Pause & Cancel Memberships
Life happens. Members travel, have medical situations, or need a break. Here’s how to pause memberships temporarily, resume when they’re ready, and handle cancellations when it’s time to part ways.
✨ Best for:
Staff handling member requests to pause or cancel, or managers setting policies for membership lifecycle management.
Quick Overview
| Action | What Happens | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pause | Billing freezes, credits preserved | Travel, medical, temporary break |
| Resume | Billing restarts, new credits issued | Member is ready to return |
| Cancel | No more renewals, credits remain usable | Member wants to end membership |
Pausing a Membership
When to Pause
Pausing is perfect when a member needs a temporary break but wants to keep their membership:
- Extended travel or vacation
- Medical recovery
- Busy season at work
- Moving (temporarily)
- Financial pause (they’ll be back)
How to Pause
- Go to the member’s Client Profile
- Click on their Membership tab
- Click Actions → Pause Membership
- Optionally set a resume date (or leave open-ended)
- Confirm the pause
[Screenshot: Pause membership dialog]
What Happens When Paused
- Billing stops — No charges until they resume
- Credits are preserved — Existing credits don’t disappear
- Status changes to “Paused” — Visible on their profile
- Member is notified — Confirmation email sent
💡 Tip: Setting a resume date helps. "Let's pause until March 1st when you're back from vacation" is clearer than open-ended.
Can Paused Members Still Use Credits?
Yes! Existing credits remain usable while paused. The pause only stops new billing and new credit issuance. If they have unused credits, they can still redeem them.
Resuming a Membership
When to Resume
Resume when the member is ready to return:
- Back from travel
- Recovered from medical issue
- Ready to restart their routine
- Financial situation improved
How to Resume
Manual resume:
- Go to their Client Profile → Membership
- Click Actions → Resume Membership
- Confirm the resume
Auto-resume (if set): If you set a resume date when pausing, the system resumes automatically on that date.
[Screenshot: Resume membership option]
What Happens When Resumed
- Billing restarts — Next charge on their billing date
- New credits issued — Fresh credits for the new cycle
- Status changes to “Active” — Back to normal
- Member is notified — Welcome back email sent
Cancelling a Membership
When to Cancel
Cancellation is for when the member wants to end their membership entirely:
- Moving away permanently
- No longer interested in services
- Switching to a different plan (cancel old, enroll new)
- Financial reasons (long-term)
How to Cancel
- Go to their Client Profile → Membership
- Click Actions → Cancel Membership
- Choose cancellation timing:
- Cancel now — Ends immediately
- Cancel at end of billing cycle — Member keeps access until paid period ends
- Enter a cancellation reason (optional but helpful)
- Confirm the cancellation
[Screenshot: Cancel membership dialog]
Cancellation Options
| Option | When Membership Ends | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Cancel now | Immediately | Member needs to stop right away |
| End of cycle | After current paid period | Member wants to use remaining time |
What Happens When Cancelled
- No more renewals — Billing stops permanently
- Existing credits remain usable — Until they expire
- Status changes to “Cancelled” — Visible on their profile
- Member is notified — Confirmation email sent
💡 Tip: "End of cycle" is often friendlier. The member already paid for this period—let them use it.
Handling Past-Due Members
Sometimes billing fails and members become past due. Here’s what happens:
Automatic Handling
- Payment fails — System retries automatically
- Member notified — Email asking them to update payment
- Status changes to “Past Due” — Visible in their profile
- After multiple failures — Status may change to “Suspended”
What You Can Do
If payment is being retried:
- Wait for automatic retry (usually a few days)
- Contact member to update their payment method
If member is suspended:
- Reach out to understand the situation
- They can update payment to reactivate
- Or cancel if they’re not continuing
[Screenshot: Past due member status]
⚠️ Important: Past-due members may still have unused credits. Be prepared to discuss what happens to those credits if they don't resolve payment.
Common Questions
Can a cancelled member re-enroll later?
Yes! Cancellation isn’t permanent. If they want to come back, just enroll them again. Their history is preserved.
What happens to unused credits when cancelled?
Credits remain usable until they expire (based on your expiration settings). The member can use them even after cancellation.
Can I pause a membership for someone on manual billing?
Typically pause is for automatic billing (Stripe). For manual billing, you’d just not record a payment until they’re ready to resume. The effect is similar.
How long can someone stay paused?
That’s up to your business policy. Some businesses allow unlimited pause time; others limit it (e.g., max 3 months per year). Set expectations when pausing.
What if they dispute the cancellation?
Check your membership agreement terms. Having clear cancellation policies prevents disputes. If needed, you can adjust credits or offer a goodwill gesture.
Can I offer a “win-back” discount to cancelled members?
Yes! When re-enrolling, you can offer a promotional first month or special pricing. Treat it as a new enrollment with a discount.
Best Practices
🎯 Offer pause before cancel: When a member wants to cancel, ask if pausing would work. "Would it help to pause for a month while things settle down?" often saves the membership.
📝 Track cancellation reasons: Always ask why they're cancelling. This data helps you improve retention. "Moving away" is different from "not seeing value."
🚪 Leave the door open: End on a positive note. "We'd love to have you back anytime. Just reach out when you're ready." Members who leave happy come back.
Status Reference
| Status | Meaning | Billing | Credits | Can Use Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Normal membership | Charging | Receiving | Yes |
| Paused | Temporarily frozen | Stopped | Preserved | Yes (existing) |
| Past Due | Payment failed | Retrying | No new | Yes (existing) |
| Suspended | Multiple failures | Stopped | No new | Depends on policy |
| Cancelled | Ended by choice | Stopped | No new | Yes (until expired) |