Creating subscriptions

Subscriptions renew during the selected billing cycle to maintain an ongoing client relationship.

Create subscriptions so clients can schedule repeat appointments. You decide how often the client is charged a subscription payment.  

This is a good option if you offer services that clients schedule habitually, like a monthly treatment or service.

Note: For some Acuity customers on legacy plans, there are fees for selling subscriptions.

These features are available with the Standard or Growing and Premium or Powerhouse plans. Subscriptions are only available if you use Stripe or Square as your payment processor. They aren't available with PayPal.

These are separate from the subscriptions that you can offer through Squarespace Commerce. 

If you get started and decide you want more hands-on help setting up Acuity Scheduling, you can hire a vetted expert.

Create subscriptions

To create a new subscription:

1. In Acuity, click Packages, Gifts & Subscriptions.
2. Click New Subscription.
3. Add a title.
4. Set the subscription Access to Public, Private, or Unavailable:
   • Public - Available for all clients to purchase from your scheduler.
   • Private - Only available to clients who have the direct link and hidden from your scheduler.
   • Unavailable - Hidden from all clients. Direct links to subscriptions set to Unavailable display a note that the option is no longer available. Clients who previously purchased subscriptions can still redeem their codes.
5. Add a price and, from the dropdown menu, select how often Acuity should charge the client.

Note: If the subscription price is $0, Acuity still requires a payment method on file for the subscription to be active. The client won't be charged for the $0 subscription.

6. Use the Number of billing cycles dropdown menu to set how long the subscription charges should continue. To charge clients indefinitely, select Forever, until canceled. For a set number of billing cycles, select a specific number of payments, up to a maximum of 23 payments.
7. Enter a price in the Initial setup fee field to charge clients an extra fee when they sign up for the subscription.
8. If you want Acuity to send subscription renewal reminders to your clients, check Send a subscription renewal reminder email to clients 7 days prior to their subscription renewal date.

Note: In some jurisdictions, businesses are legally required to send subscription renewal reminders to their clients. Learn more email notifications.

9. Optional: Add a picture, description, or category.
10. From the Every subscription billing cycle dropdown menu, choose how or if the subscription code should be recharged:
    • Reset the amount - Resets the value to the full amount each billing cycle, but doesn't save unused credit. Even if you edit a client's subscription code, the value will still reset to the original amount at the start of the next billing cycle. 
    • Rollover remaining appointments - Resets the value to the full amount plus any unused credit.
    • Leave as-is - Leaves the current value as-is. Use this option to set up a payment plan. 

Note: If you select Leave as-is, the client will receive their subscription credits immediately after they make a payment. However, if there is a set number of billing cycles, they can't cancel the subscription until each payment in the selected billing cycle is made.

11. Use the Redeemable for dropdown menu to set the subscription value, then decide which appointment types the subscription can be redeemed for. 
12. Click Add Subscription.

After a subscription is purchased, we don't recommend making changes to the subscription, as this can cause errors that are difficult to fix. Create a new subscription instead. Learn more about managing subscriptions and subscriber details.

Set the subscription's redeemable value

Decide how many appointments the code can be redeemed for using these options:

Tip: Total dollar amount is a good option for bulk discounts, as the client can buy for one price, but redeem it for services worth a higher amount.

Delete subscriptions

To delete a package, gift certificate, or subscription:

Note: Use caution when deleting packages, gift certificates, and subscriptions, because this will affect every client with those codes. This action can't be undone.

1. In Acuity, click Packages, Gifts & Subscriptions.
2. Click Edit next to the subscription you want to delete. 
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Delete. 
4. Type Delete in the text field, then click Ok.

Set up a payment plan

If you select Leave as-is, clients don't get more appointments each billing cycle from the Every subscription billing cycle dropdown menu, the client will receive all of their subscription credits immediately after they make their first payment. Your client will then pay for the subscription credits each billing cycle, similar to a payment plan, and can't cancel the subscription until it's been paid in full.

1. In Acuity, click Packages, Gifts & Subscriptions.
2. Click New Subscription.
3. Add a price and select a billing cycle, then click the Number of billing cycles dropdown menu and select a specific number of payments to be made. 

Note: To prevent the client from cancelling early, don't select Forever, until canceled. Instead, select a specific number of payments.

4. Click the Every subscription billing cycle dropdown menu and select Leave as-is.
5. Finish setting up the subscription settings, then click Add Subscription.

Rollover subscriptions

If you select Rollover remaining appointments from the Every subscription billing cycle dropdown menu, at the end of each cycle, the client keeps any unused value on the subscription, plus receives their next installment.

For example, you have a rollover subscription that can be redeemed for two appointments each month. In the first month, you book one appointment and have one appointment left on the code. At the end of the month, the unused appointment rolls over, plus you receive two new appointments, so you start the second month with three appointments available.

Subscription expiration dates

When you create a subscription with a set number of billing cycles, the subscription expires at the end of the last billing cycle. After it expires, the subscription code is no longer valid and clients can't book appointments using that code. 

Subscriptions that have reached their maximum number of billing cycles can't be reactivated. Instead, clients can purchase a new subscription. 

For example, if a subscription is set to renew monthly for five payments max and the final payment is made on April 1, the subscription code would expire on May 1.