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.
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? Reply here asking to talk to a member of the Customer Success team.