How do I start a subscription for a customer?#
Sell a recurring price. Add a product with a Monthly or Yearly price to an invoice or payment link and send it. When the customer pays, Stripe saves their card and the subscription starts renewing on its own.
Start recurring revenue
Step 1: Create a recurring price
Add or edit a product and give it a Monthly or Yearly price.Open ProductsStep 2: Bill it once
Add that product to a new invoice or payment link and send it by email or text.Open Payment linksStep 3: Watch it renew
After the first payment the subscription appears with its plan, amount and next renewal date.Open Subscriptions
What do the subscription statuses mean?#
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Starting | The first payment is confirming with Stripe |
| Active | Billing normally; the Renews column shows the next charge date |
| Past due | A renewal charge failed and Stripe is retrying |
| Cancelled | Billing has stopped |
When a subscription is set to end at the close of its period, the Renews column shows Ends then under the date.
How do I cancel a subscription?#
Press Cancel on the subscription row and confirm Cancel subscription. Stripe stops billing it right away and the customer keeps what they already paid for. The Subscription cancelled trigger fires so your win-back automation starts.
Should I use a subscription or a recurring invoice?#
| Subscription | Recurring invoice | |
|---|---|---|
| How the customer pays | Card charged automatically each period | Pays each new invoice from its link |
| Intervals | Monthly or yearly | Weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly |
| Best for | Retainers, memberships, plans | Clients who pay by invoice or need one for their books |
| Set it up in | A product's recurring price | Issue this invoice again on a schedule on an invoice |
How do I automate around subscribers?#
Use Subscription started to send a welcome and onboarding sequence, Payment failed to text the customer before a renewal slips, and Subscription cancelled to ask why and offer a way back. Build them in Automations.