What happens when a subscriber pauses a subscription?
Each Offer states whether pauses are allowed and how they affect the commitment. With Freeze the clock, the end date moves later by the length of the pause: a 12-month commitment paused for 2 monthly cycles ends 2 months later. With Clock keeps running, the original end date stays. In both cases, billing restarts on resume and the rebill date shifts accordingly.
In detail
A pause is a rule of the Offer, so every subscription created from it behaves the same way.
Allowing pauses
The merchant decides on each Offer whether its subscriptions can be paused. When pauses are not allowed, the subscription runs until its end date, its maximum number of occurrences or a cancellation.
Effect on the commitment
- Freeze the clock: the commitment is suspended, and the end date moves later by the length of the pause. A 12-month commitment paused for 2 monthly cycles ends 2 months later.
- Clock keeps running: the pause does not extend the commitment, and the original end date stays as scheduled.
In both cases, no charge runs during the pause, and the rebill date shifts when billing resumes.
Who can pause
A pause can come from the merchant's team, or from a Retry policy whose last step pauses the subscription after failed attempts. Pausing instead of canceling keeps the subscriber, the stored payment method and the history in place.