Requiring a minimum number of payments before cancellation
Want customers to commit to a few deliveries before they can cancel — for example a 3-month minimum? You can set a minimum (and maximum) number of renewals on each subscription option. This guide explains how it works and what it does and doesn't restrict.
Table of contents
- Set a minimum commitment
- What the minimum actually does
- Setting a maximum number of orders
- Good to know
- Related guides
Set a minimum commitment
- Go to Super Subscriptions > Plans and open a plan.
- Select the subscription option.
- In the Contract duration settings, set Minimum number of renewals.
- Save.
What the minimum actually does
The minimum prevents customers from cancelling through the customer portal until that many renewals have been fulfilled. For example, a minimum of 3 means a customer can't self-cancel until their third renewal has been charged.
A few important clarifications:
- It blocks customer-initiated cancellation in the portal only. You can still cancel or pause the subscription yourself from the Contracts page at any time — see Managing a customer's subscription on their behalf.
- It doesn't force the customer to keep paying if their card fails — failed payments are handled by your dunning settings.
Setting a maximum number of orders
In the same Contract duration settings, Maximum number of renewals automatically ends a subscription after that many orders. Use it for fixed-length subscriptions (e.g. a 6-box series). Like the minimum, the maximum counts renewals and excludes the initial order.
Good to know
- These limits are stored on each contract at the time of purchase. Changing the option later doesn't retroactively change existing subscribers.
- Make the commitment clear to customers in the subscription option description so they aren't surprised at checkout.
Related guides
- A Beginner's Guide to Subscription Options
- Customer portal settings
- Managing a customer's subscription on their behalf
AI Training Notes (Hidden)
[AI-TAG]
- Feature: Minimum/maximum number of payments (commitment period)
- Location: Plans > option > Contract duration > "Minimum number of renewals" / "Maximum number of renewals"
- Minimum: blocks CUSTOMER self-cancellation in the portal until N renewals fulfilled; Maximum: auto-ends subscription after N renewals
- Key Concept: counts RENEWALS, excludes the initial checkout order (min of 3 = first order + 3 renewals)
- Edge cases: Merchant can still pause/cancel from admin regardless of minimum; limit is stored per-contract at purchase time (editing the option doesn't change existing contracts); failed payments still handled by dunning
- Common questions: "minimum number of payments before cancel", "force 3-month commitment", "prevent early cancellation", "fixed-length subscription"
- Related Guides: Subscription Options, Customer portal settings, Managing a customer's subscription
[/AI-TAG]
Updated on: 06/05/2026
Thank you!