Subscription + Create Payment Link (online-checkout/payment-links)

Questions
1

Dear Square Customer Support,

I need clarification regarding the integration of subscription ‘plan_id’ with the Create Payment Link process (online-checkout/payment-links).

My goal is to establish a Subscription Plan that can encompass either one or both of our products, providing the customer with the flexibility to choose a Monthly or Quarterly billing cycle.

To elaborate, I want our customers to:

  1. Select their desired products and quantities from our shopping cart.

  2. Opt for either a Monthly or Quarterly subscription. Based on their choice, a recurring subscription should be generated, mirroring the products and quantities of their initial order.

For instance, if a customer selects 1 unit of Product A and 3 units of Product B, and opts for a Quarterly Subscription, I’d like to input a SUBSCRIPTION_PLAN_ID into the “online-checkout/payment-links” API. This would ensure their order is billed at their selected subscription interval.

My queries are:

A) Does integrating the Subscription Plan with the Create Payment Link (online-checkout/payment-links) automatically schedule the full order to the chosen subscription frequency?

B) I’ve observed that while making the “online-checkout/payment-links” API call, there isn’t a specific field to determine the Subscription Cadence. Though I can input the SUBSCRIPTION_PLAN_ID, it’s possible to attach multiple cadences to that single ID. Can customers select their desired cadence at the Checkout Page when presented with multiple options?

Thank you for your assistance!

2

Currently with subscriptions created with Payment Links aren’t itemized subscriptions like ones that are created with the Subscriptions API.

Also the subscription plan phases are defined in the subscription plan which is created with the Catalog API. Only one subscription_plan_id can be passed in the CreatePaymentLink request so allowing the customer to select the cadence they want in the Square generated UI isn’t available. You’ll have to let the customer select the cadence they want prior to the link being created and pass in the subscription_plan_id for that cadence when creating the link. :slight_smile:

3

Hi Bryan,

Thanks for your reply!

Currently with subscriptions created with Payment Links aren’t itemized subscriptions like ones that are created with the Subscriptions API

Does this mean that an Order with multiple items cannot be set up as a Subscription?

OR that the Subscription for an Order with multiple items would be created with only a total amount?

I’m not sure I understand how a subscription doesn’t consider the products that are being subscribed to …

What will happen if I create an Order with multiple items and pass in a subscription_plan_id?

4

Orders with multiple items can be setup as a Subscription with the Subscriptions API with API version 2023-06-08 or newer. Unfortunately itemized subscriptions for Square generated payment links isn’t currently available. You’ll have to use Subscriptions API if you want them to be itemized. :slight_smile: