Pause API Test - Considerations
Pause, Not Cancel
Success with Pause requires more than a toggle. Learn the business logic and guardrails that protect your revenue.
Things to Consider
Before enabling pause, understand the billing mechanics and strategic decisions that will shape your implementation.
Billing Logic & Timing
The most important consideration is when the pause begins. In Recurly, a pause starts at the end of the current billing cycle. This prevents messy mid-cycle prorations and ensures the subscriber receives the full value of the service they've already paid for.
You must also decide on the duration. Industry data suggests that subscribers who pause for 30–60 days resume at significantly higher rates than those pausing for 90+ days.
Notifications
A frictionless return depends on communication. Send a reminder 3–7 days before the pause ends.
Access Rules
Decide if paused subscribers retain limited functionality or lose access entirely until they resume.
Payment Method
Cards may expire during a long pause. Use Recurly's Account Updater to keep billing details fresh.
Since no performance obligation is being fulfilled during the pause period, no revenue should be recognized. Coordinate with your finance team to handle paused subscription states in your accounting system.
If you use Recurly's Hosted Payment Pages, you can easily toggle Pause on. Use the description fields to explain exactly what happens during a pause to reduce support tickets.
Updated about 2 hours ago