This document covers Subscription services in BLOX NXT, the service type for selling digital subscriptions on your site: their Configuration settings, the Purchase Rates panel, and how to add purchase rates. General Settings, Custom Properties, and Email Notifications are covered in the Service Settings and Email Notifications document.
Subscription service Configuration settings
A Subscription service's Configuration section (in the Service Settings panel) controls billing, renewals, and reader notices. The fields appear in this order:
Subscription service Configuration settings
| Setting |
Options |
What it does |
| Authorization Only Mode |
Yes / No |
Authorizes the reader's card without capturing the charge |
| Enable Gateway Vaulting |
Yes / No |
Stores the reader's payment method with the payment gateway for future charges |
| Grace Period |
None, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month |
How long access continues, and the card is retried, after a renewal payment fails. Keeping a grace period reduces subscribers lost to failed cards. |
| Rate Change Email Lead Time |
None, 7 days, 14 days, 30 days |
How far ahead of a purchase rate change readers are emailed |
| Gift Articles |
Off, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 |
How many articles a subscriber can gift to non-subscribers |
| Self Service Cancelation |
Yes / No |
Lets readers cancel from their own account |
| Upcoming renewal notice days |
Number of days |
How many days before renewal the Upcoming Renewal Notice email is sent |
| Payment Handler |
Your configured handlers |
The payment processor this service charges through |
| PayPal Payment Handler |
Your configured PayPal handlers |
Offers PayPal as a payment option |
| Recurring Payments |
Yes / No |
Renews subscriptions automatically at the end of each term. With it off, readers must renew by hand, which lowers renewal revenue. |
| Force Recurring Payments |
Yes / No |
Requires automatic renewal at purchase |
| Tax Engine Provider |
Your configured providers |
The sales-tax service used to calculate tax. Currently available for Canada only. |
| Tax Engine Company Code |
Text |
Your company code with the tax provider |
| Statement Descriptor |
Text |
How the charge appears on the reader's card statement |
| Trial Length |
Number |
Length of a free trial before the first charge; 0 for none |
| Comment 1 |
Text |
Reference text sent to the payment processor with each transaction, such as your domain |
| Comment 2 |
Text |
A second reference field, such as “Digital Subscription” |
| Share Data to Email Reach |
Dropdown |
Sends this service's subscriber data to Email Reach |
| Email Reach Mapping Profile |
Your mapping profiles |
Controls which subscriber fields map to Email Reach |
Purchase Rates panel (Subscription services only)
The Purchase Rates panel appears on the right side of a Subscription service's detail page once the service is created. Click + New to add a rate, search rates by name, and use the Active Only toggle to hide inactive rates. The count at the right shows how many rates match.
Purchase Rates panel columns
| Column |
What it shows |
| Name |
The rate name, such as Monthly or Yearly |
| Amount |
The price per term |
| Duration |
Length of the term in days, such as 30 or 365 |
| Currency |
The billing currency, such as USD |
| Is Save Rate |
Yes if the rate is offered to readers trying to cancel |
| Active Users |
Readers currently on the rate |
A purchase rate's price and duration can't be changed once it's created. To change pricing, create a new rate and point transitions or offers at it. Click a rate in the table to edit its other fields.
Adding a purchase rate to a Subscription service
In the Purchase Rates panel, click + New to open the Add Rate window.
Fill in the form on the left. The Rate Preview on the right shows how the offer will read to readers. The expand icon opens the window full screen.
Click Save.
Add the rate to an offer in Journeys. Readers can't buy a new purchase rate until it's part of an offer.
Purchase rate fields
| Section |
Field |
What it does |
| General |
Rate Name |
Shown in admin search and in reader emails; 40 characters max |
| General |
Price |
Amount in dollars, such as 4.50 |
| General |
Term (days) |
Length of each term in days, such as 28 |
| General |
Terms |
Legal terms shown with the rate. Prefilled with standard new-subscriber, auto-renewal language you can edit. |
| General |
Start Date and Time |
When the rate becomes available; defaults to now |
| Lifecycle |
Rate is Always Available |
On by default, so the rate never ends. Turn off to show Rate Ends On and Available Until. |
| Lifecycle |
Rate Ends On |
When the rate stops being available; prefilled one year out |
| Lifecycle |
Available Until |
Optional. The last date and time readers can buy the rate. |
| Transition Settings |
Enable Rate Changes |
Off by default, so the rate simply renews or expires. Turn on to show Total Transactions and Followed By. |
| Transition Settings |
Total Transactions |
How many times this rate is charged before subscribers move to the next rate |
| Transition Settings |
Followed By |
The rate subscribers move to, chosen from this service's active rates |
| Additional Settings |
Save Rate for Cancellation |
Offers this rate to readers trying to cancel, as a retention offer |
| Additional Settings |
Hide Rate from Website |
Readers can't buy the rate on your site; it's used only for auto-renewing transactions, such as the rate subscribers move to after an intro offer. Turning it on shows a warning to confirm. |
| Additional Settings |
External ID |
Optional identifier for matching the rate in an outside system |
| Additional Settings |
Require Promo Code |
Readers must enter a promo code to get this rate |
| Additional Settings |
Promo Codes |
The codes that unlock the rate |
Promo codes: press Enter or type a comma after each code, and Backspace to remove the last one. Codes are converted to uppercase, can contain only letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores, and can be up to 50 characters each.
Rate Preview shows the rate as readers will see it (for example, "$9.99 for 30 days"), what happens after the term ends, and the terms text. It also shows the BLOX Rate ID, created when you save and copyable from here, and a Connections area that lists linked offers once the rate exists.
Setting up an introductory offer on a Subscription service
This example charges new subscribers $1 a month for three months, then $9.99 a month.
Create the regular rate first: Monthly, $9.99, Term 30 days. Turn on Hide Rate from Website if readers should only reach it through the intro offer.
Create the intro rate: $1.00, Term 30 days.
In the intro rate, turn on Enable Rate Changes, set Total Transactions to 3, and choose Monthly under Followed By.
Save, then add the intro rate to an offer in Journeys.
The regular rate must exist before the intro rate, because Followed By lists only this service's existing active rates.
Ending a purchase rate
To stop offering a rate, turn off Rate is Always Available and set Rate Ends On (when the rate stops being available) and, optionally, Available Until (the last time readers can buy it). Before a rate ends, move any subscribers still on it to another rate with a transition. The Purchase Rates panel flags a rate that is about to end while subscribers are still on it.
Go-live checklist for a Subscription service
Payment Handler is set in Configuration
Notification Email is filled in (General Settings)
Grace Period and Recurring Payments are set the way you want
At least one purchase rate is created and added to an offer in Journeys
Reader email notifications are turned on and their wording reviewed
A test purchase has succeeded with Testing Mode on
Testing Mode is turned off and Service Disabled and Hide from Public are off