Pause Offers

A pause offer lets subscribers temporarily suspend their subscription instead of cancelling it entirely. Billing stops for a set period, and the subscription automatically resumes when the pause ends. This is one of the most effective retention tools because it removes the pressure of an all-or-nothing decision.

When to Offer Pause vs. Cancel

Pause offers work best when the subscriber's reason for leaving is temporary:

Map your survey responses to pause offers using conditional branching in the flow builder.

Configuring Pause Duration

Set the pause length when creating a pause offer step:

The pause duration is stored as pause_days on the offer and applied to the subscriber's billing cycle when they accept.

Letting Subscribers Choose

You can present multiple pause durations and let the subscriber pick. Configure this in the offer step by enabling Subscriber Choice and setting the available options (e.g., 1, 2, or 3 months).

What Happens During a Pause

When a subscriber accepts a pause offer:

1. Billing stops — No charges are processed for the duration of the pause
2. Subscription stays active — The subscription is not cancelled in your payment processor; it enters a paused state
3. Access rules — You control whether the subscriber retains access to your product during the pause:
   • Access continues — The subscriber can keep using the product (good for goodwill and re-engagement)
   • Access stops — The subscriber loses access until the pause ends (better for content or usage-based products)
4. Offer is recorded — LostChurn logs the accepted offer and creates a discount redemption record for tracking

Configure access rules in your product's integration settings. LostChurn handles the billing side; your application controls the access side based on subscription status.

Resume Flow

When the pause period ends:

1. The subscription automatically resumes at the original plan and price
2. Billing restarts on the next cycle
3. The subscriber receives a notification (if you've configured resume notifications in your campaign settings) a few days before the pause ends

Early Resume

Subscribers can choose to resume early. When they do:

1. The pause ends immediately
2. Billing restarts on the next cycle
3. The cancel flow session is updated to reflect the early resume

Creating a Pause Offer

1. In the flow builder, add an Offer step
2. Select Pause as the offer type
3. Configure the settings:
   • Pause duration — 1, 2, or 3 months
   • Subscriber choice — Let subscribers pick from multiple durations (optional)
   • Headline — The message shown (e.g., "Take a break instead?")
   • Description — Explain what happens during the pause
   • CTA text — The accept button label (e.g., "Pause My Subscription")
4. Set the Trigger Reason to connect this offer to a specific survey response
5. Save the step

Tracking Pause Effectiveness

Monitor pause offer performance in the saves dashboard:

• Pause acceptance rate — Percentage of subscribers who accept a pause when offered
• Return rate — Percentage of paused subscribers who resume (vs. cancelling after the pause ends)
• Revenue preserved — MRR retained from subscribers who paused and resumed

A high acceptance rate with a low return rate may indicate that the pause is just delaying churn rather than preventing it. In that case, consider combining pause with a discount offer on resume.

Next Steps

• Downgrade Offers — Offer a lower-tier plan as an alternative to cancellation
• Discount Offers — Retain subscribers with price reductions
• Measuring Saves — Track overall cancel flow performance