What is the difference between an Order and a Subscription?

Understanding the difference between an order and a subscription will help you manage your store more effectively and set clear expectations for your customers.

1. Orders

An order is a one-time purchase or transaction.

• The customer selects items or meals and checks out.

• Once the order is placed, payment is processed right away.

• Any adjustments you make to their order will only apply to that specific order.

• You cannot turn an order into a subscription, as they are two different things.

2. Subscriptions

A subscription is a recurring purchase that can be set to renew weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.

• Think of a subscription as a “bot” that automatically places orders on behalf of the customer using the items or meals in their subscription.

• A subscription is not an order itself, but it generates orders.

• When a subscription renews, it tries to charge the customer’s linked payment method. If successful, it creates an order automatically.

• You’ll know an order came from a subscription because you’ll see a yellow cart icon under the Status column on the Orders page.
  
  
  
  

3. Relationship Between Orders and Subscriptions

• A subscription can generate many orders over time as long as the customer keeps it active.

• Adjustments made to an order do not automatically update the subscription. For example, if you change the items in an order placed by a subscription, you are only affecting that one order. The next time the subscription renews, it will still use its original settings unless the subscription itself is updated. 
  
  Tip: You can apply changes made to an order (only changes to meals/items, not delivery or pickup dates) directly to the subscription so you do not have to do this twice. Just check the "Apply changes to subscription" box shown below:
  
  
  
  

4. First vs. Future Charges

• When a customer creates a subscription for the first time, they are charged immediately for the first order.

• For all future orders, they are charged when the subscription renews based on its set schedule.
  
  

Don't hesitate to contact GoPrep's Customer Support Team for further assistance.

You can do so by submitting a request or sending an email to [e-mail].