Pause [Beta]

What is Pause?

The Pause feature allows subscribers to temporarily suspend their active subscription instead of canceling it. During the pause period, users retain their accounts but lose access to content. The subscription automatically resumes after the selected duration.

This feature is helpful when subscribers:

• Plan to be away temporarily
• Need a break without canceling
• Want to manage short-term budget constraints

Key Benefits

• Reduce Subscriber Churn – Offer an alternative to cancellation.
• Automatic Resumption – Ensures seamless return without re-subscribing.
• Flexible Duration – You define the maximum number of billing cycles a pause can last (e.g., up to 3), while subscribers choose the exact duration within that limit.
• Subscriber-Friendly – Supports short-term needs while keeping users engaged.

How It Works

1. Eligibility
   • Pause is available for the following subscription types managed by Cleeng: weekly subscriptions, monthly subscriptions, and 3-month subscriptions.
   • Pause is not currently supported for annual subscriptions, 6-month subscriptions, seasonal subscriptions, in-app subscriptions, and trial subscriptions.
   • Only active subscriptions can be paused.
   • The offer must have Pause enabled.
2. User Initiates Pause
   • Subscriber selects to Pause.
   • Chooses pause duration (within the limit defined in offer settings).
   • Receives confirmation.
3. Pause Period
   • Starts at the end of the current billing cycle.
   • No charges during the pause.
   • Access to content is blocked.
   • Subscription remains in the system (not canceled, not churned).
4. Automatic Resumption
   • Subscription resumes on the scheduled date.
   • The subscriber is charged the regular amount.
   • Access is restored.
5. Early Resumption
   • Subscribers can manually resume early.Resumption triggers immediate payment and restarts the billing cycle.

How to Activate Pause

For Publishers (via Cleeng Dashboard)

1. Go to your Cleeng Dashboard > Offers & Coupons > Offers.
2. Select the offer you want to edit.
   
3. Go to the Pricing section.
4. Turn on the Pause option by selecting Yes under Pause allowed and set the maximum pause duration.
   
5. Click Finish editing at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
   

You can also:

• Check if Pause is allowed for an offer. Go to Offers & Coupons > Offers, click the offer, and look in the Default pricing section.
  
• View paused subscriptions in the Customer Details section.
• Manually resume or cancel a scheduled pause.

For Subscribers

1. Go to My Account > Subscription Management.
2. Select Pause Subscription.
3. Choose how long to pause (up to the maximum set by the Publisher for that offer).
4. Confirm to schedule the pause.

Best Practices

• Enable Pause only for relevant offers
• Communicate clearly about automatic resumption dates
• Use reminder emails to reduce confusion and support requests
• Review pause behavior using ChurnIQ for churn deflection insights
• Integrate Pause into your cancellation flow to reduce churn

Integration Options

You can use the pause feature with:

• Core (3.1) API
• MediStore API

Please see Pause Setup via API. 

Pause feature is NOT supported in MediaStore SDK Components.

Pause Analytics 

You can monitor the performance and usage of the Pause feature using the Paused Subscriptions dashboard. You can find it in the Cleeng Dashboard under Analytics > Paused Subscriptions. It provides the following metrics:

• Active Pauses – Tracks the total number of currently paused subscriptions.
• New Paused – Shows how many subscriptions were paused within a selected timeframe.
• Resumed  – Displays the number of subscriptions that have resumed after being paused.

Additionally, Pause activity is reflected under MRR Movement in the dashboard, where you can monitor how paused and resumed subscriptions impact monthly recurring revenue.

Use these insights to identify trends, evaluate the impact of the Pause feature on churn reduction, and inform retention strategies. 

FAQ

Can all subscriptions be paused?

No, not all subscriptions can be paused. Only active, Cleeng-managed subscriptions with Pause enabled can be paused. Supported types include weekly, monthly, and 3-month subscriptions. Pause is not available for trial, terminated, externally managed, annual, 6-month, or seasonal subscriptions, or for in-app purchases.

When does a pause take effect?

A pause begins at the end of the current billing cycle, on the subscription’s anniversary date. It does not apply immediately.

Can the subscriber choose how long to pause?

Yes. Subscribers can choose the number of billing cycles to pause, up to the maximum allowed by the publisher for that offer. 

Can the subscriber extend the pause later?

No. The duration must be selected upfront and cannot be extended once the pause starts.

Can a subscriber cancel or modify a scheduled pause?

Yes. Subscribers can cancel or reschedule a scheduled pause anytime before it takes effect.

Can a user pause more than once?

Not back-to-back. After a pause, the subscription must resume and complete at least one billing cycle before another pause can be scheduled.

What happens during the pause?

• Billing is suspended.
• Content access is disabled.
• The subscription remains active in the system.

Can subscribers resume early?

Yes. Early resumption is allowed and triggers:

• Immediate billing.
• Immediate content access.
• A new billing cycle starting from the resume date.

What happens at the scheduled resume date?

• Billing resumes automatically.
• If payment is successful, access is restored.
• If payment fails, the subscription enters dunning and retry logic is applied.

What if resume payment fails?

• The system retries the payment according to the dunning logic.
• If all retries fail, the subscription is terminated.

Can a subscriber pause if they are already in dunning?

Yes, but only after the anniversary date. This helps retain users at risk of churn due to failed payments.

Can subscribers pause if they have an authorized payment?

Only if the capture date is in the future. If the capture has already occurred, the pause is not permitted.

What if the user terminates during the pause?

• The scheduled resume is canceled.
• The subscription is fully terminated and will not resume.

Can paused subscriptions be extended manually?

No. The selected pause duration cannot be changed mid-cycle.

Can the subscription be switched to another offer while paused?

No. Switching offers is not allowed during a pause. Attempting to switch will cancel the scheduled pause.

Can coupons be used with Pause?

Yes. Any active coupons, including 100% discounts, remain valid and are applied when the subscription resumes.

Will discounts or coupons be lost during pause?

No. All discounts and coupons are preserved and re-applied after resumption.

What happens if a gift is redeemed during a pause?

• Gift redemption will cancel the pause or resume the subscription immediately.
• Entitlement access starts right away.

Can Pause be applied to externally managed subscriptions?

No. Pause is only available for subscriptions managed by Cleeng.

What happens if a subscription resumes to an inactive offer?

• The resume attempt fails.
• Retry logic is applied.
• If the offer remains inactive, the subscription is not resumed.

Does Pause disrupt the subscription lifecycle?

No. The subscription ID and user data remain intact. When the pause ends, billing and access resume without requiring user re-subscription.

Can Pause be used in in-app environments?

Not at this time. The Pause feature is available only for web-based subscriptions. In-app support is planned for future versions.

Does Pause affect subscription revenue?

Yes. Paused users generate no MRR during the pause. However, they are less likely to churn, helping improve long-term retention.

Are paused users counted as churned?

No. Paused users are not counted as churned in analytics and retention metrics.

Are paused users billed or included in subscriber reporting?

• They are not billed during the pause.
• They are included in subscriber reporting as active (paused) users.

Do paused users count as managed users?

Yes. Paused users count toward your managed user total, as Cleeng continues to maintain their records and resume logic.

What metrics are available to assess Pause performance?

You can track the performance and usage of the Pause feature in the Cleeng Dashboard under Analytics > Paused Subscriptions. The dashboard provides the following key metrics:

• Active Pauses – The total number of subscriptions currently in a paused state.
• New Paused – The number of subscriptions that were paused within a selected timeframe.
• Resumed – The number of subscriptions that have resumed after being paused.

Additionally, Pause activity is reflected under MRR Movement in the dashboard, where you can monitor how paused and resumed subscriptions impact monthly recurring revenue.

How do paused users count in the system?

• They remain in your active subscriber count.
• They count as managed users.
• They do not appear in churn metrics. 

Will subscribers receive automatic email notifications about pause or resumption?

No. Currently , there is no Mailchimp integration. Cleeng does not send automated emails when a user pauses or resumes a subscription. Consider configuring custom notifications externally if needed.

How can I check if Pause is allowed for an offer?

To check if Pause is allowed for an offer, go to Offers & Coupons > Offers, click the offer, and look in the Pricing section.