When a new customer joins, a Stripe customer account is automatically created behind the scenes. At this point, there's no subscription or payment method attached yet, just a connection between the customer's Newo account and their Stripe profile, which we store securely in our billing database.
Choosing a Subscription
When customers first visit the billing page, they'll see five subscription tiers: small, medium, large, corp, and enterprise. Each one comes in both monthly and annual options. There's also a temporary status indicator letting them know they haven't started their subscription yet.
To get started, customers just click Try it for free under whichever plan they want. This brings up a Stripe checkout form where they enter their payment details. Since it's their first subscription, they automatically get a 14-day trial with no charges during that period. The payment info they enter becomes their default payment method in Stripe.
The Trial Period
After completing checkout, the system temporarily switches to a free development product. On the billing page, customers will see their chosen plan tagged with "developer mode." To actually kick off the trial, they click Start free trial, and then a trial indicator shows them exactly how many days they have left.
During the trial, customers get full access to explore all the features without any risk.
Note
If they decide to change their subscription during the trial, it ends the trial immediately and processes the first payment immediately.
After the Trial
Once those 14 days are up, the first payment is automatially processed using the saved payment method. The subscription becomes fully active, and customers can see their next payment date and plan details on the billing page.
Upgrading/Downgrading
Customers can upgrade or downgrade whenever they want. When they change plans, they just select the new option and go through checkout. The change happens immediately, and they'll need to pay for the new plan right away.
If they want to cancel, there's a Cancel Subscription button that opens Stripe's cancellation portal.
Note
If someone cancels and then decides to come back later, they start fresh as an existing customer, meaning no trial period the second time around.
For Users Without Active Subscriptions
Customer's are not locked out of their account when in developer mode or do not have an active subscription. Instead, the system shows disclaimer messages at the start of conversations that gently nudge them to complete their subscription setup. They can still explore the platform in the meantime.
Here's a video overview to see it all in action: