Renewing a Subscription

There are several ways to specify whether and how to renew a subscription:

• Renew (or extend) an existing subscription. To view the process diagram, see Renew and Extend a Subscription from a New Subscription Record. When you want to renew a subscription before its end date, you can extend the end date of the existing subscription. However, if the renewal requires a new subscription transaction, the subscription cannot be renewed using the extend existing subscription method. When you automatically initiate the renewal process before the subscription end date, you can define the term, method, transaction type, and how you want to renew the subscription price plan.

• Renew by creating a new subscription transaction that uses the existing plan or a new plan. To view the process diagram, see Renew a Subscription with a New Subscription Record.

  When you renew to a new subscription, you can select the renewal plan and price book. A subscription that renews to a new subscription record also can have a different billing account from the original subscription. During subscription renewal, the newly created subscription has the billing account from the original subscription. However, you can change the billing account after you create the subscription while it is in the Draft or Pending Activation status. Refer to Adding Renewal Information to Subscription Plans to learn how the default from a subscription populates the renew change order.

  

• You can renew a subscription with the Closed status. If you did not renew the subscription before the subscription end date, renewing populates information from the previous subscription so you do not have to re-enter it. Renewing also retains links attached to the original subscription that are lost when creating a new subscription.

  When you select the Create New Subscription renewal method, the start date on the new subscription is the original subscription's renewal date.

  When you select the Extend Existing Subscription renewal method:

  • The subscription end date is pushed out by the selected term.

  • Rating is triggered to run and new charges for the renewal period are generated even if charges may be in the past.

  • If the original end date of the subscription plus the extension is still before today’s date, the subscription remains closed but new charges are ready to bill.

• Alternatively, during the subscription term, you can manually create a Renew change order. The new subscription uses the existing subscription plan.

Subscription renewals are considered either low-touch or high-touch:

• A low-touch renewal is one that automatically renews, or extends, when the initial subscription ends.

• A high-touch renewal requires more effort. Someone such as a sales representative, for example, needs to contact the customer or manually renew the subscription.

Example 1: Low-Touch Renewal at the End of the Term

In this example, the figure represents an existing magazine subscription that runs from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021. On January 1, 2022, the subscription automatically renews for another year using the extend existing subscription method with the same subscription plan and existing pricing.

To renew a subscription automatically:

1. Go to Transactions > Subscriptions > Create Subscriptions > List.

2. For the subscription you want to renew, click Edit.

3. Click the Renewal subtab.

4. From the Default Renewal Term list, select a term for the renewal subscription.

5. From the Default Renewal Method list, select a default renewal method.

   1. If you selected Extend Existing Subscription, go to step 6.

   2. If you selected Create New Subscription:

      1. From the Default Renewal Subscription Plan list, select a default subscription plan for the renewal subscription.

      2. From the Default Renewal Price Book list, select a pricing option for the renewal subscription.

      3. From the Default Renewal Transaction Type list, select one of the available options (Do Not Create Sales Transaction Estimate, Opportunity, or Sales Order).

6. When the Uplift Pricing feature is enabled in the Renewal subtab of the subscription plan or subscription, you can define the default percentage renewal uplift to apply to renewal subscription lines on the original subscription. The renew change order has renewal configuration and uplift values based on the renewal configuration from the subscription. The lines displayed in the uplift table are based on the renewal configuration.

7. To set up your renewal to happen automatically, check the Automatically Initiate Renewal Process box and enter the appropriate number into the Before Subscription End Date box. You should renew no later than 30 days in advance of the end date.

   Note:

   The appropriate number to enter depends on your organization. It indicates how many days before the subscription ends that you want to contact the customer. For example, you might want to contact the customer to renegotiate the subscription terms.

8. Click Save.

Example 2: High-Touch Renewal Before the End of the Term

In this example, an existing one-year subscription expires on December 31, 2021, but is not set to automatically renew. A sales person needs to contact the customer to negotiate another subscription. A new subscription is created using the create new subscription renewal method. This method is useful when the new subscription requires changes to the subscription plan or a change in price, and is created with a Draft status. The associated sales order is created with Pending Approval status.

To renew a subscription manually:

1. Go to Transactions > Subscriptions > Create Subscriptions > List.

2. For the subscription you want to renew, click Edit.

3. From the Actions menu, click Renew.

4. From the Default Renewal Term list, select a term for the renewal subscription.

5. From the Default Renewal Method list, select a default renewal method.

   1. If you selected Extend Existing Subscription, go to step 6.

   2. If you selected Create New Subscription:

      1. From the Default Renewal Subscription Plan list, select a default subscription plan for the renewal subscription.

      2. From the Default Renewal Price Book list, select a pricing option for the renewal subscription.

      3. From the Default Renewal Transaction Type list, select one of the available options (Do Not Create Sales Transaction, Estimate, Opportunity, or Sales Order). If you choose Do Not Create Sales Transaction , upon renewal, NetSuite creates a new subscription that is not associated with a sales transaction.

6. When the Uplift Pricing feature is enabled, you can define the percentage renewal uplift you want to apply to each subscription line on the renew change order. The renew change order has renewal configuration and uplift values based on the renewal configuration from the subscription. The lines displayed in the uplift table are based on the renewal configuration.

7. When you enable the Uplift Pricing feature, NetSuite automatically applies percentage price increases to a customer's renewal pricing. When a new subscription is created, the default value acts as a template for the default renewal settings. When the subscription renewal is created, the price plans are automatically updated.

8. Click Save.

Including Add-On Items in Subscription Renewals

When renewing a subscription manually using a renewal change order, you have the option to edit each line item before saving the draft subscription. Reasons you might want to edit lines include adding or removing items from the subscription. Perhaps a service is no longer available or has been replaced by a new service.

The following default rules apply to add-on items with the Include In Renewal Subscription box checked:

For these default renewal settings:	These rules apply:
Method – Extend Existing Subscription	All add-on items are included at the same price and quantity for the extended renewal period.
Method – Create New Subscription Subscription Plan – Same Subscription Plan Price Book – Keep Existing Pricing	All add-on items are included in the draft renewal subscription with the same price and quantity.
Method – Create New Subscription Subscription Plan – Same Subscription Plan Price Book – a specific price book	All add-on items are included in the draft renewal subscription with the same quantity. Prices are defined by the specific price book.
Method – Create New Subscription Subscription Plan – (a different plan from the original subscription selected)	Add-on items from the original subscription are not included in the draft renewal subscription. Only line items defined in the renewal plan are included on the renewal subscription.

Related Topics

• Creating a New Stand-alone Subscription
• SuiteBilling Change Orders
• Creating a Subscription from a Transaction
• Updating a Subscription on a Transaction
• Adding Line Items to an Existing Subscription
• Creating Usage Records
• Managing Rating Runs
• Terminating a Subscription Line Item
• Suspending a Subscription Line Item
• Reactivating a Subscription Line Item
• Modifying Pricing
• Adding Renewal Information to Subscription Plans

General Notices