected to Appstle Loyalty, a downgrade refund also removes loyalty points from the member: one point for each unit of currency refunded.
You can change the words in the member's window under More → Customizations → Member Portal labels. Use Search Labels to find each one: Product Confirmation Button Text changes Add Product, and Upgrade Membership Label text changes the window title.
FAQs
Why don't members see the Upgrade/Downgrade Membership button?
Check that Member can upgrade/downgrade membership? is ticked in Member Portal Settings. If that page shows a locked card instead, ask our support team to unlock the feature. The button also doesn't show on a cancelled membership.
Why doesn't a plan show in the member's list?
The plan's product may be sold out, or its status in Shopify may be Draft or Archived. Membership Swap may also hide it: Upgrade Only hides plans that cost less, and Downgrade Only hides plans that cost more. If you ticked Member can upgrade/downgrade membership Only for same product variants?, members see only the other variants of their own membership product.
Why can't a member pause or cancel their membership?
A plan change may be scheduled for that membership. While it is, the membership can't be paused, cancelled or changed again. Click Cancel Upgrade or Cancel Downgrade in the banner on the member's page, or ask the member to cancel it in their window, then try again.
Can I stop members from downgrading?
Yes. Set Membership Swap to Upgrade Only. To allow downgrades but make them wait until the member's next billing date, tick Schedule membership downgrades to end of billing cycle in Shop Settings instead.
Does the member pay straight away?
Yes, by default. To charge from the next billing date instead, untick Immediately charge/refund members on membership upgrade/downgrade in Shop Settings.