Pause Subscriptions

Activating the Pause Subscriptions Add-on

The Pause Subscriptions add-on is available starting with a Pro license.

After purchasing a paid version of Paid Member Subscriptions, you can check the following guide on how to install Paid Member Subscriptions.

Settings

The Pause Subscriptions add-on provides both global defaults and per-plan customization options.

Global Settings

Navigate to Paid Member Subscriptions -> Settings -> Payments -> Subscription Global Configs to configure the default pause behavior for all subscription plans.

Enable Subscriptions Pause

Through this toggle you can enable the Pause functionality for all defined plans, depending on their settings. The pause functionality can be enabled or disabled individually for each plan, regardless of this setting.

Maximum Pause Duration

Set the default maximum time a subscription can remain paused. This setting applies to all plans that are set to use “Settings Default” in their individual configuration.

You can configure this as:

• A specific duration (number + unit)
  • Days (e.g., 30 days)
  • Weeks (e.g., 2 weeks)
  • Months (e.g., 3 months)
• Unlimited – Members can pause indefinitely until they manually resume

Number of Pauses

Define how many times a member can pause their subscription. This helps prevent abuse of the pause feature while still providing flexibility.

• Leave empty for no limit (members can pause as many times as needed)
• Set a specific number (e.g., 3) to limit total pause actions per subscription

Per-Plan Settings

Each subscription plan can have its own pause configuration that either inherits the global defaults or uses custom settings.

Navigate to Paid Member Subscriptions → Subscription Plans → Edit Subscription Plan and locate the Extra Options → Pause Subscriptions section.

Pause Subscriptions

Choose how pause functionality is handled for this specific plan:

• Enabled – Allow pausing for this plan with custom settings
• Disabled – Prevent pausing for this plan (even if globally enabled)
• Settings Default – Inherit the global “Enable Subscriptions Pause” setting

When set to Enabled additional options will appear.

Number of Pauses

Set a plan-specific limit on how many times members can pause this subscription.

Maximum Pause Duration

Define how long subscriptions for this plan can remain paused. Options include:

• Number + unit (day/week/month/year)
• Unlimited for indefinite pauses

Important: The pause duration options only appear when pause functionality is enabled for the plan.

Front-end

Members can pause and resume their subscriptions from the Account page when they meet the eligibility requirements.

Pausing a Subscription

Eligibility Requirements

A member can pause their subscription when all of the following conditions are met:

• The subscription has Active status
• The subscription is set to auto-renew (recurring)
• The subscription has a future billing date (not expired or in trial)
• Pause functionality is enabled for the subscription plan (or globally)
• The member has not exceeded the allowed number of pauses (if a limit is set)

How to Pause

1. Navigate to Account → Subscriptions
2. Locate the active subscription you want to pause
3. Click the Pause button next to the subscription
4. A confirmation message appears showing:
   • The calculated pause end date (or “unlimited” if no maximum duration is set)
   • A warning that access to members-only content will be suspended during the pause
5. Confirm to complete the pause action

During Pause Period

• Subscription status changes to Paused
• No payments will be charged while paused
• Members will lose access to content restricted to that subscription tier
• If a maximum duration is set, a Pause End Date row displays when the subscription will automatically resume

Resuming a Subscription

Manual Resume

Members can manually resume their paused subscription at any time:

1. Navigate to Account → Subscriptions
2. Locate the paused subscription
3. Click the Resume button
   • A confirmation message shows the recalculated next billing date. The billing date is extended by the exact duration the subscription was paused
   • For example: If a subscription was paused for 15 days, the next billing date shifts forward by 15 days
4. Confirm to resume the subscription

After Resume

• Subscription status changes back to Active
• Member immediately regains access to restricted content
• Billing resumes on the recalculated date

Automatic Resume

Limited Duration Pauses

When a subscription is paused with a specific maximum duration (not “unlimited”), the plugin automatically schedules a resume event using WordPress cron. The subscription will automatically resume when the pause end date is reached.

For Unlimited Pauses

Subscriptions paused with unlimited duration require manual resume by the member or administrator. No automatic resume event is scheduled.

Automatic resume relies on WordPress cron functionality. If cron is not running properly on your site, automatic resumes may not trigger as expected. See the Troubleshooting section for more information.

Back-end

Administrators have full control over member subscriptions from the WordPress dashboard, including the ability to pause and resume subscriptions on behalf of members.

Admin Controls

Pause/Resume from Edit Subscription:

1. Navigate to Paid Member Subscriptions → Members
2. Click on a member to edit
3. Locate the subscription you want to manage
4. Click Edit on the subscription
5. Change the Status dropdown to:
   • Paused – to pause an active subscription
   • Active – to resume a paused subscription

When an administrator changes the subscription status the same eligibility rules that apply to members also apply to the admin.

Viewing Paused Subscriptions

Filter Paused Subscriptions

From the Members page, you can quickly view all subscriptions that are currently paused:

1. Go to Paid Member Subscriptions → Members
2. Click the Paused filter
3. All paused subscriptions will be displayed in the list

Edit Member Subscription Page

For detailed subscription information, navigate to the Edit Member Subscription page where you can view complete pause history and logs:

• Current pause status
• When the subscription was paused
• Who paused it (member or admin)
• Pause end date (if set)
• Remaining pauses allowed (if limited)

Group Memberships Support

When the Group Memberships add-on is active, the Pause Subscriptions feature automatically synchronizes pause states across parent and child subscriptions.

How It Works:

• Pausing Parent Subscription:
  • Automatically pauses all child subscriptions in the group
  • All group members lose access simultaneously
  • Child subscription billing dates are recalculated proportionally
• Resuming Parent Subscription:
  • Automatically resumes all child subscriptions in the group
  • All group members regain access simultaneously
  • Child subscription billing dates adjust to match the pause duration

Note: Individual child subscriptions cannot be paused independently when part of a group. Only the parent subscription controls the pause state for the entire group.