Configuring a prepaid subscription

Prepaid subscriptions allow customers to pay for multiple orders upfront, while still ensuring that they receive their product on a regular cadence. You can also set up prepaid gift subscriptions, which include an expiration to ensure it expires after a certain number of charges. This guide explains how to configure prepaid subscriptions in Recharge. 

Before you start

• Be sure to review the managing prepaid subscriptions guide for further details and considerations for prepaid subscriptions.

Step 1 - Create your product in your ecommerce platform

Begin by creating a new product on your ecommerce platform. These steps vary depending on the ecommerce platform you are using: 

• Add a product in BigCommerce
• Add a product in Shopify

Step 2 - Add a Product Subscription Plan to the product

1. In the merchant portal, click the Products tab.
2. Search and select the product you wish to create a prepaid subscription plan for.
3. Select Create plans.
4. Select Add another plan.

Step 3 -  Configure the prepaid subscription rules for the product

Use the Plan type to define the subscription type, as well as any order schedules that should apply to the subscription.

Step 1 - Select the subscription type

Select prepaid/gift under Plan type.  

Step 2 - Set the order schedule in Plan details

Configure the order schedule to reflect when you would like to charge customers upfront for their scheduled shipments, and when you would like to ship those orders to your customers. 

For example, you would use the following settings if you wanted customers to receive a product monthly, and pay once every three months:

• Ship product every: 1 month. This ensures that customers receive one order every month.
• Charge customer every: 3 months. This ensures that customers are charged for their monthly shipment once every three months.

Step 3 - (Optional) Charge customers on a specific day of the month

Optionally, you can choose when the subscription is submitted for shipment in Advanced settings. By default, the product will be sent on the same day the initial checkout occurred, but you can also select a specific date.