What WooCommerce Subscriptions does

WooCommerce Subscriptions is a plugin that turns your WooCommerce store into a platform for selling products and services on a recurring schedule. Instead of a one-time purchase, customers can sign up to receive items or access on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis — and their payment card charges automatically on that schedule.

The plugin handles the mechanics: it stores customer payment information securely, charges the card on the date you set, sends renewal invoices, and lets customers pause or cancel their subscription from their account dashboard. You set the price, the interval, and which products can be sold as subscriptions. WooCommerce Subscriptions integrates with your existing WooCommerce store and payment gateway.

This is different from a one-time purchase with a payment plan. A subscription is an ongoing relationship where the customer expects to be charged repeatedly unless they cancel. The plugin automates that billing so you do not have to send invoices or process payments manually each cycle.

Key Takeaways

  • WooCommerce Subscriptions is a paid plugin you install on your WooCommerce store to set up recurring billing for products or services.
  • You choose the billing interval (weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly) and price for each subscription product, and the plugin charges customers automatically on that schedule.
  • Customers can manage their subscriptions from their account — pause, resume, or cancel without contacting you.
  • The plugin requires a payment gateway that supports recurring charges, such as Stripe, PayPal, or Square.
  • WooCommerce Subscriptions is a separate purchase from WooCommerce itself and requires an active WooCommerce store to function.

How to set up a subscription product

Start by installing and activating the WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin on your store. You will need an active WooCommerce installation and a payment gateway that supports recurring billing — Stripe and PayPal are the most common choices.

Create a new product or edit an existing one. In the product data section, select the Subscription product type from the dropdown. You will then see new fields: billing interval (how often to charge), billing period (days, weeks, months, or years), and subscription price. You can also set a sign-up fee that charges once at the first purchase, separate from the recurring amount.

Set the product price as you normally would, but this price now represents the recurring charge. If you want a free trial period before the first charge, you can add that too. Save the product, and it will appear in your store with a subscription option at checkout.

What happens when a customer subscribes

When a customer adds a subscription product to their cart and checks out, they see the billing interval clearly displayed — for example, "$15 per month" or "$50 per year." They enter their payment information just as they would for a regular purchase. Their payment method is stored securely by your payment gateway, not by WooCommerce Subscriptions itself.

On the date you set, the plugin automatically charges the customer's card for the next billing cycle. This continues until the customer cancels the subscription or it reaches an end date you specified. The customer receives an invoice email before each charge, and they can log into their account to view upcoming renewal dates, pause the subscription, or cancel it entirely.

If a payment fails — for example, the card is expired or declined — the plugin can be set to retry the charge on a schedule you choose. Most configurations retry once or twice before marking the subscription as failed and notifying the customer.

Billing intervals and pricing options

WooCommerce Subscriptions supports billing periods of 1 to 365 days, or you can use weeks, months, or years. A common setup is monthly ($10/month) or annual ($100/year). You can also create custom intervals — for example, every 14 days or every 3 months.

You can charge different prices for different intervals on the same product. A customer might choose between "$12 per month" or "$120 per year" (a discount for committing longer). You set both options, and the customer picks which one they prefer at checkout.

A sign-up fee is an optional one-time charge that happens only at the first purchase. For example, you might charge $5 to set up an account, then $10 per month after that. The sign-up fee does not repeat on future renewals.

Managing subscriptions from your store dashboard

In your WooCommerce admin, you can view all active subscriptions, see which customers have them, and check the next renewal date for each one. You can manually pause a subscription, resume it, or cancel it if a customer requests that through email or support.

You can also edit a subscription after it has started — for example, to change the billing date, add a discount, or change the product being delivered. Some changes (like price increases) may require the customer to consent, depending on your payment gateway and local laws.

The plugin generates renewal orders automatically on each billing cycle. These appear in your WooCommerce orders list just like regular orders, so you can fulfill them the same way — print a packing slip, ship the item, or deliver the service.

Payment gateways and security

WooCommerce Subscriptions requires a payment gateway that supports recurring billing or tokenization — the ability to charge a stored card repeatedly without the customer entering their details each time. Stripe, PayPal, Square, and Authorize.net all support this. Some smaller or regional gateways do not.

Payment information is never stored on your WooCommerce server. Your payment gateway stores the card details securely and returns a token that WooCommerce Subscriptions uses to charge the customer. This means you do not have to worry about PCI compliance for storing card data yourself.

When you set up your payment gateway, you will authorize WooCommerce Subscriptions to create recurring charges on behalf of your customers. This is a standard feature of any modern payment processor.

Costs and licensing

WooCommerce Subscriptions is a paid plugin sold by Automattic, the company behind WooCommerce. The cost varies depending on your plan and how many sites you want to use it on. You purchase a license annually, and the license includes updates and support.

There is no per-subscription fee or transaction fee beyond what your payment gateway charges. If Stripe charges you 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, that rate applies to subscription renewals the same way it applies to one-time purchases.

You must have an active WooCommerce store to use the plugin. If you do not already have WooCommerce installed, you will need to purchase or set up that first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can customers change their subscription after they sign up?

Yes. Customers can log into their account and pause, resume, or cancel their subscription at any time. Some stores allow customers to change the billing interval or product through their account dashboard, depending on how you configure the plugin. You can also make changes manually from your admin panel if a customer requests it.

What happens if a payment fails?

The plugin retries the charge according to the schedule you set — typically once or twice over a few days. If all retries fail, the subscription is marked as failed and the customer is notified by email. You can manually retry the payment from your admin, or the customer can update their payment method and the plugin will retry automatically.

Can I offer a free trial?

Yes. When you create a subscription product, you can set a free trial period — for example, 7 days or 14 days. The customer will not be charged during the trial. On the day the trial ends, the first recurring charge goes through automatically.

Do I need a separate payment gateway for subscriptions?

No. If you already use Stripe, PayPal, or another major gateway for regular purchases, WooCommerce Subscriptions works with the same gateway. You do not need a second account. However, your gateway must support recurring billing — some smaller or older gateways do not.

Can I sell both one-time products and subscriptions in the same store?

Yes. You can have regular products, subscription products, and both in the same store. Customers can mix them in a single cart — for example, buy a one-time item and subscribe to a monthly service in the same checkout.