Creating add-ons

How to configure your add-ons and link them to your plans.

Updated over a week ago

To create a new add-on, select Products, plans and cycles > Add-Ons. Here, you'll be able to create your first add-on.

In the first section, Tell Us the Basics, you'll be asked to provide a name, display name, and a description for your add-on.

If you decide on a unit based pricing structure for your add-on, you'll also need to provide the singular and plural unit name so that we know exactly how to reference it when coordinating with your customers.

The single unit name is the title we'll use when we refer to one unit of your add-on. This name will be shown to your customers in the Billsby Checkout, Self-Service Account Management, relevant emails and invoices, alongside being displayed in your Billsby account. The plural unit name is the title we'll use when we refer to multiple units of your add-on.

Add-on image

You can use the toggle provided to add an image of your add-on, if you want to. This image will show during the checkout flow if they are given the option of adding the add-on.

Linking add-ons to plans

Once you've created your add-ons, you'll need to select which plans can have access to them, and whether it should be a compulsory element of the plan or not.

If you want to make the add-on a compulsory element of the plan, then select Force Add-on with Plan next to the plan in question. This will automatically add the add-on to your customer's subscription during the checkout flow and they will not be able to remove it. If you decide not to make the add-on compulsory then the customer will be free to choose whether they want to include it during the checkout flow or not.

Add-ons and free trials

If a customer subscribes to your product during a free trial, all mandatory add-ons will also be added to the subscription for no additional cost. By default, however, the customer will not be able to add optional add-ons to their subscription during their free trial period.

This restriction can be changed in the Checkout and Account Management section of configuration. To access this, simply navigate to Settings > Configuration > Checkout and Account Management > Self-Service and then switch on the toggle labelled Manage Add-Ons.

Pricing model

There's a range of pricing models for you to choose from when creating your add-ons such as,

  • Flat fee

  • Per unit

  • Volume

  • Tiered

  • Ranged

Important:

Once you have selected a pricing model, this cannot be changed.

Configuring the cost of the add-on

For any plans that you've attached to this add-on, you'll now need to set the price for the add-on based on the cycle lengths. You'll need to configure the add-on pricing for every cycle that it'll be associated with. So, if you attach it to a plan that has a monthly and an annual cycle, you'll need to configure the price for both of these.

Once you have set-up your add-on, you can link it to as many plans as you'd like. If the add-on is linked to multiple plans with the same cycle frequency and currency, then you'll only need to configure the add-on price for that cycle frequency once.

For example, if you have two plans that have the same cycle frequency of once a month, then you'll only need to configure a price for that frequency once, as it can be applied to both plans. The configured price should automatically be used across all of the linked plans of that same cycle length and currency.

However, if the cycle lengths are the same but the currency isn't, then this rule doesn't apply and you will need to configure the cycle prices for your add-ons separately, according to each currency.

It's good to take a note that add-ons will be billed in tandem with the pricing of the plan they're added to. If the plan is charged monthly, then every month when then base plan is charged, the add-on will be charged at this time too (Don't worry, it will be noted on the invoice too!). Because of this, add-ons can't be created to complete a one-time charge on a user's account as these are also recurring charges.

Unit based add-ons

With per unit billing, the customer chooses how many units of your add-on they want, and then agrees to pay a fixed price for each unit. For example, if you operated a video streaming service you could charge $5 per extra viewing device and then allow the customer to choose upfront how many extra devices they want to add to their plan - if any.

Likewise, for any mandatory unit based add-ons, the customer would have to specify the number of units of the add-on they would like to add to their subscription each cycle.

Editing or removing an optional add-on

An optional add-on can be edited or removed in two ways. Customers are able to remove the optional add-on themselves, by using the self service account management feature or, alternatively, you can delete it for them directly through the Subscriptions page in the Billsby control panel.

Any changes made to an add-on, such as a change in the number of units the customer wants to receive, or permanently removing it, it will only come into effect at the start of the next billing cycle. Customers should still have access to the additional add-on features until next month's rollover takes place, as this avoids the process of having to give customers pro-rated refunds mid-cycle.

Feature tags

With the implementation of feature tags, this will allow your developers to only think about the features that your customer has, rather than the plan they're on. This simplifies the process of understanding what the customer has access to.
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Here's an example of feature tags in action:

Basic Plan

Premium Plan

Also available via add-on

Gym access

Gym access

No

Towel service

No

Filtered water

Yes

Because the 'Filtered Water' feature is also available through an add-on in addition to the premium plan, this means that customers on a basic plan can buy the 'Filtered Water' add-on. Your developers just have to check for the 'Filtered Water' feature tag when the customer tries to use the machine.

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