## Managing Stripe Subscriptions

This documentation section provides comprehensive guidance on building and managing subscription-based billing systems with Stripe. It covers everything from the fundamental concepts of how subscriptions work to advanced features like custom pricing models, entitlement management, and integrating various payment methods.

### Core Subscription Concepts

*   **How subscriptions work:** Understand the lifecycle of a subscription, from creation to renewal, and the key features Stripe offers for managing recurring payments.
*   **Pricing Models:** Explore different ways to price your subscription services, including:
    *   **Flat Rate Pricing:** Charge a fixed price for a service tier.
    *   **Per-Seat Pricing:** Bill based on the number of users or licenses.
    *   **Tiered Pricing:** Offer varying costs based on quantity or usage.
    *   **Usage-Based Billing:** Charge customers based on their actual consumption of your product or service.
*   **Product Catalog:** Learn how to model your business by creating products and defining their associated prices.

### Building and Configuring Subscriptions

*   **Design a Subscriptions Integration:** Plan the key decisions for your subscription integration, including charging methods and checkout flows.
*   **Build a Subscriptions Integration:** Step-by-step guides for creating and managing subscriptions to accept recurring payments.
*   **Embeddable Pricing Table:** Create and embed a customizable pricing table on your website to guide customers to checkout.
*   **Quickstart:** Get started quickly with a pre-built subscription page using Stripe Checkout.

### Subscription Management and Lifecycle

*   **Entitlements:** Manage customer access to product features based on their subscription status.
*   **Billing Cycles:** Set and manage the renewal dates for your subscriptions.
*   **Trial Offers:** Configure free or paid trial periods for your subscription products.
*   **Modify Subscriptions:** Learn how to change existing subscriptions, including prorated charges and pending updates.
*   **Cancel Subscriptions:** Understand how to cancel customer subscriptions and the implications for future billing.
*   **Pause Subscriptions:** Temporarily suspend service delivery and invoice generation for subscriptions.
*   **Pause Payment Collection:** Allow customers a grace period for payment without affecting service.
*   **Backdate Subscriptions:** Bill customers for past periods when migrating to Stripe or for record-keeping.
*   **Subscription Schedules:** Automate changes to subscriptions over time, such as future start dates or upgrades/downgrades.
*   **Prebilling:** Bill customers in advance for multiple service periods or upcoming renewals.

### Billing Modes and Prorations

*   **Enable Billing Mode:** Understand and enable the flexible billing mode for enhanced functionality and more accurate billing.
*   **Compare Classic and Flexible Billing Mode:** Learn the differences between the two billing modes to make an informed choice for your integration.
*   **Prorations:** Manage prorated charges and credits when subscription details are modified.

### Payment Methods and Integrations

*   **Collect Payment Method with No Initial Payment:** Authorize and store payment methods for subscriptions that don't require an immediate charge.
*   **Set Payment Methods Per-Subscription:** Specify available payment methods for individual subscriptions.
*   **Integrate with Third-Party Payment Processors:** Use Stripe subscriptions and invoices with external payment processors.
*   **Supported Payment Methods:** Detailed guides on setting up subscriptions with various payment methods, including:
    *   ACH Direct Debit
    *   Amazon Pay
    *   Bacs Direct Debit (UK)
    *   Bank Transfers
    *   BECS Direct Debit (Australia)
    *   Boleto
    *   Cash App Pay
    *   iDEAL with SEPA Direct Debit
    *   Kakao Pay
    *   Klarna
    *   Local South Korean Cards
    *   Naver Pay
    *   Nigerian Cards
    *   PayPal
    *   PayTo
    *   Pix
    *   Pre-authorized Debit (Canada)
    *   Revolut Pay
    *   SEPA Direct Debit (EU)
    *   Stablecoins
    *   TWINT

### Migration and Advanced Topics

*   **Migrate Subscriptions to Stripe Billing:** Import existing subscriptions from other systems or Stripe accounts using the toolkit or Stripe APIs.
*   **Using Webhooks with Subscriptions:** Configure webhook endpoints to receive notifications of subscription activity.
*   **Manage Subscriptions on iOS:** Utilize the Billing SDK for iOS to manage subscriptions and entitlements within your app.
*   **Coupons and Promotion Codes:** Apply discounts to subscriptions and subscription items.
*   **Script Language Definition:** Understand the syntax and semantics of Stripe Billing's scripting language.
*   **Entitlements:** Map internal service features to Stripe products to manage customer access.