Plan changes

Plan change settings control how members move between plans and prices in Memberful. These settings help you decide which plans can replace each other, which prices can be switched to, and how upgrades are charged. In this help article, we’ll explain how to configure plan changes between plans and prices, how to use groups, and where to manage global upgrade billing settings.

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Understand plan change controls

Memberful uses two separate controls for plan changes:

• The Upgrades & downgrades setting on each plan controls whether members can switch from that plan to other plans.
• The Available for plan changes setting on each price controls whether members can switch to that specific price.

Both settings matter. The plan a member is switching to must be available through the current plan’s upgrade settings, and the price a member is switching to must be available for plan changes.

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Select the plans members can switch to

Go to Revenue → Plans in your Memberful dashboard. Select the plan you want to update. In the Upgrades & downgrades section, click Edit. Use Allow members to change between to choose one of these options:

• None
• Any ungrouped plan
• Other plans in a specific group

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None

Use this option when the plan should stay separate and should not replace or be replaced by another plan. This works well for standalone offerings that members may want to own at the same time. Example: You offer a Newsletter plan and a Course plan. Members should be able to subscribe to both, so neither plan should replace the other.

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Any ungrouped plan

Use this option when the plan should switch with other plans that also use the default switching setup. This works well for common tiered memberships where plans should be able to upgrade or downgrade between each other. Example: You offer Basic and Pro plans with different benefits, and members should be able to move between them. Set both plans to Any other plan not in a group.

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Other plans in a specific group

Use this option to limit switching to a specific set of plans. After choosing this option, select an existing group: We’ll show other plans in that group so you can confirm which plans are connected. Or choose New group to create one: Name the group and click Create group: Example: You offer Monthly, Annual, and Founding Member plans. Monthly and Annual should work together, but Founding Member should stay separate. Click the pencil icon to edit the plan name. Click the garbage icon to delete the group.

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Control switching between prices in the same plan

Members can also switch between prices in the same plan, such as monthly and yearly pricing. In the Prices section, click the ••• menu next to the price you want to update, then click Edit price. Use Available for plan changes to control whether members can switch to that price. This is useful when a plan includes prices that should stay restricted, such as:

• A hidden legacy price
• A hidden trial price
• A limited promotional price

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Configure how upgrades are charged

Upgrade billing is managed separately from plan-level switching. Go to Revenue → Plans and click Settings. In Settings for all plans, choose how Memberful should handle upgrades to a higher priced plan:

• Prorate and switch immediately
• Charge full price immediately
• Charge at next renewal

These settings apply across your Memberful plans.

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Common setup examples

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One plan with multiple prices, and members can switch between all prices

Use this setup when prices are different ways to buy the same plan. Example: A plan has a monthly price and a yearly price. Both include the same benefits, and both prices are available for plan changes.

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One plan with multiple prices, and members cannot switch into one of the prices

Use this setup when one price should stay restricted. Example: A plan has one visible Monthly price and one hidden monthly price for grandfathered members. The hidden price stays unavailable for plan changes.

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Multiple plans, and members can switch freely between them

Use this setup when plans offer different benefits, but members should be able to upgrade or downgrade. Example: You offer Basic and Pro plans, and both are set to Any ungrouped plan.

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Multiple plans, and members can switch only between certain plans

Use this setup when only some plans should work together. Example: Monthly and annual are assigned to the same group, while Founding Member is kept separate.

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Multiple plans, and members cannot switch between them

Use this setup when plans are separate offerings that members may want to keep at the same time. Example: A newsletter plan and a course plan are both set to None.