Subscription upgrades module

Let customers switch between one-time purchases and subscriptions directly from the cart using the Subscription Upgrades module.

Overview

This guide walks you through how to enable and configure these options in Upcart, and includes tips for customizing button text, display labels, and subscription plan formatting. When enabled, the module adds two interactive options to qualifying cart items:

• Upgrade to a Subscription
• Downgrade to a One-Time Purchase (OTP)

These options appear as dropdowns or buttons next to each eligible product, allowing customers to easily change their purchase type before checking out.

Upgrade to a Subscription

When a product supports subscription plans, customers will see a prompt in the cart to upgrade their purchase. If your product has multiple subscription intervals, the customer can choose between them. They can also revert to a one-time purchase if you allow it.

Button Text

By default, the upgrade button displays the Selling Plan Group Name, which is pulled directly from your subscription app. You can override this by editing the button label and removing the {{selling_plan_group_name}} variable if needed.

Override Subscription Plan Options Text

This setting controls how subscription intervals are shown in the dropdown. The text includes the {{selling_plan_name}} variable, which reflects the subscription frequency (e.g. “Delivered every month”). To edit this text, tick Override subscription plan options text. This unlocks a field where you can enter your custom label.

Subscription Plan Options One-Time Purchase Text

This is the label shown when a customer chooses not to subscribe. The default is “One-time purchase.” To customize this label, tick Override subscription plan options text, then use the Subscription plan options one-time purchase text field directly beneath it.

The same checkbox unlocks two more fields:

• Subscription plan full price text — the dropdown group heading above the one-time option. Defaults to “Full price”.
• Subscription plans heading text — the heading above the subscription plan options.

Both the Selling Plan Group Name and Selling Plan Name are generated by your subscription app, not by Upcart. If you need to localize or translate these names, refer to the settings in your subscription app.

Note: Upcart integrates with Shopify’s Subscription API, meaning it will support all modern subscription applications.

Downgrade to a One-Time Purchase

If a product supports both subscriptions and one-time purchases, customers will also see the option to switch back. This is presented in the same dropdown used to select subscription plans.

To restrict customers from switching back to a one-time purchase, enable the Prevent Downgrades setting at the bottom of the Subscription Upgrades configuration. When this is checked, the “One-time purchase” option is removed from the dropdown entirely.

Preventing downgrades can help increase subscription conversions, but it may also create friction. If customers aren’t given the flexibility to switch, they might remove the product entirely or abandon their cart. Consider testing this setting before fully enabling it.