How to enable a gift option for your paid subscriptions

Offering gift subscriptions for your paid content is a powerful way to attract new audiences and provide additional value to your existing subscribers. This article will guide you through everything you need to know about enabling gift subscriptions, how users can purchase and redeem them, and then provides answers to frequently asked questions about the process. 

How to enable gifting for a paid subscription tier

Enabling this option will add a Gift option to your Upgrade Page, giving users the ability to gift a subscription to someone else.  

1. From the left panel Dashboard, go to Monetization > Paid Subscriptions, then click the Paid Tiers tab. Click the three dots menu next to the tier you wish to enable a gift subscription for, then select Edit.
   
   
   Note: You can also create a new tier, and the Gift option will be enabled by default.
   
   
   
   

2. Scroll down to the Advanced Options section and toggle on the Gift option to enable gift purchases for the specified tier. Click Save Tier Changes to save your selection.

   Pro Tip: We recommend enabling gift purchases for all of your paid tiers to help increase your subscription sales.
   

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How a user would purchase a gift subscription

After you’ve enabled gift purchases for your paid tiers, a user who navigates to your Upgrade Page will see a Gift button option. Selecting this will take them to a module where they can purchase a gift subscription for any tier that you have enabled gift subscription purchases.

1. Someone wishing to make a gift purchase will click Gift on your Upgrade Page to see their options.
   
   
   
2. Once the user has selected their gift option, they will be presented with a form to fill out with the following information:

• Their name.
• Their email address. 
• The recipient’s email address.
• A message to the recipient (optional). 
• Set a date for it to be sent. This allows them to schedule a gift for now or a later date. If the scheduling option is not updated, the gift email will be sent immediately upon purchase.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Tech Note: If the user schedules a gift publication subscription for a later date, the gift email will be sent at 2 AM UTC on the chosen date.

3. Once the purchase is complete, the purchaser will receive a receipt from Stripe and an email confirmation of their purchase.

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How a user would access a gift paid subscription

The recipient will receive an email with their gifted subscription immediately following purchase, or on the scheduled gift receipt date. 

1. The recipient can claim their gift by clicking the Claim your gift button in the email.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Tech Note: If your publication has double opt in enabled, the recipient will not receive an additional email, as the Claim your gift button will count as the recipient opting in to your newsletter
2. Next, they will be taken to the publication website home page. If you have a welcome email enabled, they will receive your welcome email at this time, but they will not go through any other steps you may have set up as a part of your Signup Flow.
   
   
3. The recipient can manage their subscription by logging in to your publication and navigating to their Profile image > Manage Subscription to enter their subscription management dashboard. From there, they can review their subscription, downgrade, or unsubscribe at any time.
   
   
   
   
    
4. Once the gift period ends, the recipient will no longer have access to the paid content, and will automatically be downgraded to a free tier subscription.
   
   If the gift recipient wishes, they may upgrade before the end of the gift period to maintain uninterrupted access to your paid content. To do this, they would navigate to your Upgrade Page, then upgrade their subscription as normal. 

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Frequently asked questions about how to create and apply paid subscription offers and gifts

How do cancellations or refunds for gift purchases work?

Cancellations and refunds are up to the discretion of the publication Owner, and are handled between them and the subscriber; beehiiv is not responsible. Cancelations or refunds will need to be processed through your publication’s Stripe account.

What if someone purchases a gift subscription for someone who is already a paying subscriber to that publication?

Our system will temporarily pause billing on the paid subscription for the gifted period and then resume their subscription when the gifted period has ended. 

Does a paid subscription gift ever expire?

Gifts must be redeemed within 30 days of gift receipt. The recipient will receive the original email and a follow-up email reminding them of their gift to ensure they do not miss out. 

Can I apply a gift to a Name Your Price payment?

No, currently, we only allow for gifting on the Monthly, Annual, and One-Time payment options.

I applied a trial to my tier, will that transfer to the gift?

No, when purchasing a gift, any free trials that were set up for the tier will not be applied to the purchase.

Will the gifter receive a receipt for their gift purchase?

Yes, a Stripe receipt will be sent to the gifter when a gift subscription is purchased. They will also receive an email from your publication confirming their purchase with the subscription details.

I purchased a gift and entered the wrong email address for the recipient, what can I do?

In this case, there isn’t a way to reissue a gift to a different email address. You will need to purchase with the correct email address and connect with the publisher. It’s up to the publisher's discretion to cancel or refund the original gift purchased using the incorrect email address.

Do you send a reminder email before the subscription ends? Can I customize the email?

Yes, we send 2 reminder emails, the first at 7 days before, and the second is sent 1 day before the subscription expires, to encourage the gift recipient to upgrade. If you have set up an Upsell reminder email for this tier, it will not be sent for gift purchases. 

When does the gift subscription begin/end?

The subscription will begin with the Claim your gift button is clicked.

It will last as long as the gift tier purchased lasts for. The Monthly option would be 30 days from clicking the Claim your gift button. The Yearly/Annual option would be 365 days from clicking the Claim your gift button. And the Lifetime version will not end, but would need the Claim your gift button to be clicked to begin the subscription.