Subscription plans

Subscription plans define the templates for subscriptions that operators create and offer to subscribers. A subscription plan specifies the products or services included, pricing structure, billing frequency, delivery frequency, and other terms.

Subscribers subscribe to these plans, creating new subscriptions or adding new subscription items to existing subscriptions based by the plan’s configuration. Plans can be modified over time, but modifications by default does not affect the existing subscriptions.

Billing policies

Billing policies define when and how often subscribers are charged. A billing policy includes:

• Interval and Interval count: The frequency of billing (e.g., every 2 weeks, every 3 months). Intervals can be weekly, monthly, or yearly.
• Anchors: Specific dates or days when billing should occur (see Anchors section below).
• Minimum and maximum cycles: Optional limits on the number of billing cycles (e.g., minimum 3 cycles, maximum 12 cycles).
• Days before: How many days before delivery the billing should occur (e.g., bill 7 days before delivery).
• Cutoff: Days before the billing date when the cycle should be skipped if the cutoff is passed.
• Exclusion rules: Periods during which billing should be excluded (e.g., exclude billing during holiday seasons).

Example: A plan with a billing policy of “every 2 weeks, anchored to every Monday, with a 3-day cutoff” would bill subscribers every other Monday, but skip billing if it’s less than 3 days away.

Delivery policies

Delivery policies define when and how often products or services are delivered to subscribers. A delivery policy includes:

• Interval and interval count: The frequency of delivery (e.g., every week, every 2 months).
• Anchors: Specific dates or days when delivery should occur.
• Cutoff: Days before the delivery date when the delivery should be skipped if the cutoff is passed.
• Pre-anchor behavior: How to handle deliveries that occur before the first anchor date (e.g., deliver immediately or wait for the anchor).

Example: A plan with a delivery policy of “every month, anchored to the 15th of each month” would deliver products on the 15th of every month.

Anchors

Anchors are specific dates or days that determine when billing or delivery events occur. Anchors provide flexibility to align subscription events with specific calendar dates rather than just intervals. There are three types of anchors:

• Year day anchor: A specific date each year (e.g., March 15th, December 25th). Useful for annual subscriptions or seasonal products.
• Month day anchor: A specific day of each month (e.g., the 1st, 15th, or last day of the month). Useful for monthly subscriptions that should always occur on the same date.
• Week day anchor: A specific day of the week (e.g., every Monday, every Friday). Useful for weekly subscriptions.

Anchors can also include a cutoff day, which determines how many days before the anchor date the event should be skipped if the cutoff has passed.

Examples:

• A “coffee subscription” might use a weekday anchor (every Monday) for weekly deliveries.
• A “magazine subscription” might use a month day anchor (the 1st of each month) for monthly deliveries.
• A “holiday gift subscription” might use a year day anchor (December 1st) for annual deliveries.

Pricing policies

Pricing policies define how the price of subscription items changes over time. Pricing policies allow operators to offer introductory pricing, loyalty discounts, or other dynamic pricing strategies. There are two main types:

• Fixed pricing policy: Applies a consistent discount or price adjustment from the start. The adjustment can be:

  • Percentage: A percentage discount (e.g., 10% off)
  • Fixed amount: A fixed amount discount (e.g., $5 off)
  • Price override: A specific price to charge (e.g., always charge $29.99)

• Recurring pricing policy: Applies pricing adjustments after a certain number of cycles. This allows for introductory pricing that changes after a period. The adjustment types are the same as fixed pricing (percentage, fixed amount, or price override), but they only apply after the specified cycle number.

Examples:

• A “first month free” subscription uses a recurring pricing policy with 100% discount for cycle 1, then full price afterward.
• A “loyalty discount” subscription uses a recurring pricing policy with 20% discount starting from cycle 3.
• A “member pricing” subscription uses a fixed pricing policy with 15% off all cycles.