Introduction

In a typical eCommerce flow, a customer places an order, the product is shipped, and the seller estimates a delivery time—usually within a few days. The subscription is created, either manually or through automation, and a start date is assigned accordingly.

When creating a subscription manually, the circuly user has the option to select the subscription start date. By default, this field is pre-filled with a date influenced by the Subscription start date setting (e.g., “+3” to indicate a start date 3 days from today). If no such setting is defined, the field may default to a random future date. In automated flows (bulk upload or API), the start date is included in the incoming data and adopted directly by the Circuly system.

It's important to note: if a subscription has not yet been created for an order, the start date can be freely defined or adjusted during the subscription creation process. However, if a subscription already exists and the start date needs to be changed, then the approach is different—and that’s where the Edit Recurring Payments feature becomes relevant.

This is especially useful in scenarios where the initial billing plan—let’s say starting on the 2nd of the month—no longer aligns with reality due to delays (e.g., the product was only delivered on the 15th). Instead of canceling and recreating the subscription, you can shift the start date and all future billing to the 15th of each month going forward, while preserving the subscription structure.

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Step-by-step guide

• In your circuly Hub > Go to the Recurring payments tab.
• Locate the subscription that needs an updated start date by selecting the appropriate entry from the Recurring Payment List.
• Click on the three dots (•••) next to the entry.
• Choose Edit Recurring Payment(s) from the dropdown menu.
• In the Edit Recurring Payment(s) window, turn on the toggle for Change all future payments.
• Select a new start date from the calendar—this date must be in the future and should reflect the estimated delivery or actual product usage date.
• Save your changes.

The subscription’s billing will now align with the new start date, and the end date will shift accordingly to maintain the original contract duration.

circuly gives you the flexibility to correct subscription timelines when things don’t go as planned. By adjusting the start date after delivery delays or other operational reasons, you ensure billing fairness and maintain customer trust—without disrupting the overall contract terms.