Set Up Auto-Renewal and Free Trial Period Options

If your product has a limited validity and requires a recurring purchase of renewals, then you can set it up to be automatically renewed. This option allows you to create a subscription when the customer pays for their first order. Follow up renewals are purchased automatically. Renewal order creation and renewal order payment require no participation of the customer. Payments for renewal orders are processed the same way as payments for common orders (webhook sending is initiated, electronic delivery is executed). More details on auto-renewable subscriptions.

You can also add a free trial period. This option allows the customer to receive a product free of charge (an auto-renewable subscription is also crated). When the trial period expires, an automatic purchase of the product is performed. Follow up renewals are purchased automatically, same as when processing common subscriptions. The customer can cancel a subscription during its trial period. If this is the case, the product will not be purchased. More details on subscriptions with trial periods.

To set up you need to:

  • Set the validity for a product.
  • Enable the auto-renewal/free trial period and configure its properties.

You can set different titles, prices, and validity periods for products, trial periods and renewals.

All the settings are made in one product. You can make them when creating and editing the product. Setting options when using the portal:

Please use the Product API, if you require more customization options.

Setup Guide

In this case, the customer purchases a product having limited validity. After the validity period expires, the customer has to make recurring purchase of renewals to continue using the product. The price and the validity of a product may differ from the price and the validity of a renewal. These recurring purchases are executed automatically.

All the settings are made in one product. You can make them when creating and editing the product.

  • Enter the main properties of the product in section Details, the same way as when creating common products.
    The customer will see this data when placing an order for a product with automatic renewal.
    • When filling in the properties, enable the Term option and fill out the validity period in this field.
    • You can choose any product type Initial or Renewal. This does not affect the work of the auto-renewal option. The field is informational. It is included when generating reports.
  • Enable the Auto-Renewal option. You will see additional fields to set up.
    This data will be used for recurring automatic renewals.
    • Enter the Term (renewal validity period) in the Auto-Renewal section.
    • Enter the Title and the Subtitle of the renewal in the Auto-Renewal section. This data will be displayed to the customer in the email concerning automatic renewal, on the subscription management page, and on the renewal order page.
    • Enter the Price of the renewal in the Auto-Renewal section. The renewal price model is similar to the product price model.

Please note that in this case, the renewal will not have a separate buy link.
If you want to be able to purchase it without a subscription, then start it as a separate product.

In this case, the customer receives a product free of charge. Its trial period starts after acquisition. When the trial period expires, the customer has to make recurring purchases of the product paying the same price to continue using the product. These recurring purchases are executed automatically.

All the settings are made in one product. You can make them when creating and editing the product.

  • Enter the main properties of the product in section Details, the same way as when creating common products.
    This data will be used for automatic recurring purchase of products after its trial period expires.
    • When filling in the properties, enable the Term option and fill out the validity period in this field.
    • You can choose any product type Initial or Renewal. This does not affect the work of the auto-renewal option. The field is informational. It is included when generating reports.
  • Enable the Free trial period option. You will see additional fields to set up.
    The customer will see this data when placing an order for a product with a trial period.
    • Enter the Term (trial period validity) in the Free trial section.
    • Enter the Title and the product Subtitle for the trial period in the Free trial section. 
  • You do not need to enable the Auto-Renewal option.
    The automatic renewal option is available automatically for products with trial periods. 
    You can also enable the option if you want to set up additional titles, validity periods, and renewal purchase prices. It is described in the following setup case.

Please note that if you add a trial period to a previously created product, the identifier of the product and its buy link will change. If you have already published links for purchasing a product without a trial period, then you need to update them so that the customer can see the trial period in the product. The old links will still work, but the paid version of the product having no trial period will be available when clicking on them.

In this case, the customer receives a product free of charge. Its trial period starts after acquisition. When the trial period expires, the customer has to purchase the product. Next, the customer has to make recurring purchase of renewals to continue using the product. The purchase of the product and its recurring renewals is executed automatically.

All the settings are made in one product. You can make them when creating and editing the product.

  • Enter the main properties of the product in section Details, the same way as when creating common products.
    This data will be used for automatic purchase of the product after its trial period expires.
    • When filling in the properties, enable the Term option and fill out the validity period in this field.
    • You can choose any product type Initial or Renewal. This does not affect the work of the auto-renewal option. The field is informational. It is included when generating reports.
  • Enable the Free trial period option. You will see additional fields to set up.
    The customer will see this data when placing an order for a product with a trial period.
    • Enter the Term (trial period validity) in the Free trial section.
    • Enter the Title and the product Subtitle for the trial period in the Free trial section. 
  • Enable the Auto-Renewal option. You will see additional fields to set up.
    This data will be used for automatic purchase of recurring renewals after the validity period of the product expires.
    • Enter the Term (renewal validity period) in the Auto-Renewal section.
    • Enter the Title and the Subtitle of the renewal in the Auto-Renewal section. This data will be displayed to the customer in the email concerning automatic renewal, on the subscription management page, and on the renewal order page.
    • Enter the Price of the renewal in the Auto-Renewal section. The renewal price model is similar to the product price model.

Please note that if you add a trial period to a previously created product, the identifier of the product and its buy link will change. If you have already published links for purchasing a product without a trial period, then you need to update them so that the customer can see the trial period in the product. The old links will still work, but the paid version of the product having no trial period will be available when clicking on them.