How to Set Up and Offer Subscription Plan Changes

Flexibility in subscription plans is a powerful strategy for attracting and retaining subscribers by providing options tailored to each buyer’s needs. With Hotmart, you can not only create plans with varying prices and billing frequencies but also enable plan changes to simplify upgrades (switching to a more comprehensive plan) and downgrades (switching to a more affordable plan).

Offering plan changes helps creators maintain their subscriber base and even recover overdue subscriptions. In this article, we’ll explain how to set up plan switches, how upgrades and downgrades work, and the rules and steps involved in this process.

If you’re new to subscription plans or need help to enable them for your product, we recommend checking out this article for more details.

How Do Plan Changes Work?

Plan changes can be made in two ways: upgrades or downgrades. Here's how each option works:

❯ Upgrade
An upgrade allows subscribers to move to a higher-tier plan with more features or exclusive content. If the subscriber is already in a billing cycle and opts for an upgrade, the change is applied immediately. They will pay a proportional amount for the remaining time in the new plan, ensuring instant access to the added benefits without waiting for the next billing cycle.

Example: A subscriber on a basic monthly plan decides halfway through the month to upgrade to a more comprehensive plan. In this case, they pay the proportional difference for the new plan, and access to the additional content is granted immediate
 

❯ Downgrade
A downgrade lets subscribers switch to a more economical plan, aligning the cost with their financial needs. Unlike upgrades, downgrades take effect only at the start of the next billing cycle. This means the subscriber retains access to their current plan for the remainder of the already-paid period, with no partial refunds.

Example: A subscriber on a premium monthly plan opts for a downgrade. They continue to access the premium plan until the current billing cycle ends. From the next cycle onward, the charge will adjust to the new, lower-cost plan.

How to Enable Plan Changes for Your Buyers

To offer plan changes to your buyers, you'll need at least two plans configured for the same subscription product. If you haven’t done this yet, refer to this article for a step-by-step guide on creating subscription plans.

Once you’ve set up multiple plans, follow these steps to enable plan changes for your subscribers:

1. Log in to your Hotmart account at https://app.hotmart.com/.
2. In the side menu, go to Products and click on My Products.
3. Under the I’m a Creator tab, select the subscription product you want to configure.
4. From the product panel, click on the Pricing tab in the left menu.
5. On the pricing screen, you’ll see a list of all registered plans. Select the plan for which you want to offer changes by clicking the three-dot menu and choosing Configure Plan Change.
6. Enable the Plan Change option and select which plans will be available for upgrades or downgrades
   • Importante: Activate this setting only if you want all subscribers to see the available plans. If you prefer to offer plan changes to specific subscribers, you can send personalized invitations directly to them (instructions in the next section).
7. Click Save to finish setting up.

For the best subscriber experience, ensure that the pricing for each plan aligns with the exclusive content it provides. This will make it easier for buyers to see the value in upgrading or downgrading their subscriptions.

How to Send Plan Change Invitations

If you prefer to offer plan changes to specific subscribers, you can send invitations directly to them. Follow these steps to get started:

1. Log in to your Hotmart account at https://app.hotmart.com/.
2. From the left-hand menu, go to Sales and click on Subscription Management.
3. On the right-hand side of the screen, under Reports, select Subscriptions.
4. Locate the subscription you want to modify, click on the three-dot menu in the Actions column, and select Offer plan change.
5. Choose the plan you'd like to offer as the new option, then click Send invite to change plan.
6. A confirmation screen will appear. Click Yes to send the invitation.

Once these steps are completed, an email will be sent to the selected subscribers with the available plan change options.

After receiving the invite via email, the subscriber will be able to view the upgrade and downgrade options available for their plan. To complete the switch, the subscriber must click on Change plan in the email, select the desired plan and confirm the switch. Once the invitation has been accepted, the change will take place immediately for upgrades and at the end of the cycle for downgrades.

❯ What could prevent a subscriber from changing plans? 

Certain factors can restrict a subscriber from switching plans. Below are the most common reasons:

• Last Recurring Payment: If the subscriber is in the final payment of that subscription cycle, plan changes will not be possible.
• Recent Plan Change: Subscribers who have already changed plans within the same subscription cycle must wait until the next cycle to make another change.
• Trial Period:: Plan changes are not allowed for subscribers currently in a trial period.
• Sales Recovery: aSubscriptions acquired through the Subscription Sales Recovery feature have limitations on plan changes. Learn more about this functionality in this article..

Important Rules for Plan Changes

• Installment Payments: Subscribers can pay for the new plan in installments if the creator has enabled this option and the plan supports it (available for plans with a billing frequency longer than monthly).
• Subscription Cycle Continuity: Switching plans does not reset the subscription billing cycle. Subscribers seamlessly transition to the new plan under the same terms.
• Eligibility for Overdue Subscriptions: Even subscribers with overdue payments are eligible to switch plans.