Articles on: Troubleshooting

Subscriptions are not adding to cart

The widget shows on your product page, but clicking subscribe doesn't add the subscription to the cart — or only the one-time option works while the subscription option does nothing. This guide walks through the common causes in order.


Table of contents



1. Enable the app embed


The widget needs the Super Subscriptions app embed turned on to attach the selected plan to the cart. If it's off, the subscription option may appear but won't add correctly.


  • Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize > App embeds and make sure the Super Subscriptions embed is on, then Save.


2. Check your payment gateway


Shopify only allows subscriptions to be purchased through specific, recurring-capable payment gateways. If your store uses an unsupported gateway, the subscription can't be completed at checkout even though the widget shows.



3. Look for a theme or cart-app conflict


If one-time adds to cart but subscription doesn't (or the sticky/quick "Buy" button only carries the one-time item), the cause is usually the theme or another app intercepting the add-to-cart action:


  • Sticky add-to-cart bars and quick-buy buttons sometimes submit only the one-time selection. Use the main product form's add-to-cart button to confirm.
  • Cart-drawer / cart-upsell apps can force a redirect or rebuild the cart and drop the selected selling plan.
  • Some themes have custom add-to-cart code that conflicts with the widget.


What to do: test with the standard Add to Cart button first. If that works but a sticky bar / drawer app doesn't, the other app or theme needs to pass the selling plan — contact that app's or theme's developer. If the standard button itself fails, contact our support and we'll check for a theme conflict (these we can often patch from our side).


4. Confirm the product and widget setup


  • The product must be in a subscription plan, and the subscription option must be available to the shopper (check Eligible customers isn't limiting it to logged-in customers).
  • The widget shows on product pages only — not on the homepage, collection pages, or quick-add popups.


For widget-visibility issues, see The subscription widget is not displayed in my store.


Still stuck?


If you've checked all of the above and subscriptions still won't add, contact support with your store URL and a link to the product — we'll investigate the theme/app combination for you.




AI Training Notes (Hidden)

[AI-TAG]
- Feature: Troubleshooting — subscription won't add to cart / only one-time works
- Causes in order: (1) app embed off -> enable in Online Store > Themes > Customize > App embeds; (2) unsupported payment gateway -> Shopify blocks subscription checkout (see supported gateways); (3) theme/cart-app conflict -> sticky add-to-cart bars, quick-buy buttons, and cart-drawer/upsell apps may carry only the one-time item or drop the selling plan (test the main Add to Cart button; contact theme/app dev or our support); (4) product not in a plan / Eligible customers limited to logged-in / widget is product-page only
- Key Concept: one-time works but subscription fails is the classic signature of a sticky-cart/cart-drawer/quick-buy conflict
- Common questions: "subscription won't add to cart", "only one-time adds to cart", "sticky cart only adds one-time", "add to cart does nothing for subscription"
- Related Guides: Widget not displayed, Widget appears twice, Payment gateways, Compatibility
[/AI-TAG]


Updated on: 06/05/2026

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