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Subscriptions: Managing Subscription Contracts

Learn how to manage customer subscriptions including product swaps, skip deliveries, adjust billing dates, and reduce churn.

Daniel Andrade avatar
Written by Daniel Andrade
Updated over a week ago

Bonde provides powerful tools for both merchants and customers to manage subscription contracts. These features help reduce churn by giving flexibility to customers who might otherwise cancel.

Viewing Subscription Contracts

Navigate to Subscriptions > Contracts in the Bonde app to see all subscription contracts.

The list view shows:

  • Customer name and email

  • Subscription status (Active, Paused, Cancelled)

  • Products subscribed to

  • Delivery frequency

  • Next billing date

Use the search bar to find contracts by customer name, email, or contract ID. Click on any contract to view full details.

Contract Detail View

The contract detail page provides complete subscription information:

Customer Information

  • Name and email

  • Shipping address

  • Payment method on file

Subscription Details

  • Products, variants, and quantities

  • Price per delivery

  • Billing/delivery frequency

  • Next billing date

  • Subscription start date

Order History

  • Recent orders created from this subscription

  • Order status and fulfillment details

Activity Log

  • Timeline of all changes to the subscription

  • Shows who initiated each change (admin or customer)

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Admin Actions

Swap Products

Replace a product in the subscription with a different variant or product. This is useful when:

  • A product is discontinued

  • Customer requests a different flavor/size/color

  • Upgrading or downgrading a customer

To swap a product: 1. Go to Subscriptions > Contracts 2. Click on the contract 3. Click "Swap Product" next to the item 4. Select the new product/variant 5. Optionally adjust the price 6. Confirm the swap

The change takes effect on the next billing cycle.

Adjust Billing Date

Change when the next billing will occur. This helps accommodate customer schedules or resolve timing issues.

To adjust the billing date: 1. Go to Subscriptions > Contracts 2. Click on the contract 3. Click "Adjust Billing Date" 4. Select the new date 5. Confirm the change

The date must be in the future. After the adjusted date, billing continues on the regular schedule.

Change Delivery Frequency

Modify how often the customer receives their subscription.

To change frequency: 1. Go to Subscriptions > Contracts 2. Click on the contract 3. Click "Change Frequency" 4. Select the new interval (weekly, monthly, etc.) 5. Confirm the change

Pause a Subscription

Temporarily stop billing and deliveries without cancelling.

When you pause a subscription:

  • Status changes from Active to Paused

  • Billing stops immediately

  • No orders are created while paused

  • The subscription can be resumed at any time

To pause: 1. Go to Subscriptions > Contracts 2. Click on the contract 3. Click "Pause Subscription" 4. Confirm the action

Resume a Subscription

Reactivate a paused subscription.

When you resume:

  • Status changes from Paused to Active

  • Next billing date is recalculated from the resume date

  • Billing resumes on the regular schedule

To resume: 1. Go to Subscriptions > Contracts 2. Click "Resume Subscription" 3. Confirm the action

Cancel a Subscription

Permanently end a subscription. This cannot be undone.

When you cancel:

  • Status changes to Cancelled

  • Billing stops immediately

  • No future orders will be created

  • The contract is closed

If a customer wants to subscribe again, they'll need to create a new subscription from the product page.

To cancel: 1. Go to Subscriptions > Contracts 2. Click on the contract 3. Click "Cancel Subscription" 4. Confirm the action

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Customer Self-Service

When you install the customer account extension (see "Customer Accounts Installation"), your customers can manage their own subscriptions. This reduces support requests and helps retain subscribers who might otherwise cancel.

What Customers Can Do

Skip a Delivery Customers can skip their next delivery without cancelling. You configure which skip options are available (e.g., skip 1 month, skip 2 months). This is perfect for customers who have extra product or are traveling.

Swap Products Customers can change the product in their subscription to a different variant or a different product within the same selling plan group. Great for customers who want to try a new flavor or size.

Change Delivery Frequency Customers can adjust how often they receive deliveries. If someone is receiving product too quickly or slowly, they can find the right cadence without contacting support.

Pause Subscription Customers can pause their subscription temporarily. This gives customers an alternative to cancelling when they need a break.

Resume Subscription Customers can reactivate their paused subscription when they're ready.

Update Payment Method Customers can update their card on file if it expires or they want to use a different card.

Cancel Subscription Customers can cancel if needed, though the other options often prevent this.

Reducing Churn

These self-service features are powerful churn reduction tools:

  • Skip instead of cancel: A customer going on vacation can skip a delivery instead of cancelling

  • Swap instead of cancel: A customer tired of one flavor can switch to another

  • Pause instead of cancel: A customer with too much product can pause until they catch up

  • Frequency change instead of cancel: A customer receiving too much can switch to a longer interval

The activity log tracks all customer actions so you can see how subscribers are managing their subscriptions.

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Viewing Customers with Subscriptions

Navigate to Subscriptions > Customers to see all customers with subscriptions. Click on a customer to see all their subscription contracts in one place.

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Configuring Skip Options

To configure which skip durations are available to customers:

1. Go to Subscriptions > Settings 2. Under "Skip Options", configure the available durations 3. Skip options are matched to billing intervals (e.g., monthly subscriptions get monthly skip options)

If you need help, reach out via our Intercom chat widget or email us at [email protected].

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