Why subscription pauses are a powerful retention tactic
Top line growth is no longer enough. As the focus moves from subscriber acquisition to retention, personalization has become a growth engine that strengthens relationships in this highly competitive market.
Personalization allows subscribers to build their service on their own terms—from customized colors to pausing the service for a while. According to our State of Subscriptions report, pauses grew by 66% year-over-year in 2024. Giving consumers the option to pause their subscription can significantly reduce churn, build loyalty, and drive revenue over time.
How to keep more subscribers with a pause button
Tight budgets, subscription fatigue, or changes in priorities can prompt even the most loyal subscriber to hit cancel. But when canceling is the only option, you not only lose revenue, but an opportunity to re-engage subscribers.
By introducing a subscription pause button, you give customers an alternative. Instead of ending their relationship with your brand, they can take a break.
Benefits for subscribers:
It lowers the mental barrier to leaving: Canceling feels final, while pausing feels temporary and manageable, making it a more appealing option for customers on the fence.
It shows empathy and flexibility: By offering a cancel alternative, you show customers that you're willing to work with them—building trust in the process. You put the power in their hands to return to your service.
Benefits for businesses:
It reduces voluntary churn: Pauses offer a temporary break, which can keep customers in your pipeline. This approach reduces the likelihood of churn and increases the chances of retaining long-term subscribers.
It keeps your brand top-of-mind: When a customer pauses, they’re more likely to return later since they still feel connected to your service or product. You can continue sending tailored communications to re-engage these subscribers .
Offering subscription pauses creates a new stage in the customer journey. Instead of a binary experience of "customers" and "not customers”, you now have a segment of customers you can proactively work with and win back. Userlike, for example, retained 20% of at-risk subscribers with the pause feature.
Implementing a pause button is crucial to your subscription business's long-term success. By providing options and flexibility, you allow subscribers to address their immediate needs while protecting your recurring revenue.
5 best practices for offering subscription pauses
The pausing button solution sounds simple, but it's much more than that. To make the most of this feature, you need to carefully think through the experience.
Make the pause option easy to find: Place a “Pause Subscription” option in your cancellation flow or account settings to make it a low-effort alternative.
Define clear pause limits: While flexibility is key, set boundaries around how long a subscription can be paused. Allow customers to pause their subscription for a set period, after which they’ll need to either resume or cancel. You’ll want to test boundaries and develop a pause period that works best for you and the subscriber.
Communicate the pause value: Clearly communicate why pausing is better than canceling. Highlight benefits such as keeping pricing locked in, avoiding reactivation fees, or guaranteeing access to exclusive perks.
Personalize the pause experience: Where possible, tailor the experience. For example, if a customer pauses because they feel overwhelmed with products (common for subscription boxes), you might suggest bi-monthly delivery instead.
Keep the lines of communication open: Use gentle, value-driven reminders to keep customers engaged. For instance, send an email reminding them of new features or upcoming offerings they’d love when they return.
FabFitFun does an excellent job with pauses. When a subscriber expresses intent to cancel their subscription, they provide helpful messaging and remind customers of the value their service offers.
This flexibility shows the brand is interested in more than an annual membership fee.
How pausing affects subscription schedules
When businesses allow subscription pauses, one key operational challenge arises: what happens to subscription cycles and billing schedules? Addressing the backend mechanics is crucial to both customer satisfaction and keeping predictable revenue streams.
When customers pause their service, the subscription remains active until they reach the end of their current billing cycle. At that point, the subscription moves into a paused state.
Since most subscriptions are prepaid, subscribers can use the service they’ve already paid for. Your accounting or finance teams don’t have to worry about prorating refunds, issuing credits for unused periods, or other billing complexities that result from mid-cycle changes.
Maintaining customer data integrity in your CRM is crucial for tracking paused subscriptions accurately, predicting churn, understanding retention patterns, and crafting targeted re-engagement campaigns.
3 ways to encourage subscription reactivation
A paused subscription doesn’t guarantee a resumed one, but it’s a great place to start nurturing subscribers back to active status. Here’s what you can do to guide customers back into the fold:
Build anticipation and expectancy: Use email campaigns to share exciting updates about your product or service, such as new features, exclusive upgrades, or upcoming product launches. Highlight how these enhancements can add value to their membership, giving them a reason to reconnect.
Offer an incentive to restart: Offering discounts or exclusive perks can encourage users to resume their subscription. You can also personalize the incentive based on their usage history. For instance, if a customer frequently used a particular feature, highlight how reactivating will give them access again.
Provide an extra nudge before cancellation: If the pausing window ends and the customer still hasn’t resumed, you can give them one final prompt to reconsider. Offer them another opportunity to pause their account if they need more time, or give them a fresh incentive to encourage them to stay.
Review your own processes, take the lessons you applied to onboarding customers and apply them in the pausing nurtures. Build trust and remind the customer that they are managing their own subscription—your role is to welcome them back to the services and products they already love.
Build loyalty through pauses and more flexible features
Providing an excellent customer experience is paramount for any business looking to retain subscribers in today's competitive landscape. Offering flexibility and cancelation alternatives is one of the most meaningful ways to do exactly that.
Let's keep discussing why subscription pauses are key to revenue growth! Join us to review the insights derived from our 2025 State of Subscriptions report and walk away with actionable strategies to boost retention.
