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How Do I Add a Monthly Subscription to WooCommerce?

Last updated on December 24, 2022 @ 4:37 am

Adding a monthly subscription to WooCommerce is a great way to increase your recurring revenue. There are two ways to do this: using a plugin or by coding it yourself.

If you’re not a developer, then the easiest way to add a monthly subscription to WooCommerce is by using a plugin. We recommend the WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin.

It’s easy to set up and has tons of features, including the ability to offer free trials and prorated subscriptions.

If you’re a developer or comfortable coding, then you can add a monthly subscription to WooCommerce by adding the following code to your functions.php file:

PRO TIP: If you are planning to add a monthly subscription to WooCommerce, be aware that there are some potential risks involved.

First, if you are using a payment gateway that does not support recurring payments, your customers may be charged on a monthly basis, but their subscription will not be automatically renewed. This could lead to confusion and frustration for your customers, and could result in lost revenue for you.

Second, if you are not careful in setting up your subscription products, it is possible to create a situation where customers are inadvertently charged twice for the same subscription (once for the initial purchase, and again for the monthly renewal). This could again lead to confusion and frustration for your customers, and could result in lost revenue for you.

To avoid these potential problems, be sure to thoroughly test your subscription setup before going live, and be sure to communicate clearly with your customers about how your subscription system works.

function my_custom_subscription( $subscription ) {
$subscription->add_product( array(
'name' => 'Monthly Subscription',
'type' => 'subscription',
'price' => 9.99,
'subscription_period' => 'month', 
// Can be either day, week, month or year. 'subscription_length' => 0, 
// The number of periods after which the subscription will expire. 

A value of 0 indicates that it never expires. 
)); 
} 
add_action( 'init', 'my_custom_subscription' );

Once you’ve added the code, you need to go to WooCommerce > Settings > Subscriptions and enable Recurring Payments.

Kathy McFarland

Kathy McFarland

Devops woman in trade, tech explorer and problem navigator.