> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://crevio.co/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Subscriptions & recurring payments

> Charge customers on a repeating schedule, offer free trials and payment plans, and pause, resume, or cancel a subscription whenever you need to.

Subscriptions let you charge a customer on a repeating schedule -- weekly, monthly, or yearly -- instead of just once. They are perfect for memberships, ongoing access to a course or community, software, or anything you want to bill again and again without chasing each payment.

Once a customer subscribes, Crevio handles the rest. It charges their card automatically on each renewal date, keeps their access active, and sends them a receipt every time. You do not have to lift a finger.

## Why use subscriptions

* **Predictable income.** You know roughly what's coming in each month instead of starting from zero.
* **Less manual work.** Crevio bills every renewal for you, on time, every time.
* **Sticky customers.** People who subscribe stay longer and are worth more over time.

<Tip>
  Not sure what to charge or how often? Just ask Crevio. Describe what you're selling -- "a monthly membership to my fitness community" -- and it will help you set up the right recurring price.
</Tip>

## Set up a recurring price

You turn any product into a subscription by giving it a recurring price.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open your product">
    Go to **Products** in your dashboard and open the product you want to sell as a subscription (or create a new one).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a recurring price">
    Add a price and choose **Subscription** as the billing type. Then pick how often the customer is charged -- for example, every month or every year.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Offer more than one option (optional)">
    You can add a few prices to the same product -- say, a monthly plan and a cheaper yearly plan -- and let customers pick the one that suits them.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Publish">
    Set your product to **Active**. It's now live and ready for customers to subscribe.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Free trials

A free trial lets someone try what you offer before any money changes hands. You choose how many days the trial lasts. When the trial ends, Crevio automatically charges the customer and keeps their access going -- unless they cancel first.

Trials are a great way to lower the barrier to signing up. People are far more likely to start when there's no immediate charge.

<Tip>
  Ask Crevio to write a friendly reminder email that goes out a day or two before a trial ends. It softens the first charge and reduces cancellations.
</Tip>

## Payment plans

A payment plan lets a customer pay for something in a fixed number of instalments instead of all at once -- for example, a $300 course split into three monthly payments of $100. Unlike a subscription, a payment plan ends on its own once the full amount is paid.

This is a great way to make a higher-priced offer feel more affordable without lowering your total price.

## Managing a customer's subscription

You can step in and adjust any customer's subscription at any time.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the customer">
    Go to **Customers** (or **Orders**) and open the person whose subscription you want to manage.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open their subscription">
    Select the active subscription to see its status, renewal date, and price.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pause, resume, or cancel">
    * **Pause** holds the subscription so the customer is not charged for now. You can resume it later.
    * **Resume** restarts a paused subscription and billing continues as normal.
    * **Cancel** ends the subscription. The customer keeps access until the end of the period they've already paid for, then it stops.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Cancelling a subscription does not automatically refund past payments. If you also want to give money back, see [Refunds](/features/refunds).
</Note>

## What the customer sees

Subscribers get an email receipt after every successful charge. They can also manage their own subscription -- update their card, or cancel -- without needing to email you. You can share our plain-language guides with them:

* [How to manage or cancel your subscription](/customers/manage-subscription)
* [How to update your payment method](/customers/update-payment-method)

## If something goes wrong

* **A renewal payment failed.** This usually means the customer's card expired or had insufficient funds. Crevio will retry, and you can ask the customer to [update their payment method](/customers/update-payment-method).
* **A customer says they were charged after cancelling.** Check the subscription's status and renewal date. A cancelled subscription stops at the end of the paid period -- the last charge may have happened just before they cancelled. If it looks wrong, you can issue a [refund](/features/refunds).
* **You don't see a recurring option.** Make sure you connected your payment account first. See [Getting started](/introduction/getting-started).

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Pricing" icon="tags" href="/features/pricing">
    Explore every pricing option, including trials, instalments, and pay-what-you-want.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Refunds" icon="rotate-left" href="/features/refunds">
    Give a customer their money back, in full or in part.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Getting your money (payouts)" icon="money-bill" href="/features/payouts">
    See how and when subscription income reaches your bank.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage a subscription (for customers)" icon="user" href="/customers/manage-subscription">
    A guide you can forward straight to your subscribers.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>