🍕 (Luca) | Stripe Developers | Page 1

brazen heraldBOT Nov 11, 2022, 9:19 AM

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vivid nova Nov 11, 2022, 9:22 AM

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Is there a particular limitation that is preventing you from using the Stripe coupons?

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Alternatively you could apply a trial to existing subscriptions, too: https://stripe.com/docs/billing/subscriptions/billing-cycle#using-a-trial-to-change-the-billing-cycle

Setting the subscription billing cycle date

Learn how to set the billing date for subscriptions.

cyan prairie Nov 11, 2022, 9:27 AM

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thank you for the help.
I'm checking coupons.
So, you are saying that I can apply trial to a subscription that had a trial before?
What happens if the user tries to redeem a code and the subscription is in incomplete status? Is the status changed to trialing again?

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Regarding coupons, we don't want the user to input the coupon during checkout

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We want the user to redeem free months for the subscription before the end of the subscription

vivid nova Nov 11, 2022, 9:33 AM

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So, you are saying that I can apply trial to a subscription that had a trial before?
Correct, yep. You can apply trial to an active subscription at any point
What happens if the user tries to redeem a code and the subscription is in incomplete status? Is the status changed to trialing again?
No, it'll error:

{
    "error": {
        "message": "You cannot update a subscription in `incomplete` status in a way that results in a new invoice or invoice items. Only minor attributes, like `metadata` or `default_payment_method`, can be updated on such subscriptions.",
        "request_log_url": "https://dashboard.stripe.com/test/logs/req_cE3L1vO3xeiAkD?t=1668159201",
        "type": "invalid_request_error"
    }
}

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We want the user to redeem free months for the subscription before the end of the subscription
You can apply a Stripe coupon/promotion code at any point – it doesn't need to be during creation/checkout

cyan prairie Nov 11, 2022, 9:37 AM

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ok so I will need to update a subscription attaching a coupon to it, correct?
How can I define a coupon that will give the user X months for free?

vivid nova Nov 11, 2022, 9:40 AM

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Yep: https://stripe.com/docs/billing/subscriptions/coupons

Discounts for subscriptions

Add a discount to a subscription using coupons and promotion codes.

cyan prairie Nov 11, 2022, 9:43 AM

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oh perfect! this is so helpful thank you!
So while editing a subscription, adding a coupon, it is possible the subscription has a status that is not active or trialing.
Can you please list the subscription statuses that won't create an exception/error?

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Because at this point, I need to understand when to create a new subscription (with a coupon) or when to update an existing one

vivid nova Nov 11, 2022, 9:47 AM

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AFAIK you can apply a coupon/discount to a subscription with any status (except cancelled I guess)

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This should be easy enough for you to confirm via some testing. I just tried incomplete and it worked but the new discount didn't apply to the already created initial invoice – it'll be applied to subsequent billing periods

cyan prairie Nov 11, 2022, 9:53 AM

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Oh I see, this will be a problem actually.
We want the discount to be applied immediately

vivid nova Nov 11, 2022, 9:54 AM

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Then you'd just pass it on your creation API call

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And the initial invoice will include the discount

cyan prairie Nov 11, 2022, 9:55 AM

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So in this case, I see 2 options:

Cancel that subscription and create a new one with the discount
Adding a trial period period to the existing subscription -> Just wanna make sure the subscription will be moved from status incomplete to trialing again. Can you confirm that?

vivid nova Nov 11, 2022, 9:56 AM

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To clarify you mean you want an immediate discount applied to all subscriptions regardless of status when updating with a coupon?

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Adding a trial period period to the existing subscription -> Just wanna make sure the subscription will be moved from status incomplete to trialing again. Can you confirm that?
It won't work, it'll error (as I shared above):

{
    "error": {
        "message": "You cannot update a subscription in `incomplete` status in a way that results in a new invoice or invoice items. Only minor attributes, like `metadata` or `default_payment_method`, can be updated on such subscriptions.",
        "request_log_url": "https://dashboard.stripe.com/test/logs/req_cE3L1vO3xeiAkD?t=1668159201",
        "type": "invalid_request_error"
    }
}

cyan prairie Nov 11, 2022, 9:58 AM

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The user can only have 1 subscription in our case. I would like that the user, while redeeming the code, will have X months for free on that subscription.

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ok I see, so I need to cancel that subscription and create a new one I guess

vivid nova Nov 11, 2022, 9:59 AM

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Then I guess you'd need to some logic to determine subscription status and act accordingly:

If active/trialing update and apply coupon for X free months.
If incomplete/past_due cancel and create a new subscription with the same coupon.

#🍕 (Luca)