Applying a midterm change with price override

Learn how to apply a midterm change with a price override for a subscription with add-ons.

The ability to adapt and tailor subscription services to meet the evolving needs of your customers is essential for sustaining satisfaction and loyalty. One of the most valued flexibilities in subscription management is the ability to modify a subscription mid-term, whether adding an extra service or upgrading to a premium plan. However, this adjustment requires meticulous handling to ensure billing is accurate and fair, particularly when implementing a price override for the remainder of the billing cycle.

As you manage subscriptions, you may encounter situations where customers want to change their subscription plan in the middle of their billing cycle, which could involve adding an add-on to their existing subscription or upgrading to a higher-tier plan. We have two tools for these midterm changes: Preview Cart and the Preview resources. These tools allow for prorated prices, ensuring that customers are charged fairly for any alterations to their subscriptions based on the exact duration of the new service. This guide will guide you through applying a midterm change with a price override, ensuring a seamless transition for your customers while maintaining billing accuracy.

Applying a midterm change with price override using the Preview Cart resource

We must ensure a precise and fair billing adjustment when subscribers want to modify their subscriptions by adding extras or moving to a more comprehensive plan before their current billing cycle ends. In this scenario, the Preview Cart resource is a crucial tool, allowing for the seamless application of prorated charges for such midterm modifications. By using this functionality, businesses can provide a flexible subscription model that will enable customers to customize their service experience while guaranteeing utmost transparency in billing..

This section explains how to apply a midterm change with a price override using the Preview Cart resource, using a practical example to guide you through enhancing subscriber satisfaction while safeguarding billing accuracy.

The Preview Cart resource is a powerful API resource designed for subscription-based services that enable businesses to make changes to a customer's subscription plan, such as upgrades or add-ons. Its real-time visualization of prorated charges sets it apart, ensuring that customers are billed fairly and accurately for any mid-cycle modifications they make to their subscriptions.

This feature offers a transparent and flexible way for users to customize their service experience according to their evolving needs. By using the Preview Cart resource, companies can provide a seamless process for applying price overrides and visualizing potential billing adjustments before committing to changes, enhancing customer satisfaction and maintaining billing accuracy.

In this scenario, the customer has a basic subscription and decides to upgrade the subscription product with an add-on. Use the POST /v1/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/preview-cart resource to upgrade the customer's subscription product. Ensure you replace with {YOUR_API_KEY} with your authorization token. This request should include the subscription product identifier (subscriptionId). Include the quantity (quantity), and the add-ons (addOns) you want to include with their respective prorated unit prices (proratedUnitPrice) in the request body. In the following example, the value for the proratedUnitPrice is 20.5.

curl --location --request POST 'https://api.digitalriver.com/v1/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/preview-cart' \
--header 'authorization: Basic {YOUR_API_KEY}\
...
--data-raw '{
  "product" : {
    "id" : "5396391700"
  },
  "quantity" : 1,
  "addOns" : [ {
    "product" : {
      "id" : "5400082600"
    },
    "quantity" : 1,
    "proratedUnitPrice" : 0.0
  } ],
  "proratedUnitPrice" : 20.5
}'

You will receive a 200 OK response.

{
  "subscriptionId" : "15682787789",
  "subTotal" : 20.5,
  "credit" : 0.0,
  "totalTax" : 0.0,
  "totalAmountDue" : 20.5,
  "currency" : "USD",
  "prorationDate" : "2021-03-03",
  "previewCharges" : [ {
    "product" : "5396391700",
    "quantity" : 1,
    "unitPrice" : 20.5,
    "proratedUnitPrice" : 20.5
  } ],
  "previewSubscription" : {
    "addOns" : [ {
      "product" : {
        "id" : "5400082600"
      },
      "quantity" : 1,
      "proratedUnitPrice" : 0.0
    } ],
    "product" : {
      "id" : "5396391700"
    },
    "quantity" : 1,
    "proratedUnitPrice" : 20.5
  },
  "cart" : {
    "token" : "bearer dbea3e7a3605b764afe1113c3bd539aee2645ebef2c5581584663d957b514f24d205a4b72aa404acc03d85062b1b7c99954ef1e22c9a2de5a9214082273e2ee0e5480ea0e38cc85260e9c7d22d7e8851",
    "url" : "[https://drhadmin-sys-drx.drextenv.net/store?Action=DisplayHGOP2LandingPage&Locale=en_US&SiteID=sub2test&Token=eHBLKQgMBhgUBTIFSVpVSVxFXVhBW1RJUk1fVU9TVktVewA%3D&session=CB289EB23D78E50C7203166BFDD6CF1AAA48BA8DDDED419570AB88C662F4B8480D9146F3517FB71E6658420B74105DE424E90940F72DAC34E5F9EF1E089976E25ED5A6AEB92345D8420A79758692FFFE]"
  },
  "isCartNeeded" : true,
  "isPaymentOnFile" : true
}

A successful request will return a 200 OK response containing the updated subscription details, including the prorated charges, the total amount due, and a cart token for completing the upgrade process. You can use the token in the 200 OK response to continue the submit cart programmatically.

Applying a midterm change with price override using the Preview resource

Applying a midterm change with a price override using the Preview resource is a simple and efficient process that allows you to adjust your customers' subscriptions. This feature facilitates changes such as adding new products or services and applying prorated pricing. The Preview resource enables you to simulate changes to the subscription without actually applying them, providing a preview of the updated subscription cost.

The Preview resource for applying a midterm change with a price override offers significant benefits for both the customer and your business. For the customer, it enhances satisfaction and flexibility by adjusting their subscription based on their evolving needs or requests. For your business, it ensures accurate billing for any additions or changes to the customer's subscription, reflecting the value of the service provided.

The Preview resource provides immediate financial insights into the proposed changes without committing to them. This feature is a powerful tool for better financial planning and decision-making. It also facilitates upselling by showing customers the prorated cost of adding services or products to their subscriptions, encouraging upselling, and allowing customers to see the added value instantly.

Finally, using the Preview resource to apply midterm changes with a price override minimizes billing confusion. It reduces disputes related to billing, as customers can see a clear preview of how their subscription changes will affect their charges before the changes are applied.

Use the Preview resource when the shopper wants to change their subscription, which requires an extra payment. The response will show the total amount due to help the shopper understand how much they need to pay for this change. Note that this response is informational only. It does not create a cart.

In this scenario, the customer has a basic subscription and upgrades the subscription product with add-ons. Use the POST /v1/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/preview request. Ensure you replace with {YOUR_API_KEY} with your authorization token. This request should include the subscription product identifier (subscriptionId). Include the product identifiers (id), the quantity (quantity), and the add-ons (addOns) you want to include with their respective prorated unit prices (proratedUnitPrice) in the request body. In the following example, the value for the proratedUnitPrice is 20.5.

curl --location --request POST 'https://api.digitalriver.com/v1/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/preview' \
--header 'authorization: Basic {YOUR_API_KEY}\
...
--data-raw '{    
  "product" : {
    "id" : "5363866300"
  },
  "product" : {
    "id" : "5396391700"
  },
  "product" : {
    "id" : "5396391700"
  },
  "quantity" : 1,
  "addOns" : [ {
    "product" : {
      "id" : "5400082600"
    },
    "quantity" : 1,
    "proratedUnitPrice" : 0.0
  } ],
  "proratedUnitPrice" : 20.5
}

You will receive a 200 OK response.

{
  "subscriptionId" : "15684493989",
  "subTotal" : 20.5,
  "credit" : 0.0,
  "totalTax" : 0.0,
  "totalAmountDue" : 20.5,
  "currency" : "USD",
  "prorationDate" : "2021-03-05",
  "previewCharges" : [ {
    "product" : "5396391700",
    "quantity" : 1,
    "unitPrice" : 20.5,
    "proratedUnitPrice" : 20.5
  } ],
  "previewSubscription" : {
    "addOns" : [ {
      "product" : {
        "id" : "5400082600"
      },
      "quantity" : 1,
      "proratedUnitPrice" : 0.0
    } ],
    "product" : {
      "id" : "5396391700"
    },
    "quantity" : 1,
    "proratedUnitPrice" : 20.5
  },
  "isCartNeeded" : true,
  "isPaymentOnFile" : true
}

If correctly formatted, this request will return a 200 OK response. The API response will include a breakdown of the changes, including prorated charges for the new or adjusted subscription items. Ensure these details align with the intended adjustments.

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