Subscriptions

Manage subscription pricing

Subscriptions can be priced by territory using a wide range of price points in each currency.

After you have set a starting price for your subscription, you can schedule one future price change at a time, per territory. If you schedule a second price change when you already have a change scheduled, the planned price change will be overwritten by the most recent change.

Decrease the subscription price

If you decrease the price of your auto-renewable subscription, existing subscriptions will automatically renew at the lower price. You don’t have the option to preserve the higher price for existing subscribers.

Increase the subscription price

If you choose to increase the price of your subscription, you have the option to preserve prices for existing subscribers.

If you increase the price of a subscription without preserving prices, all existing subscribers must consent to the new price before their next renewal date. If they do not consent to the new price or take no action, their subscription expires at the end of their current billing cycle.

After your price increase goes into effect, Apple will automatically inform existing subscribers through email and push notifications, and attempt to obtain consent to the higher price. The timing of these notifications depends on the length of the subscription, and there is a minimum required notice. If a price increase occurs within the minimum required notice period, subscribers will renew at their existing price for one more billing period, and will be notified before the end of their next billing period.

Subscription Duration First Email Notification Maximum Required Notice
Monthly subscription 29 days prior to renewal date 27 days prior to renewal date
Annual subscription 60 days prior to renewal date 30 days prior to renewal date

After the first email notification, Apple will continue to notify subscribers of a price increase and attempt to obtain consent until their subscription expires. Subscribers in a free trial will renew to the price that was displayed when they bought your subscription for one additional billing period, and will need to provide consent prior to their next renewal date. 

How to schedule a price change

  1. In Apple Podcasts Connect, select the show or channel with a subscription.
  2. Under Pricing and Free Trial, select the pricing that you’d like to edit.
  3. Click View or Edit Price.
  4. Click Schedule Price Change.
  5. Select the countries or regions where you’d like to apply this price change.
  6. Choose the date you want your price change to begin. Anyone in the selected countries or regions who subscribes on or after this date will pay the new price.
  7. Define a base territory and new price. 
  8. Review the prices for all countries and regions, make any additional edits, and click Next.
  9. Choose whether you’d like to maintain the original price for current subscribers or apply the price change to all subscribersmaintain the original price for current subscribers or apply the price change to all subscribers.
    • If you’re lowering the price, it will automatically apply to all subscribers.
    • If you maintain the original price for current subscribers, they’ll continue to pay the original price. Listeners who subscribe after the price change will pay the new, higher price.
    • If you’re raising the price for all subscribers, existing subscribers will need to consent on their next billing cycle in order to renew at the higher price. Subscribers who do not consent or take no action will automatically expire.
  10. After a price change goes into effect, you won’t be able to undo it. You can plan a new price change to lower it, but previous subscribers that chose not to renew your subscription will need to resubscribe.