Pause Options Overview

This page covers the Pause Options currently supported by RetentionEngine, our pause logic, and how RetentionEngine handle edge cases. 

Pause Options

We currently support 1-month, 2-month, 3-month and billing cycle pause options. You can choose which pause options to activate. All active pauses will be shown to the customer on the same screen. If a customer selects one of these options, RetentionEngine automatically changes the next charge date for the upcoming order.

We use the following conversions: 

• 1 Month = 4 Weeks = 30 Days
• 2 Months = 8 Weeks = 60 Days
• 3 Months = 12 Weeks = 90 Days  

How It Works

Before showing the Pause Options screen to a customer, we check whether the customer has an active subscription and find the upcoming charge date. If their subscription is not active or they do not have an upcoming charge date, we do not show any pause options to the customer.

Next, we calculate when the upcoming charge should be moved to. If the order interval unit is in months, we delay the appropriate number of months, and then set the upcoming payment to the order day of the month. If the order interval unit is in weeks, we delay the appropriate number of weeks. Otherwise, we calculate the next charge by delaying it by the appropriate number of days.

Once we’ve calculated the new date, we change the upcoming charge date.

An order is only created by the subscription management platform when a charge is successfully processed. Thus, by changing the charge date, the order date is also affected.

Editing the Pause Screen

The default header for this screen is "You can also try pausing your subscription". You can edit the header and the text on each of the pause options. The default button text is "Skip 1 Month". If your subscription cycle is in weeks or days, you might consider editing this text to make it clear to customers. 

Alternative Pause Headings

• Just need a quick break? You can pause your subscription for up to 3 months.
• How about a break instead of a break up? You can pause your subscription and pick it back up when you're ready.
• Would you like to skip a month instead?

FAQ

ReCharge API Calls

Once we’ve calculated the new date for the upcoming charge, we use the /charges API route to set the state of the upcoming charge to skipped. We then immediately use the /subscriptions API route to set the next charge date to the new date. 

How are pre-paid subscriptions handled?

When a customer prepays for multiple months (usually 3-month, 6-month, or 1-year increments) and is charged upfront, the orders for the length of the prepaid subscription have all been created because the payment was processed.
So, when a customer chooses to pause their subscription, it only affects their upcoming charge and orders that would come from this upcoming charge. It will not change/skip the orders that they have already paid for.