The Change plan feature lets you switch a member to a different membership plan directly from their profile, keeping their membership history intact. This is the cleanest way to handle an upgrade or downgrade. It is a three-step process: choose the new plan, decide when the change takes effect, and confirm.
Important: Changing a member's plan does not collect the first payment for you. After you confirm the change, the new membership shows as overdue until you take payment or set up a payment method. See "Taking payment after the change" below.
How to change a member's plan
Click Contacts in the left-hand menu and select Members.
Find the member and open their profile.
Click the membership tile to open the Manage Membership panel.
Click Change plan.
Step 1: Choose plan
The member's current plan is shown at the top under Currently on. Browse or search the available plans, each tile shows the plan's price and contract type. Select the plan you want to move the member to, then click Next.
Step 2: When
Choose when the change takes effect:
Today: end the current plan today and start the new one straight away.
Next billing date: keep the current plan until the next collection, then switch.
Pick a date: switch on a specific day, which you choose below.
Make your choice, then click Next.
Step 3: Confirm
Check the summary, which shows the plan you are moving the member From and To, and the Effective date. The current plan is cancelled on the change-over date and the new plan starts the same day, chained together so your retention reporting stays accurate.
When you are happy, click Confirm change. You will see a Membership started confirmation.
Taking payment after the change
Changing a plan starts the new membership but does not collect the first payment automatically. The new membership will show as overdue, with the amount due, until you act on it. This is the most commonly missed step, so always complete it after a change.
From the Manage Membership panel you have these options:
Take payment: process the payment now, for example at the till.
Card: if the member has a stored card on file, charge the outstanding amount to that card.
Collect by DD: collect the outstanding amount by Direct Debit, where Direct Debit is available for the member.
Set up automated payments: choose Direct Debit to set up automatic bank payments for the plan going forward.
If you leave it as-is, no payment is collected automatically and the balance is collected manually at the till.
Adding bolt-ons during a plan change
You cannot add bolt-ons as part of the Change plan process. If a member needs a bolt-on added to their membership, you will need to add a new membership with the bolt-on selected and cancel the old one. See Adding a bolt-on to an existing member for the steps.
Can a member pay less for one month without cancelling their membership?
Yes, you can give a member one month cheaper and then put them back to the standard rate without cancelling their membership. You can't change the amount of a single payment, so instead you set up a new plan with the discounted month built into its payment schedule, then use Change plan to move the member onto it. Change plan links the old and new memberships, so it counts as a renewal, not a cancellation, and doesn't add to your churn.
⚠️ Note: This does not work for memberships paid by Harlands or DFC Direct Debit.
Setting up a new plan with a discounted month
This has to be a new plan. Changing the pricing on an existing plan only affects new members, so members already on that plan keep paying what they joined on. The quickest way is to duplicate the plan the member is on and change the copy's payment schedule.
Go to Settings > Membership Plans.
Find the plan the member is on, open its menu and click Duplicate. Then open the copy and rename it under Details so your team can tell it apart.
Click Pricing, then Use advanced editor, then Switch to advanced.
On the first payment row, enter the discounted amount, set Frequency to Monthly and Repetition to Don't repeat.
Click Add extra charge. Enter the standard price, set Frequency to Monthly and Repetition to Repeat Indefinitely.
Check the Schedule preview shows the discounted month followed by the standard rate, then click Save Changes.
Payment rows are collected in order. To give a new joiner a cheaper second month, use three rows instead: the standard price (Don't repeat), then the discounted price (Don't repeat), then the standard price (Repeat Indefinitely).
💡 Tip: If the plan is only for this offer, set Plan Availability to In-Club Only so members can't buy it online.
Existing member: one month cheaper, then back to the standard rate
Click Contacts in the left-hand menu and select Members.
Find the member and open their profile.
Click the membership tile to open the Manage Membership panel, then click Change plan.
Select the new plan with the discounted month, then click Next.
Choose Next billing date so the member stays on their current plan until their next collection, then click Next.
Check the summary and click Confirm change.
The member pays the discounted amount at their next collection, then goes back to the standard rate the month after. Their old membership shows as cancelled on their profile, but it is linked to the new one, so it is counted as a renewal and does not appear in your Cancelled Members report or your churn figures. Remember to set up payment on the new membership (see "Taking payment after the change" above).
New joiner: discounting their first month on one membership only
When you add the membership, go to the Start date step and click Adjust price & add a discount. Turn on Add an introductory offer, then enter the Introductory Price and how many months it lasts. This only discounts the first months of that one membership. For a cheaper second month, use a plan set up as above.
Discounting one month for everyone on a plan
If several members on the same plan all need the same cheaper month, you can use two bulk payment actions instead. The first lowers the payment from the discounted month. The price doesn't go back up on its own, so you also need a second bulk payment action to put it back to the standard rate from the month after. If you don't, members will carry on paying the discounted price. You can schedule the second action straight after the first. ClubRight will warn you about a possible duplicate, so click Override and schedule anyway. See Changing membership prices in bulk for the steps.
⚠️ Note: A bulk payment action changes every member on the plans you select, unless you use Change specific payment to target one amount. Each action needs to be scheduled at least 6 working days ahead, and members paying by Direct Debit get an email about their subscription each time. Bulk payment actions are part of a specific ClubRight package, so if you can't see them, ask the Customer Success team.
When to use Change plan vs cancel and re-add
Use Change plan whenever a member is simply moving to a different plan and you want to keep their membership history intact. This is the right choice for almost all upgrades and downgrades.
Cancelling the current plan and adding a new one reaches a similar end result but creates a break in the membership record. Use that approach only when you need something Change plan cannot do, such as adding a bolt-on.
Need a hand changing a member's plan? Click the orange chat button to contact our Customer Success team.