Understand the renewal process

Understand how auto-renewal, automated reminders and the grace period affect your members, whether people or organisations.

There is a video providing additional guidance at the end of this article.

Auto-renewal by default

All subscriptions auto-renew. When a renewal date arrives an invoice is created, the renewal date is extended by the length of the billing frequency, and payment for the new invoice is expected.

If payment is not collected on time the subscription is Overdue.
The subscription will remain overdue for the duration of the Grace Period.
Automated reminder emails are sent to the member as described below.
If still no payment has been collected the subscription is Expired.

Renewal timeline with automated reminders

Automated reminders can be disabled in the advanced settings for each membership plan.

14 days before renewal date

Renewal reminder sent to all annual plans; monthly/quarterly plans receive no reminder. If no valid payment method is found the email contains instructions on how to pay.

Renewal date

A new invoice is created.
The renewal date is extended.
Payment is attempted if the subscription is paid by card or Direct Debit.

14 days after renewal date

If payment not yet received, a payment reminder email is sent. This happens for monthly, quarterly and annual plans.

End of grace period

Subscription expires and cannot be re-activated. To rejoin, a new subscription must be created.

Manage the grace period

You can define your grace period as anything up to 300 days. To do this go to Settings > Features > Membership in the main toolbar.

My Account area

Members can log in to their account at any time and see the same payment instructions that are included in the automated emails. They can set up a payment method at any time, long before their subscription is due to renew.