Override Amount
Using the Subscription overrideAmount
For merchants managing recurring billing, the overrideAmount is a powerful, no-fuss tool for handling custom pricing without having to create dozens of complex coupons or clone your master plans.
Think of it as a simple, permanent instruction to the billing system: "Ignore the standard plan price and charge this specific amount instead."
What is an overrideAmount?
The overrideAmount is a field at the subscription level that allows you to set a custom price for a customer. It does not have an expiration date or a complex "status" to manage.
How it Works
Every time a subscription is set to generate a new invoice for the next cycle, the system does a simple check:
- Override Present: If an
overrideAmountis set on that customer's subscription, the system ignores the plan's default price and bills the customer that specific override amount. - Override Absent: If the field is blank, the system falls back to the default price of the underlying plan. This rule applies to the next cycle and all subsequent cycles until a merchant manually updates or removes the override.
Use Cases
1. Grandfathering Loyal Users During a Price Increase
The most common way to use this feature is to raise prices for your customer base without upsetting your early adopters.
- The Scenario: You have a subscription plan with a default base price of $40. You decide it's time to increase the price of this service to $60.
- How to use the override: To move your customer base to the new price, you apply an overrideAmount of $60 to their subscriptions. From the next cycle onward, they will be billed $60.
- To "grandfather" your loyal, early customers, you do absolutely nothing. By leaving their subscriptions without an overrideAmount, the system continues to pull the default plan price of $40, allowing them to enjoy the old price indefinitely.
2. Custom B2B or VIP Negotiated Pricing
In the B2B or high-ticket world, sales teams often close deals by offering custom, negotiated rates that differ from the standard pricing listed on your website.
- The Scenario: Your standard Premium Plan is $100/mo. You close a deal with a strategic partner for $75/mo indefinitely.
- How to use the override: You put them on the standard Premium Plan so they get all the right features, and simply set the overrideAmount to $75. They get their special negotiated rate for every single renewal without you needing to create a brand-new, hidden plan.
3. Permanent Employee or "Friends & Family" Accounts
Managing employee perks or accounts for testers and partners can be a headache if you have to constantly check if a discount code expired or if a trial ended.
- The Scenario: You want to give your employees access to your $50/mo service for free, or for a token amount like $5/mo to cover hard costs.
- How to use the override: You just set the overrideAmount to $0 (or $5) on their subscription. They get the perk indefinitely. If the employee leaves the company, you just delete the override amount, and their next invoice will automatically return to the standard $50/mo.
4. Regular Annual Price Adjustments
Many businesses have contracts or policies that include a scheduled annual price adjustment (e.g., a 5% increase for inflation or a standard step-up rate).
- The Scenario: A customer is paying $100/mo. On their annual anniversary, your terms dictate that their rate increases to $105/mo.
- How to use the override: Instead of creating a brand new plan or moving them to a different tier, you simply update their existing overrideAmount to $105. The system will charge this new amount moving forward until you manually adjust it again next year.
Quick Reference Summary
| Subscription State | What the Customer is Billed | When it Changes |
| No Override Field Set | The default price tied to the master plan. | If the master plan price changes, or if you add an override. |
| Override Field Set | The exact dollar amount specified in the override. | Only if a merchant manually updates or deletes the override. |