How To Pause and Unpause a Subscription
We've recently introduced the ability for users to pause eligible subscriptions instead of cancelling outright. This allows users a break from billing/renewal when needed, and offers more control over what bills and when.
Which Subscriptions Can Be Paused
Any Pro, Custom Build-A-Plan, Static IP, or ScribeForce subscription paid directly on our site by credit card (via Stripe) can be paused from the Manage subscriptions page in your My Account settings.
Users who are paying via 3rd party (Paypal, Google Play, Apple, Amazon) cannot pause subscriptions at this time.
What Happens When A Subscription Is Paused
Your subscription renewal date will be placed on pause for the term you've selected selected (ie. 1 month, 5 months, etc), meaning you will not be billed/renewed during this time.
For example:
Garry's monthly Pro subscription is set to renew on May 1. He pauses his subscription for 3 months. His subscription will instead renew on August 1.
There is no immediate change to the user's upgrade status, only the renewal date itself. However, if user's upgrade/expiry date passes during the pause, the account will be downgraded.
For example:
Garry's annual Pro subscription is set to renew on May 1, and he pauses for 3 months, his upgrade would still expire on May 1 (since that is all he paid for), but would again be upgraded on August 1 once his subscription is unpaused (and he is re-billed).
When a subscription is paused you will maintain your current price point, and will be automatically re-billed at that same rate once unpaused, using your existing payment/card information. No new info is required.
It should be noted that pausing a subscription does not remove the user's billing information, only cancellation does.
What Happens When A Subscription Is Unpaused
The user's subscription will restart immediately if it has lapsed, and they will be re-billed as expected. Their new expiry date will appear in their account info (per their upgrade).
If the user's subscription has not yet lapsed, they will not be billed until their original renewal date.
Annual subscription examples:
If Garry's annual subscription renews May 1, and he manually unpauses his subscription April 1, nothing happens to his account. His subscription remains ready to renew on May 1 as expected.
If Garry's annual subscription renews on May 1, and he pauses it until August 1, he will be downgraded on May 1, and then immediately re-billed on August 1 when his subscription unpauses. His account will also automatically be upgraded again as expected.
Monthly subscription example 1:
If Garry pauses his monthly subscription for 3 months after it renews on April 1, this sets his next renewal date to August 1, instead of May 1 (May + 3 months = August). If Garry changes his mind, and manually unpauses his subscription April 25, no changes are made to his subscription renewal date, and it renews on May 1 as originally scheduled.
Monthly subscription example 2:
If Garry pauses his monthly subscription for 3 months after it renews on April 1, this sets his next renewal date to August 1, instead of May 1 (May + 3 months = August). Garry's account is downgraded on May 1 as expected, until his subscription unpauses on Aug 1, when he is re-billed. His account will be automatically upgraded again as expected on that date.
How To Pause A Subscription
If at any point a user decides they'd like to pause a subscription, here are the steps to do so:
- Head to the Manage subscriptions page (you must be logged in) and locate the subscription you want to pause. To get there, select Manage next to Subscriptions on the Billing tab. If you have more than one subscription, be sure to select the correct one.
- Click the Pause Subscription button in the top right corner of the box.
- Choose how long to pause the subscription renewal from the Pause length drop-down (1), between 1 and 12 months.
- Click the Pause Plan button (2).
- You'll then be taken to the confirmation page, Your Subscription Is on Snooze Mode.
- When you return to the Manage subscriptions page, you'll see the change reflected: the subscription is marked Paused (1), and Next billing date (2) shows the day billing resumes.
How To Unpause A Subscription
If you change your mind at any point, you can also manually unpause your subscription. Here are the steps to do so:
- Locate the subscription you want to unpause on the Manage subscriptions page. Paused subscriptions are marked Paused (1).
- Click the Resume Subscription button in the top right corner of the box (2).
- Click Resume to confirm.
- You'll then be taken to the confirmation page, Like You Never Left.
If you have any questions about your subscription, or have issues with this process, please contact the support team for assistance.