eStore – Subscription Variation – Recurring Billing Amount Field

[dawnna]

I have a membership model where members can get 4 levels. They buy a level for a year.

All Levels have two options: Associate and Professional

The Base Amount is 125 (Professional) and 175 (Associate)

In the Amount Field I entered $125

In the variation field I entered: Member Type|Associate:50|Professional:0

What do I put in the Recurring Billing Amount Field?

Recurring should be the base amount plus associate if chosen.

If I enter 125 will they be billed 125 or 175 as an associate?

Note: Everything else was clear in your documentation; but I could not find anything with the Recurring Billing Field for Variable Subscription.

[admin]

Just for the sake of keeping this simple and clean I would recommend you create 4 subscription products in eStore and hook them to your 4 different membership levels.

For example:

Subscription product 1 costs $125 per month and gives access to level 1 (professional)

Subscription product 2 costs $175 per month and gives access to level 2 (Associate)

and so on ….

[dawnna]

This actually means that I have to create 8 products. There are 4 products with 2 levels each.

I am actually trying to get the same answer from this article;

How does recurring subscriptions work with variable pricing options?

but the question was never answered:

What do I put in the Recurring Billing Amount Field?

Do I really need to create 8 buttons? I thought subscription renewals were based on the previous amount billed. If that is the case; then the Recurring Billing Amount Field should be irrelevant for subscriptions. If that is not the case then variation does not truly work for subscriptions. Right?

[admin]

Yes, subscription renewals work based on the previous amount billed and it will work fine when you specify it with a variation. If you can handle the understanding of it then we have no problem.

The reason I suggested you create a separate product for each membership level is because some users get confused with the variation and the subscription payment. I see no issue creating 8 products or 10 products in eStore.

With that said, this is how it will work with variation:

i) Lets say… you created an eStore subscription product where the recurring amount is $125

ii) You specified the following variation option with this product:

Member Type|Associate:0|Professional:50|Platinum:75

iii) When someone selects the “Associate” variation the recurring payment will be $125

iv) When someone selects the “Professional” variation the recurring payment will be $175

v) When someone selects the “Platinum” variation the recurring payment will be $200

[dawnna]

Excellent! I did understand that part. It seems as though the recurring billing field becomes invalid on a recurring subscription with a variation. What goes in that field? Based on your post, it seems irrelevant, however, it can’t be zero either.

As a developer I totally understand what you are saying. As a trainer and professional speaker, I see where the ambiguity of the “recurring amount field” could get confusing to the user.

Please answer this question… as I understood your reply but it still has not been answered:

So, what do I put in the field? The Base Price? Or It doesn’t make a difference as long as I put something greater than zero because as a subscription (with variation or without) that field is irrelevant anyway?

The reason I dont want 8 buttons, is because I would prefer not to put 8 membership types on the page. I would just like to have 4 and 4 buttons. Its just cleaner and a better user experience.

As an aside: I would suggest two things (trainer hat is on) Create a video or educational document for all combinations that can be selected. Especially on the payment page because, in business, once you mess up someone’s money you are OUT!

Second: Make fields or sections that are irrelevant based on previous selections hidden or disabled.

[admin]

You put the base amount in the “Recurring Billing Amount” field of the product ($125 by your example):

The base amount + The variation amount = total recurring amount (this amount will get charged)

Please refer to my previous example which will show how the base amount and the variation amount is summed together and works as the total recurring amount.

[Author]

Posts