> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.roadmap.so/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.roadmap.so/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/pausing-canceling-and-reactivating-subscriptions.md).

# Pausing, canceling, and reactivating subscriptions

How to pause, reactivate and cancel a subscription contract from the Roadmap admin, and what each action does to the billing schedule.

Pausing and cancelling both stop a contract billing. Pausing is reversible, cancelling is not.

This article covers doing all three from the Roadmap admin. For what each status means, see [Subscription statuses explained](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/subscription-statuses-explained.md). For the guided flows customers get when they pause or cancel themselves, see [Churn prevention: cancellation and pause flows](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/churn-prevention-cancellation-and-pause-flows.md).

### Where the actions live

Open a contract from **Subscriptions → Manage Subscriptions**, then use the **Manage subscription** menu in the top right.

On an Active contract the menu holds:

* **Order now**
* **Change frequency**
* **Pause Subscription**
* **Reschedule Next Delivery**
* **Skip next delivery**
* **Mark as Failed**
* **Cancel Subscription**

**Cancel Subscription** is the only item shown in red, because it is the only one you cannot undo.

### Pausing a subscription

Choose **Manage subscription → Pause Subscription**.

A pause you apply from the admin is always indefinite. There is no duration to choose, and the contract will not resume on its own.

The contract summary then shows a **Paused** pill, a **Paused at** date, and a next billing date of **Not scheduled**.

That last part is what matters. An indefinite pause does not hold the existing billing date, it clears the schedule. Nothing will bill on this contract until someone reactivates it.

### Indefinite pauses and timed pauses

A paused contract is one of two things, and the contract tells you which.

|                   | **Indefinite pause**   | **Timed pause**                    |
| ----------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Status pill       | **Paused**             | **Paused until \[date]**           |
| Next billing date | **Not scheduled**      | The resume date                    |
| How it ends       | Someone reactivates it | It reactivates itself on that date |

Every pause applied from the admin is indefinite. A customer's pause can be either, depending on how you have set up the Pause flow:

* With the Pause flow **on**, the customer picks a duration, which gives a timed pause.
* With **Include "Pause indefinitely"** also enabled, they can choose to pause with no end date instead.
* With the Pause flow **off**, a customer pause is indefinite.

On the **Paused** tab of the Subscriptions list, the **Next billing date** column is the quickest way to tell them apart: filled in for a timed pause, empty for an indefinite one. **Paused At** shows when each pause started.

For how customers choose a duration, and how those resumes are scheduled, see [Churn prevention: cancellation and pause flows](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/churn-prevention-cancellation-and-pause-flows.md).

### Reactivating a subscription

Open the contract and choose **Reactivate Subscription** from the **Manage subscription** menu.

Reactivating always asks you for a date. The **Reactivate Subscription** modal has a single field, **New delivery date**, and tells you that *the subscription will be reactivated and the billing schedule will be aligned to the selected date*. Choose the date, then click **Reactivate**.

{% hint style="info" %}
That alignment is the part to understand. A reactivated contract does not pick its old schedule back up. The date you choose becomes the next billing date, and the delivery frequency counts forward from there.
{% endhint %}

The same modal appears in every case: Paused or Failed, reactivated by you or by the customer from their account.

Reactivating a timed pause early works the same way. The scheduled resume is dropped and replaced by the date you pick.

A Failed contract needs a working payment method on file before it will reactivate. The usual order is to update the card, confirm it works with **Order now**, then reactivate. See [Updating a customer's payment method](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/updating-a-customers-payment-method.md) and [Manually charging a subscription (Order Now)](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/manually-charging-a-subscription-order-now.md).

### Cancelling a subscription

Choose **Manage subscription → Cancel Subscription**.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Cancelling is final. A cancelled contract cannot be reactivated, by you or by the customer. If they want to subscribe again, create a new contract. See [Create a subscription for a customer](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/create-a-subscription-for-a-customer.md).
{% endhint %}

The contract summary then shows a **Cancelled** pill and a **Cancelled at** date. The next billing date line disappears entirely, because there is no longer a schedule to show.

### What an admin cancellation does and does not trigger

Cancelling from the admin **does** fire the Klaviyo **Roadmap: Subscription Cancelled** metric, so any win-back flow you have built still runs. You can confirm it on the contract's Timeline, which records the event as *Klaviyo: Roadmap Subscription Cancelled metric triggered, by Roadmap*.

Cancelling from the admin **does not** add a cancellation reason tag. Those tags come only from the customer cancellation flow, where the customer picks a reason from your list. A contract you cancel on a customer's behalf will not appear in a segment built on `cancelled:` tags. If you need it counted, add the tag to the Shopify customer record yourself.

Either way, the status change itself is recorded on the contract. See [The Subscription Activity Timeline](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/the-subscription-activity-timeline.md).

### Choosing between pause, cancel and Mark as Failed

| Use                | When                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Pause**          | The customer wants a break and you expect the contract back. Reversible, and the contract keeps its products and settings.                                                                              |
| **Cancel**         | The subscription is ending for good. There is no way back from this.                                                                                                                                    |
| **Mark as Failed** | Payment is the problem and you do not want to wait for the retry schedule to finish. See [Marking a subscription as Failed](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/marking-a-subscription-as-failed.md). |

If you are unsure, pause. It stops the billing immediately and nothing is lost.

### Related guides

* [Subscription statuses explained](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/subscription-statuses-explained.md)
* [Churn prevention: cancellation and pause flows](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/churn-prevention-cancellation-and-pause-flows.md)
* [The customer subscription dashboard: a tour](/subscriptions/storefront-and-accounts/the-customer-subscription-dashboard-a-tour.md)
* [Marking a subscription as Failed](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/marking-a-subscription-as-failed.md)
* [How to set up payment retries](/subscriptions/pricing-and-billing/how-to-set-up-payment-retries.md)
* [The Subscription Activity Timeline](/subscriptions/managing-subscriptions/the-subscription-activity-timeline.md)


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