Create a plan
Step through the create-plan form — identity, free trial, pricing model, setup fees, billing configuration, and add-ons.
Creating a plan defines a new entry in your subscription catalogue that customers can be enrolled on. This guide walks through each section of the create-plan form in the order it appears.
To begin, open the Plans dashboard and click Create on the Plans tab.
Plan Identity#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The customer-facing plan name shown on invoices and throughout the app (for example, Monthly Grooming). |
| Code | A unique identifier for the plan, used in reports, exports, and integrations. |
| Description | Optional internal notes describing what the plan covers. |
Choose your plan code carefully. The code identifies the plan across subscriptions, invoices, and reporting — changing it after customers are subscribed can complicate reconciliation with older records.
Free Trial#
To offer a trial, set the Trial length and Trial unit (days or months). Subscriptions on the plan start in a trial state and only generate their first charge invoice once the trial ends. Leave the length at 0 for no trial — billing then starts immediately on subscription creation.
Trials pair well with automatic collection: capture the customer's payment method up front, and the first charge is collected the day the trial lapses — no chasing required.
Currencies and Pricing#
Plans are priced in your business's billing currency. Two amounts are captured per currency:
- Unit amount — the recurring price charged every billing interval (set under Pricing Model).
- Setup fee — an optional once-off amount (set under Setup Fee).
Setup Fee#
A setup fee is charged once, on the first invoice of each new subscription. Use it for onboarding costs such as a first-visit health check or a starter grooming kit.
You can also capture a setup fee accounting code so the fee maps to its own revenue line in your accounting system, separate from recurring plan revenue.
Billing Configuration#
This section controls the billing rhythm:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Interval length and unit | How often the subscription bills — every n days or months. An interval of 1 month is the most common. |
| Subscription term length | How many billing cycles a subscription runs before its term ends. Leave at 0 for an ongoing subscription that renews until cancelled. |
For fixed-term plans, auto-renew determines what happens when the term ends: renew into a fresh term automatically, or expire and require the customer to re-subscribe.
Pricing Model#
Choose how the plan charges over the life of a subscription:
| Model | Behaviour | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed | The same unit amount is charged every billing cycle. | Standard packages and memberships. |
| Ramp | The price changes at defined billing cycles. Each ramp interval sets its own per-cycle amount. | Introductory offers that step up to full price. |
Fixed pricing#
Enter the unit amount — the recurring price per billing interval. This is the amount shown in the Price column on the Plans dashboard.
Ramp pricing#
Ramp pricing defines a series of ramp intervals. Each interval specifies:
- Starting billing cycle — the cycle at which the interval's pricing takes effect.
- Duration — how many cycles the interval lasts (the final interval carries on indefinitely).
- Amount — the per-cycle price during the interval.
For example: R300/month starting at cycle 1 for 3 cycles, then R450/month from cycle 4 onwards. The subscription steps up automatically — no manual repricing needed.
A subscription takes its pricing from the plan at the point of billing. To move an existing customer onto different pricing, change their subscription rather than editing the plan itself.
Billing Details#
Capture the plan's accounting code — up to 25 letters and numbers — to map recurring plan revenue to the right ledger account in your accounting system.
Plan Add-Ons#
Optionally attach add-ons: extra charges customers can include with their subscription, such as an extra wash or day-care days. Add-ons support fixed and usage-based pricing with flat, tiered, stair-step, and volume structures — see Plan add-ons for the full guide.
After You Create the Plan#
Click Create to save. The plan appears on the Plans dashboard immediately and can be selected when you create a subscription.
You can open the plan from the dashboard at any time to edit its identity, trial, pricing, billing configuration, and add-ons. Pricing edits affect invoices generated after the change; they do not retroactively alter invoices that have already been issued.
Building a tiered offering? Create each plan first, then organise them into a plan group to define the upgrade/downgrade ladder.