Managing Member Cancellations, Pauses, and Resumes
Rivo gives you flexible options to manage when members cancel or temporarily pause their subscriptions. Understanding these options helps you provide better customer service and reduce unnecessary churn.
Cancellation Options
When a member wants to cancel, you can choose when their benefits should end. This gives you control over the member experience and helps manage revenue timing.
End-of-Period Cancellation (Recommended)
What it does: The member keeps their benefits until the end of their current billing cycle, then the membership ends.
When to use: This is the default and most merchant-friendly option. It ensures members receive the full value of what they’ve already paid for.
How it works:
Member remains active with full benefits until their next billing date
No charges occur on the next billing date
Membership status shows “Queued for cancellation” in your admin
On the scheduled date, benefits are removed and the membership ends
Example: If a member cancels on January 15th and their next billing date is February 1st, they’ll keep all benefits through January 31st. On February 1st, their membership ends with no charge.
Immediate Cancellation
What it does: The member loses access to all benefits right away, and their subscription ends immediately.
When to use: Use this when a member requests immediate cancellation, in cases of fraud, or when required by your refund policy.
How it works:
Benefits are removed instantly
Membership ends immediately
Member status changes to “Cancelled”
Pausing Memberships
Some members may want to take a temporary break from their membership without fully canceling. Pausing gives them this flexibility.
How Pause Works
When you pause a membership:
The subscription is temporarily stopped
No billing occurs during the pause period
The member status shows “Paused” in your admin
After the pause period ends, billing resumes automatically
Pause Requirements
Important: Pause is only available for:
Monthly memberships (daily, weekly, and annual memberships cannot be paused)
Tiers where you’ve enabled the “Can pause” setting
To enable pause for a tier, edit the tier settings and check the “Can pause” option.
Setting Pause Duration
When pausing a membership, you choose how many billing cycles to pause for:
Minimum: 1 cycle
Maximum: 12 cycles
Example: If you pause a monthly membership for 3 cycles on January 15th:
No billing on February 15th, March 15th, or April 15th
Billing resumes automatically on May 15th
Member Experience During Pause
While paused, the member:
Retains access to their membership tier status
Does not receive billing charges
Sees their membership as “Paused” in their account
Can see how many cycles remain in the pause
Resuming Paused Memberships
You can resume a paused membership before the pause period expires.
What happens when you resume:
The subscription reactivates immediately
The next billing date is set based on when you resume
Member status changes back to “Active”
All membership benefits are restored
Example: If a member paused for 6 cycles on January 15th but asks to resume on March 1st:
You click “Resume Membership”
Billing resumes on April 1st (next monthly cycle from March 1st)
The remaining 4 unused pause cycles are discarded
Undoing Pending Cancellations
If a member scheduled an end-of-period cancellation but changes their mind, you can undo it before the cancellation takes effect.
How to undo:
Navigate to the member’s profile in your admin
Look for membership status showing “Queued for cancellation”
Click Actions → Undo Pending Cancellation
Confirm the action
What happens:
The scheduled cancellation is removed
Membership continues normally
Next billing proceeds as scheduled
Member status returns to “Active”
Important: You can only undo pending cancellations. Once a membership has fully canceled (end-of-period date has passed), you cannot undo it—the member would need to sign up again.
Managing Cancellations from Your Admin
Here’s how to cancel, pause, or resume memberships from your Rivo admin:
Canceling a Membership
Go to Customers and select the member
In the Membership card, click Actions → Cancel Membership
Choose your cancellation timing:
Cancel Later (end-of-period) - Benefits continue until next billing date
Cancel Immediately - Benefits removed right away
Click Confirm
Pausing a Membership
Go to Customers and select the member
In the Membership card, click Actions → Pause Membership
Enter the number of billing cycles (1-12)
Click Pause
Note: The Pause option only appears if the member is on a monthly tier with pause enabled.
Resuming a Paused Membership
Go to Customers and select the member
In the Membership card, click Actions → Resume Membership
Confirm you want to reactivate the subscription
Click Resume
Best Practices
Default to end-of-period cancellation - This ensures members get the full value of what they paid for and reduces the chance of refund requests.
Enable pause for retention - Offering pause as an option can save cancellations. Many members just need a temporary break.
Set clear expectations - Make sure members understand when their benefits end and when billing will resume.
Track pause reasons - Keep notes on why members pause. This can reveal product or timing issues to address.
Check before billing resumes - A few days before a paused membership resumes, check in with the member to ensure they’re ready.
FAQ
Q: Can members pause their own memberships?
Yes, if you’ve enabled the pause feature for their tier, members can pause directly from your storefront through their account page.
Q: What happens to unused pause cycles?
If you resume a membership before the full pause period expires, the remaining cycles are simply discarded. They don’t carry over or extend the membership.
Q: Can I refund a member who cancels mid-cycle?
Cancellation itself doesn’t issue refunds. If your store policy requires it, you’ll need to process the refund separately through Shopify.
Q: What’s the difference between paused and queued for cancellation?
Paused: Temporary break with automatic resume
Queued for cancellation: Scheduled to fully end on a specific date
Q: Can I change the cancellation policy setting for my store?
Yes! The default cancellation policy (immediate or end-of-period) is configurable in your membership settings. Individual cancellations can still override this default when needed.
Q: Do paused members still appear in my member count?
Yes, paused members are still enrolled in the tier—they’re just not actively billing. They remain in your member count until fully canceled.