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Subscriptions power ongoing recurring billing for services, memberships, and dues programs. The model separates the reusable billing template — the plan — from the individual customer enrollment — the subscription — so you define your recurring offer once and apply it across as many customers as you need.

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The two-layer model

Every real subscription requires three inputs:
  1. A customer
  2. A payment token
  3. A plan
Once those three pieces exist, Jupico runs the recurring billing lifecycle according to the plan configuration.

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Subscriptions vs Installments

Use Subscriptions

Choose Subscriptions when the customer is paying for an ongoing service, membership, dues program, or any other repeat-billing arrangement with no defined end point.

Use Installments

Choose Installments when the customer is paying toward a fixed total that ends after a defined number of payments.

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Plan layer

The plan defines the reusable billing terms. It is the right place to encode your recurring offer so it can be applied consistently across customers. A plan can include:
  • Name and description — human-readable label and explanation of the plan
  • Schedules — billing phases that define when and how often charges occur
  • Billing cadence — the frequency at which charges run
  • Pricing model — how the charge amount is determined (see table below)
  • Service terms — any conditions governing the service being billed
  • Feature or benefit configuration — entitlements or options associated with the plan
  • Activation state — whether the plan is available for new subscriptions

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Subscription layer

The subscription enrolls a specific customer in a plan. It connects the plan to:
  • the customer being billed
  • the payment token used to run charges
  • optional schedule-level selections or quantities chosen at enrollment time
  • the lifecycle state of the enrollment
  • the renewal timing that drives the next billing date

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Schedules and pricing models

Schedules define billing phases within a plan. Pricing models define where the charge amount comes from.

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Typical lifecycle

1

Define the recurring offer

Decide on the billing cadence, pricing model, and any service terms that belong to this plan.
2

Create the plan

Create the plan record in Jupico with schedules, pricing, and configuration.
3

Activate the plan

Activate the plan when it is ready to accept new customer enrollments.
4

Create or identify the customer

Create a customer record in Jupico or locate the existing one for the person you want to enroll.
5

Collect a reusable payment token

Tokenize the customer’s payment method to get a reusable payment token for recurring charges.
6

Create the subscription

Create the subscription record, linking the customer, payment token, and plan.
7

Activate the subscription

Activate the subscription if your flow separates creation from activation.
8

Monitor subscription state

Monitor subscription status, service terms, and renewal dates to keep your platform in sync.
9

Update the payment token when needed

Update the subscription’s payment token if the customer changes their payment method.
10

Deactivate or delete when needed

Deactivate or delete the subscription when the customer cancels or the billing relationship ends.

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Custom billing rules

Subscriptions work best when the recurring business model maps cleanly to a reusable plan. For custom anniversary billing, proration, or one-off alignment scenarios, use a hybrid approach:
  • Handle the one-time alignment amount directly in your platform.
  • Create the ongoing Jupico subscription to manage all future recurring charges.
  • Keep renewal tracking and payment-token maintenance inside the subscription lifecycle.
Last modified on July 15, 2026