> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://competitions.gitbook.io/competition-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://competitions.gitbook.io/competition-docs/other-features/subscription-pass.md).
# Subscription Pass
### Overview
A Pass is a recurring membership that gives customers configured benefits while their subscription is active. Benefits can include free Tickets for selected live competitions, Site Credit after successful payments, member-only prices and operator-defined perks.
The Passes area brings the membership experience into one place. Customers can read member updates, review their current benefits, choose how a renewal reward is delivered, manage payment and address details, change tier where available, reactivate a pending cancellation or cancel their Pass.
{% hint style="info" %}
**One active Pass per customer**
A customer cannot purchase a second standalone Pass while an active or pending-cancellation Pass is still providing access. They can use the supported upgrade or downgrade journey instead.
{% endhint %}
### Customer journey
1. The customer chooses an available Pass on the Passes join page.
2. Checkout creates the subscription using a supported recurring payment method.
3. Cycle-one rewards are delivered after the initial successful payment. A zero-cost free trial receives its configured first-cycle rewards as soon as the subscription becomes active.
4. Each successful paid renewal advances the reward level and delivers the next configured rewards.
5. The customer reviews everything from My Account > Passes.
6. If they cancel, access remains active until the end of the period already paid for.
### How rewards work
Each reward can start at a fixed amount and grow with renewal level. Growth is controlled by the value entered in **Added after each renewal**. A value of zero keeps the reward fixed.
{% hint style="success" %}
Reward at a level = Starting reward + ((renewal level - 1) × Added after each renewal), limited by the configured maximum.
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| Setting | Meaning |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Starting reward | The benefit delivered at renewal level 1. |
| Added after each renewal | The amount added for every later renewal level. Enter 0 to keep the reward fixed. |
| Maximum | The highest reward this Pass can deliver at one renewal level. Enter 0 when the setting states that no Pass-level maximum should apply. |
| Renewal level | The customer’s reward cycle, including a rewarded free-trial cycle and any progress restored inside the grace period. |
{% hint style="info" %}
**Duplicate protection**
Every payment cycle has a stable reward identity. If a payment callback is repeated, the same Tickets or Site Credit are not intentionally issued twice. Failed deliveries enter a bounded retry queue instead of creating a fresh reward.
{% endhint %}
### Free Tickets
Free Tickets are awarded into every live competition that is marked **Included in Free Entries** and is in scope for the customer’s Pass.
* Tickets are created through a real £0 order, so the existing ticket allocation system assigns genuine ticket numbers.
* Issued Tickets count towards competition capacity and remain issued if the Pass later ends.
* When a new included competition becomes live, active members are topped up in safe background batches.
* A cloned competition is treated as a new round and receives a fresh entitlement.
* If part of an order allocates successfully and another part fails, recovery requests only the missing quantity.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Maximum Tickets is per included competition**
It is not a monthly total across the whole site. For example, 3 Tickets per competition means 3 Tickets in each eligible live competition at that reward level.
{% endhint %}
### Site Credit
Site Credit can be added to the customer’s wallet after each successful Pass payment. The amount may be fixed or may grow with renewal level.
#### Credit validity
* **0 days:** the Pass-issued Site Credit does not expire.
* **More than 0 days:** each reward is tracked as a separated credit with its own expiry date.
* Wallet spending uses the oldest Pass-issued credit first.
* When an expiring credit reaches its expiry date, only its unspent remainder is removed.
* Ordinary wallet funds and unrelated credit are not treated as Pass rewards.
{% hint style="info" %}
**The maximum is not a wallet limit**
Maximum Site Credit limits the reward produced at one renewal level. It does not cap the customer’s total wallet balance.
{% endhint %}
### Lucky Dip Tickets
Lucky Dip is an optional way for a customer to use a future paid-renewal Site Credit reward for Tickets across eligible live competitions.
#### When Lucky Dip is used
* The global Lucky Dip module must be enabled.
* The Pass must allow Lucky Dip for its Site Credit reward.
* Each participating competition must be marked as Lucky Dip eligible.
* The customer must explicitly select Lucky Dip Tickets.
* It applies to future paid renewals, not the initial free-trial reward.
#### How value is allocated
The allocation spreads Tickets across eligible competitions before repeating. It respects live status, ticket price, remaining capacity and per-customer limits. Any amount that cannot buy a complete Ticket is returned as Site Credit. If no eligible competition can accept a Ticket, the full reward is issued as Site Credit.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Site Credit remains the safe default**
If the customer has not explicitly selected Lucky Dip, or Lucky Dip is disabled globally, the reward is delivered as Site Credit.
{% endhint %}
### Member pricing
Member pricing gives active Pass holders a percentage reduction on eligible competition Tickets.
* The starting percentage may remain fixed or grow through **Added after each renewal**.
* The Pass can set its own maximum percentage.
* A global maximum can limit all Pass discounts.
* An individual competition can apply a lower maximum or opt out of member pricing.
* The lowest applicable ceiling wins.
* The customer-facing competition list distinguishes a Pass discount from an ordinary sale price.
### Member Updates
The Member Updates is found on the tab at the top. It provides a private feed for member updates, important notices and events.
#### Message features
* Publish updates, notices or events.
* Add an event date, location and optional action button.
* Send a message to all active Pass members or selected Pass tiers only.
* Preview the exact branded email before publishing.
* Email delivery is always queued in small background batches.
* Each recipient is recorded so a completed campaign is not intentionally sent twice.
### Managing a Pass
The customer opens **Manage your Pass** from the active membership summary. The compact panel keeps subscription details and actions in the Passes area.
#### Available actions
* Review recurring total, payment dates and payment method.
* Change payment method, subject to enabled payment methods.
* Change the subscription address.
* Choose Site Credit or Lucky Dip Tickets for the next eligible renewal.
* Upgrade or downgrade when another tier is available.
* Reactivate a pending cancellation before access ends.
### Upgrades and downgrades
Pass changes use the subscription platform’s supported switch checkout. The target Pass opens checkout directly rather than sending the customer through the basket.
#### Upgrade or downgrade direction
The system compares normalised recurring values, not a temporary free-trial checkout total. A more expensive recurring Pass is always treated as an upgrade.
#### Proration
The checkout explains how the change is calculated. The exact amount depends on the subscription settings, the billing schedule and paid time remaining. A free trial has no paid unused time to credit.
#### Downgrades
* Each Pass can allow or prevent downgrades.
* A downgrade does not create a refund into Site Credit, it extends their subscription renewal date instead.
* Existing issued Tickets and earned wallet value are not removed by the tier change.
* The configured change cooldown prevents repeated upgrades and downgrades within a short period.
#### Growing rewards after a change
The renewal level is retained. Ticket entitlement is transferred to the new Pass ledger, and an upgrade orders only any additional Tickets owed by the higher tier.
### Cancellation and grace period
Cancelling stops future automatic payments. It does not immediately remove access already paid for.
* The Pass remains active until its prepaid end date.
* No future automatic payment is taken after cancellation.
* Tickets already issued remain issued.
* Earned Site Credit remains subject to its original validity setting.
* The cancellation panel shows the recorded value delivered by the Pass.
* The customer must tick the acknowledgement before cancellation is submitted.
#### Reward progress grace period
If the Pass has growing Tickets, Site Credit or member pricing, the renewal level can be held for the configured grace period after access ends. Rejoining inside that period continues from the saved level. Rejoining after it expires starts again from level 1.
Optional win-back emails can be sent on two configured days during the grace period. Each email supports editable subjects, messages and safe placeholders.
### Administrator guide
The top-level **Passes** menu contains the dashboard, All Passes, All Subscribers, All Member Update Posts, Add Pass and Settings.
#### Dashboard
The dashboard shows active subscribers, normalised monthly recurring revenue, free Tickets granted, Site Credit granted, subscribers per Pass, recent members and recent Member posts.
### Creating or editing a Pass
1. Open Passes > Add Pass, or edit an existing Pass from All Passes.
2. Enter the Pass name, price in pounds, billing interval and billing period.
3. Set the free-trial length and optional sign-up fee.
4. Choose draft or published status.
5. Add a wide Pass image and choose an accent colour.
6. Enable the Pass rewards that should be granted on payment.
7. Configure Free Tickets, Site Credit and member pricing independently.
8. Add any genuine custom perks, one per line.
9. Choose whether customers may downgrade from this Pass.
10. Save and review the public Pass card.
#### Reward modules
The master **Grant this Pass’s rewards on payment** option hides or reveals the three reward modules. Each reward also has its own enable control. Disabled modules keep their saved configuration for later use but issue nothing.
#### Images and accent colours
The image appears on public join cards, the active Pass and the subscription panel. Use a wide image without embedded text. The accent colour is selected with the colour picker and is used across the customer and administrator experience.
#### Grandfathered prices
Changing a Pass price affects new sign-ups and future Pass changes. Existing subscription totals remain grandfathered by default.
To deliberately replace recurring prices, enable **Override all (No Grandfather)**, type `CONFIRM` and save. The update runs in background batches. Unsupported payment methods are skipped and reported. It does not create an immediate payment or refund.
#### Deleting a Pass
A Pass with subscription history cannot be trashed. Change it to draft to stop new joins while preserving existing subscriptions and reporting.
### Competition options
Edit a competition and open its **Pass Options** panel.
| Option | Result |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pass members only | Only customers with an active Pass can purchase Tickets for the competition. |
| Included in Free Entries | Active members receive their configured Pass Ticket entitlement when the Pass activates, renews or the competition becomes live. |
| Available for Lucky Dips | The competition may receive Tickets from a customer’s selected Lucky Dip renewal reward. |
| Allow member pricing | Eligible active members may receive their Pass discount on this competition. |
| Maximum Pass discount | Places a lower percentage ceiling on this competition. It overrides a higher Pass percentage. |
### Global settings
#### General
* Choose the customer-facing Pass name.
* Allow or hide Site Credit as a recurring payment method.
* Allow or reject General Coupons for Pass purchases. A coupon specifically restricted to the exact Pass remains valid.
* Set a site-wide maximum member discount.
* Set the upgrade and downgrade cooldown in hours. Use 0 for immediate changes.
* Enable Testing mode when only administrators should see or purchase Passes on the frontend.
* Grandfather rewards (By default this is deactivated)
#### Modules
* **Accumulating Tickets:** when disabled, every Pass stays at its Starting Tickets amount. Existing growth values are preserved for later use.
* **Lucky Dip:** when disabled, customer choices are hidden and any incomplete delivery falls back to Site Credit.
#### Grace period
* Set the number of days cancelled subscribers keep growing reward progress after access ends.
* Choose two ordered reminder days inside the grace period.
* Edit the subject and message for each reminder.
* Preview the exact branded email without sending it.
