Selling plans and contracts
Updated · SMART Subscriptions (E-TRADE PARTNER)
In SMART Subscriptions, Plans define the offer new customers buy. A subscription contract is the living agreement created at Checkout. Editing a plan does not rewrite historical contract behavior the way merchants often expect. Each renewal charge creates a new Shopify order. Use the contract editor in Subscriptions for line, price, quantity, and interval edits. Customers cannot change plan in the portal.
SMART Subscriptions does this with plans, a product-page widget, and a native customer portal.
Try it freeTreat plans as merchandising for future purchases, and contracts as the agreements already in flight. Mixing those two layers is the most common support confusion.
Plans vs contracts
| Piece | What it is | Where you work |
|---|---|---|
| Selling plan | Offer definition: frequency, pricing, product assignment | Plans |
| Storefront choice | Customer selects the plan before checkout | Widget |
| Subscription contract | Ongoing agreement after Checkout | Subscriptions |
| Renewal order | Each successful charge creates a new Shopify order (pay in advance: one order with scheduled deliveries) | Shopify Orders |
| Self-service | Pause, resume, skip, cancel, switch saved payment method, shipping or pickup | Management |
What plan edits do and do not do
- Plan changes shape what new customers can buy on the product page.
- Editing a plan does not automatically rewrite every existing contract the way merchants often expect.
- For an individual subscriber exception, open the contract editor in Subscriptions and change line, price, quantity, or interval there.
- Past fulfilled orders stay as they were. Renewals create new Shopify orders rather than editing the original order.
- Customers cannot change plan in the portal. Do not promise plan switching in storefront or support copy.
Contract editor vs portal
Merchants edit lines, price, quantity, and intervals in Subscriptions. Customers use the portal (activated under Management) for pause, resume, skip/unskip, cancel, switching to a saved payment method, and shipping or pickup updates. Plan change is not a customer portal action.
After Checkout, track lifecycle under Subscriptions (subscription links in Shopify admin open the same contract) and recurring revenue on Home. For payment recovery on failed renewals, see Failed payments and retries.
Sell with plans, operate with contracts
Use [SMART Subscriptions](https://apps.shopify.com/smart-subscriptions) to create **Plans**, show them with the **Widget**, and manage living contracts in **Subscriptions**.
Install free on ShopifyFrequently asked questions
›What is a selling plan?
A selling plan is how a product can be sold on a recurring basis: delivery frequency, billing style, and pricing. Create and assign plans in Plans.
›What is a subscription contract?
A subscription contract is the ongoing agreement created at Checkout when a customer buys with a selling plan. Manage it under Subscriptions.
›If I edit a plan, do existing contracts update?
Not the way merchants often expect. Plan edits mainly affect the offer for new purchases. Use the contract editor in Subscriptions for individual line, price, quantity, or interval changes.
›Can customers change their plan in the portal?
No. Plan change is not a customer self-serve portal action.
›Where do renewal orders appear?
Each successful renewal charge creates a new order on the Shopify Orders page. With pay in advance, the order shows as Scheduled and turns Unfulfilled on each delivery date. The original checkout order is not rewritten.