# Activating a subscription

Activating a customer's subscription is crucial in ensuring they can access your services without interruption. This process involves sending a specific API request to transition the subscription from a passive state to an active state, making all the associated benefits available to the user. The guide below outlines executing this activation using a simple API call, including the necessary parameters such as the subscription ID, activation key, and the relevant dates. Follow these steps to smoothly activate subscriptions and enhance your customer's experience with your services.

Send a   [`POST /v1/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/activate`](https://docs.digitalriver.com/commerce-api-references/admin-apis/subscription-mangement/manage-a-subscription#v1-subscriptions-subid-activate) request to activate a subscription. Replace `{subscriptionId}` with the actual ID of the subscription you're activating and include an authorization header with your API key. Replace `{YOUR_ACTIVATION_KEY}` with your actual activation key, and adjust the `activationDate` and `expirationDate` as needed. Ensure that the `expirationDate` is either the current date or a future date.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="cURL" %}

```javascript
curl --location --request POST 'https://api.digitalriver.com/v1/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/activate' \
--header 'Authorization: Basic {Basic YOUR_API_KEY}' \
...
--data-raw '{
  "activationKey" : "{YOUR_ACTIVATION_KEY}",
  "activationDate": "2019-08-24T14:15:22Z",
  "expirationDate": "2019-08-24T14:15:22Z"
}'
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

A successful request results in a `202 Accepted` response, and the subscription state changes from `PendingActivation` to `Subscribed`. The new plan will go into effect immediately.


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