#scott_docs
languid dustBOT
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ruby kayak
hi there!
I'm not sure I follow. you want to create a new subscription with a free trial, or update an existing subscription to add a trial?
random trellis
I’ll create a new subscription with a free trial. It’ll have two products
Product 1 - the one which represents my platform’s monthly subscription. It’s free for 30 days
Product 2 - the usage based product that will be used to charge for the number of messages sent. This product should be excluded from the free trial - this should be billed from day 0.
The problem I’m having is that because the usage based product is added to my subscription that has the 30 day free trial - the usage based fees are being waived - so they’re essentially getting product 2 for free during the 30 day free trial
I could get around this by setting up a separate subscription against the customer that’s exclusively used for the usage-based products and doesn’t have a free trial period.
This would mean the usage based product gets billed from day 0 as intended but it feels messy having two separate subscriptions just to support this
ruby kayak
I think this new feature we just released would help with your use case: https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/trials
especially the item-level trials.
random trellis
yeah that was mentioned, is it only in preview mode or fully released?
so essentially, the subscription isn't in a free trial but the item representing the monthly subscription would be
sorry - i'm probably describing this terribly 🤣
ruby kayak
yeah that was mentioned, is it only in preview mode or fully released?
it is a brand new feature that may evolve, but yes you can use it now
so essentially, the subscription isn't in a free trial but the item representing the monthly subscription would be
correct
random trellis
After skimming the docs I don’t know if that’ll work for my use case.
I’d still like the overarching subscription object to be classed as a “trial” if it contained 1 paid item and 1 “free trial offer” item however it seems as though the paid item status would prevent that
Additionally, I use the checkout to create these subscriptions which, as mentioned in the docs, is not compatible with the new trial offers functionality
I’m surprised there’s not an easier way to just exclude an item from being included in the free trial period or another approved workflow for achieving the desired effect
it essentially restricts certain functionality from being accessible until a free trial period has passed I guess?
languid dustBOT
lucid onyx
Hello! I'm taking over for my collegue who has to step away, please give me a few minutes to catch up 🙂
lucid onyx
I see that you're trying to create a subscription with 2 products where only one has a free trial which the new trial offers feature allows!
I’d still like the overarching subscription object to be classed as a “trial”
What do you mean by this? And why would it help your use case?
random trellis
So when I’m in the stripe dashboard, under subscriptions, the subscription would still be “trialling”.
But if I understood the documentation correctly, because one item is paid the overall subscription object’s status would be “active”
Also, the fact the feature’s in preview but I need to implement the desired functionality pretty much immediately feels a little risky.
Is there an alternative approach - or would it simply be to have two subscriptions per customer (not ideal) x1 with a free trial x1 without
lucid onyx
I wouldn't be worried about using a public preview feature unless you need one of the current limitations: https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/trials#limitations
We will continue to add to this feature but we won't go back on anything it already supports.
I think you're right that the Subscription status will be active instead of trialing when there's at least one paid item but I will double check.
Why do you need the status to be trialing?
random trellis
Yeah I use the checkout to create the subscription objects which is a limitation
I use it to keep an eye on which customers are in their trial periods and which ones are fully paying customers
lucid onyx
Ahh needing Checkout would be an issue. Are you using hosted, embedded, or custom?
random trellis
It’s hosted
The usage-based product doesn’t need to get added at subscription creation though. I could update the existing subscription when the user opts in to the functionality that ties to the usage-based billing product
Unsure if that’s possible with trial offers though
lucid onyx
I see. If your only concern was about the trialing status I'd have still suggested trial offers since there are other ways to distinguish which Subscriptions have this via the API or dashboard.
However, Checkout support is a real limitation and I can't provide a timeline for when it will be added.
random trellis
Although it’s not ideal, could another solution be to create a “one off invoice” at the end of the customer’s 30 day free trial, pull the usage data from the billing meter, and charge them that way?
Every invoice after the free trial would handle the usage based billing via the subscription as intended
lucid onyx
Yes, I think your options are:
- Create a manual invoice at the end of the trial period to bill for the usage-based product.
- Use a coupon or discount for the other product instead of a trial period.
- Apply a credit for the other product after it's billed for.
- Create separate Subscriptions.
Perhaps you could also create a temporary 0 dollar Price for the monthly subscription then switch to the regular Price when the trial ends.
random trellis
Okay that makes sense to me.
Honestly thanks so much for your time and support - it’s really useful.
I’ll keep an eye on the trial offer feature - it definitely aligns with my use case the most, hopefully it supports my integration a bit more in the future