Product Renewal Group Explained

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Value of the Renewal Group in product settings defines how aMember will calculate subscription start date when user renews his membership or adds a new subscription via amember/member.php page. If user already has a subscription to a product WITH THE SAME renewal group, aMember will use expiration date of previous subscription as start date for new subscription.

If user has no such subscriptions, aMember will use current date as start date. Basically, products which grants the same level of access must have the same Renewal Group value.

If this field has negative numeric value (for example -1), it will always set subscription start date to current date, allowing member to have several subscriptions to the same product.

Example 1

Site offers one level of access For example, there are only 2 products exists in aMember:

  • Monthly Subscription RENEWAL GROUP set to BASIC
  • Year Subscription RENEWAL GROUP set to BASIC

In this case, you should set "Renewal Group" for both products to something like "1" or "BASIC", or any other equal value. Default empty value will also work fine.

If your site offers only one level of access, Renewal Group must be set to the same value for all products, and then new subscription period will be added to existing.

For example, user has existing Monthly subscription: Jan 01, 2006 - Jan 31, 2006. Jan 15 he comes to amember/member.php and orders a new Yearly Subscription. It will be added with the following period: Feb 01, 2006 - Feb 01, 2007

This way customer never looses paid period.

Example 2

Site offers not-related products with different level of access For example there are the following 2 products:

  • Subscription to Football News RENEWAL GROUP set to FOOTBALL
  • Subscription to Baseball News RENEWAL GROUP set to BASEBALL

In this case, products are unrelated and subscription dates should not be added when user orders second subscription. For example, user has subscription to Football News: Jan 01 2006 - Jan 31 2006. Jan 15 he comes to amember/member.php and orders a new Baseball subscription. It will be added with the following period: Jan 15 - Feb 15 2006.

Example 3

Site offers not-related products with different periods and level of access

  • Monthly Subscription to Football News RENEWAL GROUP set to FOOTBALL
  • Year Subscription to Football News RENEWAL GROUP set to FOOTBALL
  • Monthly Subscription to Baseball News RENEWAL GROUP set to BASEBALL
  • Year Subscription to Baseball News RENEWAL GROUP set to BASEBALL

This sample combines behaviour described above.

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