Cancel and reactivate a subscription

Tip

From their customer area, a subscriber can cancel and resume their subscription. This guide details the different behaviors depending on the context.

Cancelling a subscription

When the customer cancels their subscription:

• The subscription switches to inactive status
• They will not be charged at the next due date
• Access to the product/service remains active until the end_date (expiration date)

Reactivating a subscription

When the customer clicks on “Resume” to reactivate a deactivated subscription, the behavior depends on the billing cycle.

Case 1: Reactivation during the paid period

Condition: The subscription’s expiration date (end_date) is in the future.

Behavior:

• The subscription switches to active status
• No order is generated
• No charge is made
• The customer keeps their initial renewal date (end_date + 1 day)

Example:

Subscription started on January 1st
end_date = January 31st
Customer cancels on January 15th
Customer reactivates on January 20th (end_date still in the future)
→ No new order
→ Next charge: February 1st

Case 2: Reactivation after the paid period has expired

Condition: The subscription’s expiration date (end_date) is in the past.

Behavior:

• The subscription switches to active status
• A new order is automatically generated
• A charge is made immediately
• The reactivation date becomes the new anniversary date

Example:

Subscription started on January 1st
end_date = January 31st
Customer cancels on January 15th
Customer reactivates on March 15th (end_date has passed)
→ Order generated immediately
→ Charge attempted on March 15th
→ Next due date: April 15th

Transaction result at reactivation

Successful transaction

• The order is pushed to PrestaShop
• It appears as a regular order
• The end_date is updated
• The next payment date is scheduled

Failed transaction

• No order is pushed to PrestaShop
• The subscription remains active
• The next payment date is still scheduled (current date + frequency interval)
• The payment retry system takes over

Information

Regardless of the transaction status, the next payment date is scheduled at: reactivation date + subscription frequency interval.

Important note for PrestaShop integrators

Automatic order at reactivation

When an expired subscription is reactivated, an order is automatically generated in PrestaShop.

If your business logic triggers actions on new orders (webhooks, notifications, customer group changes, etc.), this automatic order will be processed the same way as a regular order.

Scenarios to anticipate

Action on PrestaShop side	Impact of reactivation order
Sending confirmation email	Email sent to customer
Customer group change	Customer added to group
Webhook to external system	Webhook triggered
Stock update	Stock decremented

UX recommendation

Best practice

Add a message on the PrestaShop customer interface (via module override or hook) to warn the customer that resuming an expired subscription will trigger an immediate order with charge.

Example message:

“Your subscription has expired. By reactivating it, you will be charged immediately to resume your subscription.”

Understanding end_date vs next_payment_date

To properly understand reactivation behavior, it is important to distinguish these two dates:

Field	Meaning
end_date	Until what date the subscription is “paid”
next_payment_date	When the next charge will occur

See: Understanding the end_date field of a subscription

FAQ

Q: Can the customer reactivate their subscription from the PrestaShop customer area?

Yes, if the module is correctly configured. The “Resume” button appears on inactive subscriptions in the “My subscriptions” section of the customer area.

Q: What happens if the charge at reactivation fails multiple times?

The configured payment retry scenario applies. After X failures, the subscription can be automatically cancelled according to your configuration. See Automatic cancellation of unpaid subscriptions.

Q: Can I prevent automatic reactivation of expired subscriptions?

No, this is the standard behavior. If you want a different flow, contact Ciklik support to discuss your use case.

Q: Is the reactivation order identifiable in PrestaShop?

Yes, in the “Messages” section of the PrestaShop order, you will find the Ciklik references that indicate whether it is an initial subscription, a renewal, or a reactivation.