Overview
Subscriptions enable you to automatically collect recurring payments from customers at regular intervals. PayRequest handles the entire subscription lifecycle: from initial setup and payment authorization, through billing cycles, to pausing, resuming, and cancellation.Key Features
- Flexible Billing Intervals: Monthly, quarterly, or yearly billing
- Free Trials: Offer trial periods before billing starts
- SEPA Direct Debit: Automatic payments via bank mandate
- Invoice-Based Billing: Send invoices instead of automatic collection
- Quantity Support: Bill per seat, user, or unit
- Custom Pricing: Override product prices per subscription
- Custom Start Dates: Schedule subscriptions to start in the future
- Payment Limits: Set fixed number of payments (e.g., 12-month contracts)
- Custom Fields: Collect additional information per subscription
Prerequisites
Before creating subscriptions, ensure you have:- Payment Provider Connected: Mollie account configured in Settings → Payment Providers
- Recurring Product: At least one product marked as “Recurring” or type “Subscription”
- Customer Record: The customer you want to bill
Products must have “Is Recurring” enabled or product type set to “Subscription” to appear in the subscription product dropdown.
Creating a Subscription (Dashboard)
Navigate to Subscriptions in the sidebar, then click Create Subscription.Step 1: Select Customer
Choose the customer who will be billed for this subscription. Customer Selection Tips:- Search by name or email
- Customer must have a valid email address
- For mandate-based billing, customer needs a linked Mollie customer ID (created automatically on first payment)
Step 2: Select Product
Choose a recurring product from your catalog. What appears here:- Products with “Is Recurring” enabled
- Products with type “Subscription”
- Only active products are shown
- Base price and billing interval from product settings
- Trial period configuration (if product has trial enabled)
- Custom fields defined on the product
Step 3: Configure Subscription Details
Quantity
Set the number of units to bill. Common uses:- Per seat pricing: Charge per user (e.g., 5 users × €10/month = €50/month)
- Tiered quantity: Higher quantities for bigger packages
- Default: 1 unit
Custom Price (Optional)
Enable “Use custom price” to override the product’s default price:Custom pricing is per unit. Total = Custom Price × Quantity.
Trial Period
If the product has a trial period configured, it applies automatically. You can also manually set trial days:- Subscription status = “Trial” during trial period
- No payment collected during trial
- First billing occurs when trial ends
- Trial end date shown clearly in subscription details
Custom Start Date
Enable “Use custom start date” to schedule when billing begins: Use cases:- Start billing on the 1st of next month
- Align with customer’s fiscal year
- Replace an expiring subscription seamlessly
Step 4: Payment Method
Choose how payments will be collected:Mandate-Based (Automatic)
How it works:- Customer authorizes payments via SEPA Direct Debit
- PayRequest automatically charges their bank account each billing cycle
- No action needed from customer after initial authorization
- Customer must complete mandate authorization (via email link or checkout)
- Mollie payment provider configured
- Supported: SEPA Direct Debit, credit cards (with recurring capability)
| Scenario | Result |
|---|---|
| Customer has active mandate | Subscription starts immediately |
| No mandate exists | Email sent to customer to authorize |
| Mandate pending | Subscription status = “Pending Mandate” |
Invoice-Based (Manual)
How it works:- PayRequest generates an invoice each billing cycle
- Invoice emailed to customer with payment link
- Customer pays invoice manually (iDEAL, bank transfer, card, etc.)
- Customers prefer to review charges before paying
- Business customers requiring invoice approval
- Markets where SEPA Direct Debit isn’t common
Step 5: Custom Fields
If the product has custom fields configured, fill them in: Common custom field types:- Text: Company name, project reference
- Email: Technical contact email
- URL: Website being hosted
- Number: Additional seats, storage GB
- Toggle: Add-on features with extra cost
- Select: Service tier, support level
Step 6: Review Summary
Before creating, review the summary panel showing:- Customer name
- Product and quantity
- Recurring amount (including any markup from custom fields)
- Billing interval (monthly/quarterly/yearly)
- Trial period (if applicable)
- First billing date
- Payment method (mandate or invoice)
Step 7: Create
Click Create Subscription to finalize. What happens next:| Payment Method | Customer Has Mandate | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Mandate | Yes | Subscription active, billing scheduled |
| Mandate | No | Email sent to customer with authorization link |
| Invoice | N/A | Invoice created and emailed (if billing soon) |
Creating Subscriptions via Shop Checkout
Customers can self-subscribe through your shop:Customer Flow
- Customer visits your shop
- Selects a recurring product
- Proceeds to checkout
- Completes payment (first payment or mandate authorization)
- Subscription created automatically
Shop Configuration
Configure subscription checkout behavior in Shop Settings:- Allow trial signups: Let customers start trials without payment
- Show billing cycle: Display “€49/month” or “€499/year” clearly
- Require immediate payment: Collect first payment at checkout
- Enable invoice subscriptions: Allow invoice-based billing
Subscription Statuses
After creation, subscriptions progress through various statuses:| Status | Meaning | Actions Available |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Billing normally | Pause, Cancel, Edit |
| Trial | In free trial period | Convert early, Cancel |
| Pending Mandate | Awaiting payment authorization | Resend email, Cancel |
| Paused | Temporarily stopped | Resume, Cancel |
| Failed | Payment collection failed | Retry, Update payment method |
| Canceled | Permanently ended | Reactivate (create new) |
| Completed | Reached payment limit | N/A |
See Subscription Lifecycle for detailed status transitions.
Use Cases
1. SaaS Monthly Subscription
2. Annual Retainer
3. Per-Seat Pricing
4. Fixed-Term Contract
5. Domain Renewal
Best Practices
✅ Do’s
- Use clear product names that explain what’s being billed
- Set appropriate trial lengths (7-30 days typical)
- Configure payment reminders for invoice-based subscriptions
- Use tags to organize subscriptions by type, customer segment, or sales rep
- Review “Pending Mandate” subscriptions regularly - follow up if not completed
- Test the flow by creating a test subscription for yourself
❌ Don’ts
- Don’t create duplicate subscriptions for the same service
- Don’t use trial for invoice-based (customers might not pay after trial)
- Don’t forget setup fees - configure them on the product if applicable
- Don’t ignore failed payments - configure dunning
- Don’t change product prices without considering existing subscriptions
After Creation
Once a subscription is created:- Monitor the dashboard for status updates
- Check transaction history for payment records
- Review customer portal - customers can see their subscriptions
- Set up automations for status changes (failed payment notifications)
Troubleshooting
Customer Didn’t Receive Mandate Email
Causes:- Invalid email address
- Email in spam folder
- Mail delivery issues
- Verify customer email address
- Ask customer to check spam
- Resend mandate email from subscription detail page
- Check email delivery logs in Settings
Subscription Stuck at “Pending Mandate”
Causes:- Customer hasn’t clicked authorization link
- Customer abandoned the mandate process
- Bank rejected the mandate
- Contact customer to complete authorization
- Resend mandate email
- Consider switching to invoice-based billing
- Check Mollie dashboard for mandate errors
Wrong Amount Being Charged
Causes:- Product price changed after subscription creation
- Custom field markup not calculated correctly
- Quantity mismatch
- Edit subscription to update amount
- Subscription amounts are fixed at creation (product price changes don’t affect existing subscriptions)
- Update quantity if seats changed
Trial Not Applied
Causes:- Product doesn’t have trial configured
- Trial days set to 0
- Customer already had a trial (if trial-once logic exists)
- Check product settings for trial configuration
- Manually set trial days when creating subscription
- Create new subscription with correct trial settings
Related Documentation
Subscription Lifecycle
Understand status transitions
Managing Mandates
SEPA authorization management
Billing Cycles
Configure payment intervals
Failed Payments
Handle payment failures
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the price of an existing subscription?
Can I change the price of an existing subscription?
Yes! Edit the subscription and update the recurring amount. The new price applies from the next billing cycle. Customers are not automatically notified of price changes - consider sending a manual email.
What happens if a customer's mandate expires?
What happens if a customer's mandate expires?
SEPA mandates don’t expire, but they can be revoked by the customer or bank. If this happens, the subscription status changes to “Failed” and you’ll need to request a new mandate authorization.
Can customers have multiple active subscriptions?
Can customers have multiple active subscriptions?
Yes, customers can have unlimited active subscriptions. Common scenarios include multiple products, different billing entities, or separate projects.
How do I migrate existing customers to subscriptions?
How do I migrate existing customers to subscriptions?
Create subscriptions manually for each customer. Set a custom start date to align with their current billing cycle. For mandate-based billing, they’ll need to authorize payments once.
Can I link an existing subscription to an order?
Can I link an existing subscription to an order?
Yes! If a subscription was created separately and needs to be associated with an order, go to the Order Detail page. In the Order Subscriptions card, use the “Link an existing subscription” dropdown to select and connect the subscription. This is useful for reconciling historical data or fixing accidentally unlinked subscriptions.
Can I offer different prices to different customers?
Can I offer different prices to different customers?
Yes! Use the “Custom price” option when creating each subscription. This lets you offer promotional pricing, grandfathered rates, or negotiated enterprise pricing.
What's the difference between pausing and canceling?
What's the difference between pausing and canceling?
Pausing temporarily stops billing - the subscription can be resumed later and retains all settings. Canceling permanently ends the subscription - to restart, you’d create a new subscription.