Set Up Recurring Payments in WooCommerce (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Install and Activate WooCommerce Subscriptions

1.1 Purchase and Download the Plugin

To begin, you’ll need the official WooCommerce Subscriptions extension. Navigate to the WooCommerce Subscriptions product page on WooCommerce.com. Purchase the plugin, ensuring you have an active WooCommerce store and a WordPress installation. After successful purchase, log into your WooCommerce.com account and go to the “Downloads” section. Locate “WooCommerce Subscriptions” and download the .zip file to your local computer. Do not unzip the file; WordPress will handle the unzipping process automatically.

1.2 Upload and Install the Plugin

Log into your WordPress admin dashboard. In the left-hand navigation menu, hover over “Plugins” and click on “Add New.” At the top of the “Add Plugins” page, click the “Upload Plugin” button. Click “Choose File” and select the `woocommerce-subscriptions.zip` file you downloaded in the previous step. Click “Install Now.” Once the installation is complete, you’ll see a success message. Click the “Activate Plugin” button to enable the Subscriptions functionality on your WooCommerce store. You may be prompted to connect your store to WooCommerce.com; follow the instructions if you wish to receive automatic updates and support directly.

Step 2: Configure General Subscription Settings

2.1 Access WooCommerce Settings

After activating the plugin, navigate to the main WooCommerce settings. In your WordPress admin dashboard, hover over “WooCommerce” in the left-hand menu and click on “Settings.” This will take you to the general WooCommerce settings page. You will now see a new tab labeled “Subscriptions” among the existing tabs like “General,” “Products,” “Tax,” etc. Click on the “Subscriptions” tab to access the specific settings for recurring payments.

2.2 Define Subscription Renewal Options

Within the “Subscriptions” tab, you’ll find various options to configure how renewals are handled. Key settings to review and adjust include:

Renewal Process: Choose between “Automatic Renewals” (recommended for seamless recurring payments) or “Manual Renewals” (requires customer intervention).
Renewal Attempts: Set the number of times the system should attempt to process a failed renewal payment before marking the subscription as cancelled.
Retry Interval: Define the time period between renewal attempts (e.g., “Every 12 hours”).
Email Notifications: Configure which email notifications are sent to customers and administrators regarding subscription status changes, renewals, and failures.
Synchronize Renewals: If you plan to offer multiple subscriptions, consider enabling this to align all renewal dates to a specific day of the month or week, simplifying management for both you and your customers.

Make your desired selections and click “Save changes” at the bottom of the page to apply them.

Step 3: Create a New Subscription Product

3.1 Add a New Product

Now, let’s create a product that customers can subscribe to. In your WordPress admin dashboard, hover over “Products” in the left-hand menu and click on “Add New.” This will open the standard WooCommerce product creation interface. Enter a clear and descriptive “Product name” (e.g., “Premium Monthly Membership” or “Weekly Organic Produce Box”). Add a detailed product description in the main content editor, outlining what the subscription includes.

3.2 Configure Subscription Product Data

Scroll down to the “Product data” meta box, usually located below the main content editor. From the “Product data” dropdown, select “Simple Subscription” or “Variable Subscription” if you need different tiers or options (e.g., “Small Box,” “Large Box”).

For a “Simple Subscription”:

Subscription Price: Enter the price (e.g., “25”) and select the billing interval (e.g., “per month,” “per week,” “per year”).
Expire After: Choose if the subscription should expire after a certain number of renewals (e.g., “12 renewals”) or “Never expire.”
Sign-up Fee: Optionally add a one-time charge at the beginning of the subscription (e.g., “5” for an activation fee).
Free Trial: Optionally offer a free trial period (e.g., “7 days”) before the first payment is charged.

For a “Variable Subscription,” you will first define attributes (e.g., “Size: Small, Medium, Large”) and then create variations, configuring the subscription price, expiry, sign-up fee, and trial for each variation individually.

Fill in other standard product details like “Product image,” “Product categories,” and “Short description” as you would for any other WooCommerce product. Once all details are configured, click the “Publish” or “Update” button to make your subscription product live.

Step 4: Test Your Recurring Payment Setup

4.1 Place a Test Order

It’s crucial to test your setup to ensure everything works as expected from the customer’s perspective and on the backend. Log out of your WordPress admin or open an incognito/private browser window. Navigate to your website’s shop page and find the subscription product you just created. Add it to your cart and proceed to checkout. Use a test payment gateway if available (e.g., Stripe’s test mode with a test credit card number) or a real small transaction if you’re confident. Complete the entire checkout process as a customer would, including entering payment details and confirming the order.

4.2 Verify Subscription Management

After placing the test order, log back into your WordPress admin dashboard.

Check Orders: Go to “WooCommerce” > “Orders.” You should see the new order with a status like “Processing” or “Completed.”
Check Subscriptions: Go to “WooCommerce” > “Subscriptions.” You should see a new subscription entry corresponding to your test order. Click on it to view its details. Verify the start date, next payment date, and associated customer.
Simulate Renewal: If you want to test the renewal process without waiting, you can manually trigger a renewal. On the individual subscription edit screen (WooCommerce > Subscriptions > [Your Test Subscription]), find the “Subscription Actions” meta box. Select “Process Renewal” from the dropdown and click “Apply.” This will simulate a renewal payment.
Customer View: Log in as the test customer (or create a test customer account). Navigate to their “My Account” page on your website. They should see a “Subscriptions” tab or section where they can view their active subscriptions, payment methods, and renewal dates.

Ensure all these steps work smoothly, confirming your recurring payment setup is functional.

FAQs

Q: What payment gateways are compatible with WooCommerce Subscriptions?

A: WooCommerce Subscriptions supports over 25 payment gateways that can process recurring payments, including popular options like Stripe, PayPal Standard and Pro, Authorize.net, Braintree, and others. It’s crucial to use a gateway that explicitly supports recurring billing for its integration with the Subscriptions plugin to function correctly.

FAQs

Q: Can I offer different billing cycles for the same product (e.g., monthly and annual)?

A: Yes, you can. To do this, you would create a “Variable Subscription” product in Step 3.2. Define an attribute like “Billing Cycle” with values such as “Monthly” and “Annually.” Then, create variations for each billing cycle, setting the specific recurring price and interval for each one (e.g., Monthly: $25/month; Annually: $250/year).

FAQs

Q: How do customers manage their own subscriptions?

A: Once a customer purchases a subscription, they can manage it directly from their “My Account” page on your WooCommerce store. This section typically includes a “Subscriptions” tab where they can view active subscriptions, change payment methods, upgrade/downgrade (if configured), or cancel their subscription. It provides a self-service portal, reducing support inquiries.

FAQs

Q: What happens if a recurring payment fails?

A: If a recurring payment fails, WooCommerce Subscriptions has built-in retry mechanisms and notification systems. Based on the settings configured in Step 2.2, the system will attempt to re-process the payment a set number of times over a defined interval. Both the customer and the store administrator will receive email notifications about failed payments, allowing the customer to update their payment method or the administrator to intervene.