> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pocketsflow.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Managing subscriptions

> Open your native subscriber portal to view status and payment history, cancel or resume, and update your payment method for a subscription bought through a Pocketsflow-powered checkout.

If you bought a subscription or membership from a creator using Pocketsflow, you
can manage it yourself from a **native, branded subscriber portal** — no need to
email the creator for routine changes like cancelling, resuming, or updating the
card on file.

This page explains where the portal is, what you can see and do in it, how to
read your subscription's status, and what happens when a renewal payment fails.

<Note>
  You're subscribing **directly to the creator**. Pocketsflow, with its payment
  infrastructure, powers billing behind the scenes — it stores your card,
  runs the renewal schedule, and retries failed charges. The creator sets the
  price, billing frequency, trial length, and refund terms, within the
  platform's [policies](/resources/legal).
</Note>

## How to open your portal

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="From your emails" icon="envelope">
    Every subscription email — your activation/receipt email and each renewal
    receipt — carries a direct **Manage subscription** link to your portal. This
    is the quickest way in.
  </Card>

  <Card title="From your Pocketsflow account" icon="user">
    If you created an account at checkout, sign in and open **Purchases**. Find
    the subscription and click **Manage subscription** to jump straight to the
    portal.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Your portal has its own address on the creator's Pocketsflow subdomain:

```text theme={null}
https://creatorhandle.pocketsflow.com/portal/{subscriptionId}/{subscriptionCustomerId}
```

The link is unique to **your** subscription — it carries both the subscription's
ID and your personal subscriber ID — so treat it like a private link and don't
share it. You don't need a password; the link itself grants access.

<Warning>
  A portal link only works when it's **complete**. If you copied a truncated
  link, or one that still contains placeholder text like `{subscriptionId}` or
  `{subscriptionCustomerId}`, the page shows an **"invalid link"** message
  instead of opening. Go back to the original email or your **Purchases** page
  and use the button there.
</Warning>

### Creating an account to keep everything in one place

After a successful purchase, the confirmation screen invites you to **create a
free account or sign in**. Doing so links the purchase to your account so every
order and subscription you've made through Pocketsflow appears together under
**Purchases** — each row shows the product or subscription name, order ID,
status, amount paid, purchase date, and next invoice date. From a subscription
row, **Manage subscription** opens the portal described below.

<Tip>
  Use the **same email** you paid with when you create your account. That's how
  your past purchases get matched to you.
</Tip>

## What you'll see in the portal

The portal opens on a branded page headed by a short message the creator wrote
for you (for example, "Manage your Pro membership below"). Under it you'll find:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Your subscription details and status" icon="circle-info">
    The plan name, the price and billing frequency (weekly, monthly, or yearly),
    your next billing date, and a live **status** badge — `active`, `trialing`,
    `past_due`, `paused`, or `canceled`. The [status table](#understanding-your-status)
    below explains each one.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Your full payment history" icon="receipt">
    Every charge on the subscription is listed in date order — the **initial**
    payment when you signed up, plus each **renewal** afterwards — with the
    amount, date, and a receipt for your records. See
    [Invoices & receipts](/buyers/invoices-and-receipts) for how to download them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Cancel, resume, and manage-payment actions" icon="sliders">
    Depending on your current status you'll see the relevant actions: **Cancel**
    (schedules the subscription to end at the period end), **Resume** (undoes a
    pending cancellation), and **Manage** / **Update payment method** (updates
    the card on file). Each is covered in detail below.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Understanding your status

Your subscription moves through a few states over its life. The status shown in
your portal comes straight from our payment infrastructure and tells you what you can and can't do.

| Status     | What it means                                                    | Do you have access?                       |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| `trialing` | You're inside a free trial the creator offered; not yet charged. | Yes                                       |
| `active`   | Paid and renewing normally on schedule.                          | Yes                                       |
| `past_due` | A renewal payment failed and is being retried.                   | Usually, temporarily — update your card   |
| `paused`   | Billing is paused (an action the creator takes).                 | No — resumes when the creator resumes it  |
| `canceled` | Set to end and won't renew again.                                | Until the end of the paid period, then no |

<Tip>
  Only the creator can **pause** and later resume a subscription — that isn't in
  your self-service portal. If you'd prefer a pause instead of a full
  cancellation, [contact the creator](#need-more-help) and ask.
</Tip>

## Cancelling your subscription

Cancelling from the portal uses **cancel-at-period-end**: you keep everything
you've paid for and it simply stops renewing.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the portal">
    Use **Manage subscription** from your **Purchases** page or any subscription
    email.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Cancel">
    Confirm the cancellation. The status changes to `canceled` and the portal
    shows the date your access ends.
  </Step>
</Steps>

What cancelling does:

* **You keep access until the end of the period you already paid for.** You are
  not cut off immediately.
* **No future renewals are charged.**
* The status becomes `canceled` and the portal shows the exact end date.

What cancelling does **not** automatically do:

* It does **not** refund the current or past periods. Refunds follow the
  creator's policy — see [Buyer refunds](/buyers/refunds).
* It does **not** delete your account or purchase history.

## Resuming a cancellation

Changed your mind before the end date? As long as the period you paid for hasn't
elapsed yet, you can undo the cancellation yourself.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the portal">
    A subscription that's set to end shows a **Resume** action while it's still
    within the paid period.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Resume">
    The pending cancellation is removed, the status returns to `active`, and
    normal renewals continue on your usual billing date.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  If the period has already ended and the subscription has fully lapsed, there's
  nothing left to resume — simply subscribe again, or ask the creator to
  re-enable it.
</Note>

## Updating your payment method

Cards expire and banks occasionally decline recurring charges. Keep the card on
file current to avoid losing access.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the portal and choose Manage / Update payment method">
    The **Manage** action hands you off to **the secure payment page** — the
    same infrastructure that processes your renewals — so your card details are entered
    directly on their PCI-compliant page, never stored by the creator.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add or replace your card">
    Enter the new card and save it as the default for future renewals.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Return to your subscription">
    Once saved, the new card is used for the next renewal. If you were
    `past_due`, the next retry usually restores you to `active`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Update your card **as soon as** it expires or a renewal fails. While a
  subscription is `past_due`, access can be suspended if the automatic retries
  keep failing.
</Warning>

## When a renewal payment fails

If a scheduled renewal charge is declined:

1. The subscription moves to **`past_due`** and the payment is retried
   automatically over the following days.
2. You may receive an email asking you to **update your payment method**.
3. If retries keep failing, the subscription can end and become `canceled`.

To recover access quickly, open the portal, choose **Manage / Update payment
method**, and add a valid card. Confirm the number, expiry, CVC, and billing
postal code are correct and that the card has funds. Once a working card is on
file, the next retry usually returns you to `active`.

If your bank is blocking the charge, contact them and ask them to allow
recurring payments to the creator, then try again.

## Refunds

Cancelling stops future charges but doesn't refund past ones. Whether a specific
charge in your payment history can be refunded depends on the creator's policy.
See [Buyer refunds](/buyers/refunds) for how to request one and what to expect.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="My portal link shows an 'invalid link' error">
    The link is incomplete or still contains placeholder text like
    `{subscriptionId}`. Don't hand-edit portal links — open the **Manage
    subscription** button from your latest subscription email or your
    **Purchases** page, which always builds the full, correct link.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I don't see a Cancel or Resume button">
    The available actions depend on your current status. **Resume** only appears
    while a cancellation is pending and the paid period hasn't ended. **Cancel**
    doesn't appear on a subscription that's already `canceled` or `paused`. If a
    subscription is `paused`, only the creator can resume billing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I updated my card but I'm still past due">
    A new card is charged on the **next retry**, not instantly. Give it a little
    time, or [contact the creator](#need-more-help) and ask them to retry the
    charge now.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I cancelled but still have access">
    That's expected. Cancelling is **cancel-at-period-end** — you keep access
    until the paid period runs out. The portal shows the exact end date.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I can't find my payment receipt">
    Every charge — the initial payment and each renewal — is listed in the
    portal's payment history with a receipt. See
    [Invoices & receipts](/buyers/invoices-and-receipts).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Need more help?

If you can't complete a change in the portal, or the option you need isn't
available (for example, pausing, or an early-cancellation refund):

* Reply to your original confirmation email, or use the creator's support link.
* Include:
  * The **email** you used at checkout.
  * The **order or subscription ID** from your receipt or **Purchases** page.
  * A clear description of the change you want.

If you believe something is being handled unfairly, see
[Report a seller](/resources/report-a-seller) and the platform
[policies](/resources/legal).

## Related topics

* [Accessing your purchases](/buyers/accessing-purchases)
* [Buyer payment methods](/buyers/payment-methods)
* [Invoices & receipts](/buyers/invoices-and-receipts)
* [Buyer refunds](/buyers/refunds)
* [Common issues](/buyers/common-issues)
* [Contact support](/buyers/contact-support)