Pause Subscription
The pause subscription feature allows you to temporarily suspend billing for a customer without canceling the subscription. It is a strategic retention tool.
Benefits
- Reduce churn: Prevents cancellations by offering a temporary alternative
- Preserve revenue: The service remains active for the already-paid period
- Flexibility: Accommodates situations such as vacations, budget constraints, or seasonal usage
- Customer experience: Demonstrates commitment to the subscriber's needs
Prerequisites
To pause a subscription, it must:
- Have a status of
activeorpast_due - Cannot be a future subscription, in trial, or canceled
Pause Behavior
When pausing a subscription, you configure:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Behavior | How to handle pending invoices |
| Resume on | Optional date for automatic resumption |
Behavior for Pending Invoices
| Behavior | Description |
|---|---|
mark_uncollectible | Marks pending invoices as uncollectible |
keep_as_draft | Keeps future invoices as drafts |
void | Voids pending invoices |
Effects of Pausing
- Status changes to
paused - No invoices are generated during the pause
- No charges are made
- The current period is not altered
- Coupons continue to expire normally (they do not pause along with the subscription)
- MRR: Zero contribution during the pause
- Analytics: Paused subscriptions count as "active" (not as churn)
Resuming
Manual Resumption
- Navigate to the subscription in the dashboard
- Click "Resume"
- The status returns to
active - The pause field is cleared
- A new billing cycle begins
Automatic Resumption
If a resumption date (resumesAt) was set, the subscription is automatically resumed on that date.
Events
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
subscription.paused | Subscription paused |
subscription.resumed | Subscription resumed |
Considerations
- Each pause must be completed before starting another
- Changes to the subscription during the pause cancel the scheduled pause
- Closing the customer's account immediately terminates all paused subscriptions
- Paused subscriptions do not appear in the "pending billing" list