Subscriptions
Sell build-your-own and multi-option bundles on subscription: connect one plan from your subscription app, style the picker, stack the bundle discount.
Shoppers can subscribe to a build-your-own or multi-option bundle instead of buying it once. Each bundle connects one plan from your subscription app, a purchase-options picker sits above the add to cart button, and the bundle discount comes off on top of the plan's own saving.
Which bundles can be subscribed to
Build your own bundle
Yes
Multi-option bundle
Yes
Fixed bundle
No. Shopify does not sell its own bundles on selling plans. Rebuild it as a multi-option bundle, a one-to-one replacement that works
One plan must hold every product
A plan in your subscription app (Shopify calls it a selling plan group) holds a set of products and one or more delivery options, such as every 1 month and every 2 months. A bundle connects exactly one plan, and that plan has to hold every product in the bundle.
Picked products
Every product
A collection
The collection's first 250 products
Plans are matched by name. Apps such as Recharge create a separate plan for each product under the same name; those count as one plan.
The simplest setup is one plan in your subscription app that holds every product the bundle can contain, with the same delivery options for all of them.
Set it up
Turn on Offer subscriptions
The app checks your products' plans. If one plan holds every product, the switch turns on and the bundle connects that plan. If not, the switch turns back off with a warning. See when Offer subscriptions will not turn on.
Check the bundle discount
In the app's Settings → Bundle discount, check that Apply to subscriptions is on and choose which subscription orders get the discount. See the bundle discount on subscriptions.
When Offer subscriptions will not turn on
While it checks, the page shows "Checking your products' subscription plans…". If the check fails, the switch turns back off with one of these messages:
"Add every product in this bundle to the same subscription plan, then try again."
No single plan holds every product in the bundle (for a collection, its first 250 products are checked)
In your subscription app, add every product in the bundle to one plan, then turn Offer subscriptions on again
"Add products to this bundle first."
The bundle has no products yet
Add products in the Build tab (Options in a multi-option bundle), then turn it on again
"Couldn't read your subscription plans. Try again."
The app couldn't read your plans from Shopify
Turn it on again
The connected plan
With subscriptions on, Connected plan shows the plan the bundle uses and its number of delivery options. Shoppers are offered that plan's delivery options only.
More than one plan holds every product
Change plan lists them. Pick one to connect it instead
The bundle's products changed and are no longer all in the connected plan
"Some products aren't in plan name, so shoppers can't subscribe. Add them to plan name or pick another plan." Pick another plan from the list, or add the products to the connected plan in your subscription app. When no plan holds every product, Check again reads your plans again after you fix them
Connecting another plan clears the default and the names and badge texts set under Plans.
Picker style
Pick a style from the four cards under Style:
Radio buttons
A row for one-time purchase and a row for subscribe
Cards
Two cards side by side, one-time purchase and subscribe
Checkbox
One "Subscribe & save" box. Unticked means one-time purchase. No heading
Dropdown
One menu listing one-time purchase and each delivery option
With radio buttons, cards and checkbox, the delivery frequency ("Deliver every 1 month") appears once subscribe is selected. When the shopper can choose from more than one delivery option, it becomes a menu.
Picker options
Show price
On each option: every option in the picker shows its price. In the cart total only: the picker shows no prices, and the bundle total follows the chosen option
Subscription only
Hides one-time purchase
Selected by default
One-time purchase or Subscribe. Hidden when Subscription only is on
Savings badge
Shows how much a plan saves, such as "Save 10%"
Plan names, badges and default
Plans has a card for each delivery option of the connected plan, with its price change as set in your subscription app: "10% off", "$5.00 off", "Fixed price $20.00" or "Same price as one-time".
Make default
This delivery option is picked when a shopper subscribes. The current one shows a Default badge. Without one, the first delivery option is picked
Name shoppers see
Replaces the plan's own name, such as "1 month", in the picker. Leave it empty to use the plan's name. Translatable
Savings badge
This delivery option's own badge text. Shown when Savings badge is on. {percent} becomes the saving. Leave it empty to use the shared badge text from Texts. Translatable
What shoppers see
The picker sits right above the button that adds the bundle to cart:
Build your own, full page
In the bundle cart, above Add To Cart
Build your own, on a phone
In the mobile cart bar
Build your own, inside the product page
In the widget's footer, above its add button
Multi-option bundle
Above the theme's Add to cart button
The picker appears once the shopper has picked items and updates as they add or remove them. It reads each picked product as your store sells it in the shopper's market, and offers the connected plan's delivery options that every picked item has.
How the price adds up
With Show price on each option, every option in the picker shows its price with the bundle discount taken off. On the subscribe option the bundle discount comes on top of the plan price, so the two stack. For a $100 bundle with a 10% bundle tier and a plan that saves 10%:
One-time purchase
$90.00: the 10% tier off $100
Subscribe & save
$81.00: the plan price of $90, then the 10% tier. 19% off in total
The savings badge on that plan reads "Save 10%", the plan's own saving. While subscribe is selected, the bundle total, every price and the tier progress use the plan price, so order-total tiers are measured against the plan price too.
How plans are matched
A subscription has to cover every item in the bundle, so the picker only offers the connected plan's delivery options that all picked items have. Delivery options match by plan name and delivery frequency, not by ID: apps such as Recharge give each product its own plan IDs for the same offer, and those still match.
All are in the connected plan, every 1 month and every 2 months
One-time purchase, or subscribe with a choice of 1 or 2 months
All have every 1 month in the connected plan, and some also every 2 months
One-time purchase, or subscribe every 1 month
One item is not in the connected plan
No subscribe option. The bundle sells one-time
Include an item that can only be bought on subscription
Subscribe only. One-time purchase is hidden
Plans are checked on the exact variant each shopper picks. If your subscription app puts only some variants of a product on a plan, picking another variant can hide the subscribe option.
Cart and checkout
A one-time purchase still goes to the cart as one bundle line. A subscribed bundle is different: Shopify does not merge cart lines that carry a selling plan, so each item goes to the cart as its own line, with the plan attached and a Bundle_ID property that ties the lines together. The bundle discount still applies to them at checkout.
After the order, your subscription app creates the subscription and bills each renewal. Stock is tracked on the real products and the order carries the real SKUs, as with any bundle.
The bundle discount on subscriptions
Bundle offers run through one automatic Shopify discount that the app creates, Elite Bundle Discount. Whether it applies to subscription orders is set once for the store, in the app's Settings → Bundle discount:
Apply to subscriptions
Bundles bought on a subscription get the bundle discount
Subscription orders
Every order, or A set number of orders
Number of orders
How many orders get the discount. Includes the first order
The first time you save a bundle with subscriptions on, the app switches Apply to subscriptions on for every order. After that, your choice stands. More in App settings.
The picker always shows the subscribe price with the bundle discount taken off. With Apply to subscriptions off, checkout charges the plan price without it, and the settings page warns you. With A set number of orders, renewals after that number are charged the plan price alone. If you limit it, say so in the Subscribe option text.
Limits
Fixed bundles
No subscriptions. Shopify does not sell its own bundles on selling plans. Rebuild as a multi-option bundle: one option per product, a tier at a fixed bundle price for the same price
Plans and billing
Your subscription app creates the plans, bills renewals and runs the customer portal. Elite Bundle Builder does none of these
One plan per bundle
A bundle connects one plan, and shoppers see only its delivery options
Collections
Turning subscriptions on checks a collection's first 250 products. On the storefront, every picked item is checked
Shared delivery options only
Only delivery options every picked item has are offered. When there are none, there is no picker and the bundle sells one-time, even with Subscription only on
Cart lines
A subscribed bundle is separate cart lines, not one bundle line
Editor preview
Fixed-amount and fixed-price plans show the one-time price. Check their prices on the storefront
Texts
The picker's text lives in the editor's Settings → Language & Texts with every other storefront string. It applies to every bundle in the store and can carry a translation per published language.
Purchase options heading
Purchase options
Leave it empty to hide the heading
One-time purchase option
One-time purchase
Subscribe option
Subscribe & save
Delivery frequency label
Deliver every
Shown before the plan's frequency
Subscription savings badge
Save {percent}%
Keep {percent} in place. A delivery option's own badge text replaces it
Frequently asked questions
Which subscription apps work?
Any app that sells through Shopify selling plans, such as Recharge, Appstle, Seal, Loop, Skio and Shopify Subscriptions. Put every product in the bundle in one plan in that app, then turn on Offer subscriptions in Config → Subscriptions to connect it.
Does Elite Bundle Builder bill the subscription?
No. Your subscription app creates the subscription from the order, bills every renewal and handles changes such as skips and swaps. Elite Bundle Builder shows the picker and adds the chosen plan to each item in the cart.
Why will Offer subscriptions not turn on?
No single plan in your subscription app holds every product in the bundle. Add them all to one plan, then turn it on again. See when Offer subscriptions will not turn on.
Why does the subscribe option not show on my bundle?
Usually a picked item is not in the bundle's connected plan. Look for a warning under Connected plan in Config → Subscriptions, and add the missing products to that plan in your subscription app. More checks in Troubleshooting.
Can one bundle offer delivery options from two plans?
No. A bundle connects one plan. Put every delivery option you want to offer in that plan, or use Change plan to connect another.
Does the bundle discount stack with the plan's discount?
Yes. The plan price comes first and the bundle discount comes off on top, so a plan at 10% off and a 10% tier make 19% off. Whether renewals keep the bundle discount is set in Settings → Bundle discount.
Can I sell a bundle only on subscription?
Yes. Turn on Subscription only and one-time purchase is hidden. If a picked item is not in the connected plan, the bundle still sells one-time.
Can shoppers change the delivery frequency?
Before buying, yes: when every picked item has more than one delivery option in the connected plan, the "Deliver every" menu lets them choose. After the order, changes happen in your subscription app.
Why are the items separate lines in the cart?
Shopify does not merge cart lines that carry a selling plan, so a subscribed bundle goes in as one line per item. A one-time purchase of the same bundle is still one line.
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