Manage active subscriptions, skips, edits, and cancellations

Plan availability: Scale. Customer Subscriptions require Scale in the active production matrix. This lifecycle guidance does not change that entitlement or the requirement for Square card-on-file authorization. The active production feature matrix is authoritative if an administrator changes an entitlement.

Open Customer Subscriptions

Open Customer Subscriptions. The table separates active, incomplete, and past-due records so you can resolve the next action without treating every subscription as healthy.

Read the status before changing it

• Active means the recurring plan can continue when the next fulfillment and payment checks pass.
• Incomplete usually means the customer still needs to authorize a Square card after an import or setup flow.
• Past due means a renewal or fulfillment validation needs attention; do not assume the card was charged successfully.

Edit a standing subscription

1. Choose Edit subscription for a physical subscription when the product, variant, quantity, fulfillment choice, or standing form selections need to change.
2. Choose Edit selections when the product itself stays the same but the customer needs to update saved choices.
3. Review the next billing and fulfillment dates, the saved discount snapshot, and any product-form answers before saving.
4. Use Resend authorization when an incomplete subscription needs the customer to finish Square card authorization.

Skip or cancel future renewals

1. Choose Skip for an active subscription when the customer wants to miss the next eligible period without ending the plan.
2. Choose Cancel period end when the customer should receive the current period but no future renewals.
3. Choose Cancel now only when renewals should stop immediately. Read the confirmation because this ends the remaining subscription schedule rather than merely skipping one period.

What customers see

Customers receive subscription-aware confirmations and update messages when a lifecycle action changes what will renew. A skipped period should be explained as a temporary pause; a cancellation at period end should include the final expected period. Card authorization is required before an incomplete subscription can renew.

Common problems

• Edit is unavailable. Digital subscriptions and unavailable products have fewer editable fields than physical subscriptions.
• Skip is unavailable. Only active subscriptions can skip; incomplete and past-due records need their underlying authorization or fulfillment issue resolved.
• A renewal did not charge. Check the status, Square card-on-file access, fulfillment eligibility, and next billing date before retrying.
• The customer expected a refund. Canceling a future renewal does not automatically refund a completed period; handle an existing order and payment separately.

Next steps

• Sell customer subscriptions
• Import an existing customer subscription
• Customer accounts and order history

Keywords

Customer Subscriptions, active subscription, incomplete subscription, past due, Edit subscription, Edit selections, Skip, Cancel period end, Cancel now, Resend authorization