# Change the price of existing subscriptions

Learn how to upgrade and downgrade subscriptions by changing the price.

This guide focuses on using the Subscriptions API to manage customer subscriptions.

You can also implement the [customer portal](https://docs.stripe.com/customer-management.md) to provide a Stripe-hosted Dashboard where customers can manage their subscriptions and billing details.

When a customer changes their subscription, you must change the subscription item to reflect the new selection. For example, a customer might upgrade to a premium tier or downgrade to a basic tier, prompting you to replace the underlying price of that subscription item. You can do this using a few different methods.

> #### Compare Customers v1 and Accounts v2 references
> 
> If your Connect platform uses [customer-configured Accounts](https://docs.stripe.com/api/v2/core/accounts/create.md#v2_create_accounts-configuration-customer), use our [guide](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/use-accounts-as-customers.md) to replace `Customer` and event references in your code with the equivalent Accounts v2 API references.

## Retrieve the identifiers

Regardless of the method you choose, you need to provide identifiers for the objects you’re updating. Use the [list subscriptions](https://docs.stripe.com/api/subscriptions/list.md) method with a relevant filter (such as the customer ID) to find the subscription and item to update.

```curl
curl -G https://api.stripe.com/v1/subscriptions \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d customer={{CUSTOMER_ID}}
```

The returns the set of subscriptions for the specified customer, from which you can retrieve the subscription ID (`id`), any subscription item IDs (`items.data.id`) and the subscription items price ID (`items.data.price.id`).

```json
{
  "object": "list",
  "url": "/v1/subscriptions",
  "has_more": false,
  "data": [
    {"id": "su_1NXPiE2eZvKYlo2COk9fohqA",
      "object": "subscription",
      "application": null,
      "application_fee_percent": null,
      "automatic_tax": {
        "enabled": false
      },"items": {
        "object": "list",
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "si_OK3pbS1dvdQYJP",
            "object": "subscription_item",
            "billing_thresholds": null,
            "created": 1690208774,
            "metadata": {},"price": {
              "id": "price_1NOhvg2eZvKYlo2CqkpQDVRT",
              "object": "price"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}
```

## Update the subscription 

[Update a subscription](https://docs.stripe.com/api.md#update_subscription) including the following parameters:

- `item ID`: You must specify the subscription item to replace the current price with the new price. Otherwise, updating the subscription with a new price *adds* a new subscription item so both prices are active for the subscription.
- `item price`: Provide the identifier for the replacement price.
- `item quantity`: Updating a subscription price automatically reverts the quantity to the default value of `1`. If the existing subscription quantity is anything other than `1` and you want to preserve that value, you must include it in the update.

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/subscriptions/sub_xxxxxxxxx \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d "items[0][id]"={{SUB_ITEM_ID}} \
  -d "items[0][price]"={{NEW_PRICE_ID}}
```

> You must specify the subscription item to replace the current price with the new price. Failing to do so results in *adding* the new price so both prices are active for the subscription.

Alternatively, you can delete the current subscription item and create a new subscription item with the updated price.

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/subscriptions/sub_xxxxxxxxx \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d "items[0][id]"={{SUB_ITEM_ID}} \
  -d "items[0][deleted]"=true \
  -d "items[1][price]"={{NEW_PRICE_ID}}
```

## Update the subscription item

[Update a subscription item](https://docs.stripe.com/api/subscription_items/update.md) using the following parameters:

- [price](https://docs.stripe.com/api/subscription_items/update.md#update_subscription_item-price): Provide the identifier for the replacement price.
- [quantity](https://docs.stripe.com/api/subscription_items/update.md#update_subscription_item-quantity): Updating a subscription price automatically reverts the quantity to the default value of `1`. If the existing subscription quantity is anything other than `1` and you want to preserve that value, you must include it in the update.

Use this option if you don’t need to make any other changes at the subscription level.

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/subscription_items/si_xxxxxxxxx \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d price={{NEW_PRICE_ID}}
```

## Billing periods

If both prices have the same billing periods (combination of `interval` and `interval_count`), the subscription retains the same billing dates. If the prices have different billing periods, the new price is billed at the new interval, starting on the day of the change. For example, switching a customer from one monthly subscription to another doesn’t change the billing dates. However, switching a customer from a monthly subscription to a yearly subscription moves the billing date to the date of the switch. Switching a customer from one monthly subscription to another monthly subscription while introducing a trial period also moves the billing date (to the conclusion of the trial).

### Subscription schedules

If you’re changing a subscription at the end of its billing period, consider using a [subscription schedule](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/subscription-schedules.md#changing-subscriptions) to manage the transition. When using subscription schedules, follow [best practices](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/subscription-schedules.md#subscription-schedule-sub-updates) to prevent unexpected subscription overwrites.

## Usage-based billing with Billing Meters

Details on mid-cycle updates for prices attached to a Billing Meter are described in the [pricing models](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/usage-based/manage-billing-setup.md#mid-cycle-updates) section. Passing `clear_usage` when updating a price with a Billing Meter has no effect.

## Usage-based billing with Usage Records (Legacy)

If you have a metered price backed by legacy usage records and update to a new usage records price, the usage is transferred to the new price.

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/subscriptions/sub_xxxxxxxxx \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d "items[0][id]"={{SUB_ITEM_ID}} \
  -d "items[0][price]"={{NEW_PRICE_ID}} \
  -d "items[0][clear_usage]"=true
```

## Proration

Changing a subscription often results in a [proration](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/prorations.md) to apply the new price to the remaining days in the billing period. You can prepare your customer for any additional expense resulting from a price change by [previewing a proration](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/prorations.md#preview-proration). Alternatively, you can [disable prorations](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/prorations.md#disable-prorations).

### Immediate payment 

Stripe immediately attempts payment when a subscription’s billing cycle anchor is reset. Learn more about [resetting a subscription’s billing cycle anchor](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/billing-cycle.md#changing).

When billing is performed immediately, but the required payment fails, the subscription change request succeeds and the subscription transitions to `past_due`.

To bill a customer immediately for a change to a subscription on the same billing period, set `proration_behavior` to `always_invoice`. This calculates the proration, then immediately generates an *invoice* (Invoices are statements of amounts owed by a customer. They track the status of payments from draft through paid or otherwise finalized. Subscriptions automatically generate invoices, or you can manually create a one-off invoice) after making the switch. Combine this setting with [pending updates](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/pending-updates.md) so the subscription doesn’t update unless payment succeeds on the new invoice.

### Credit prorations

Credit prorations are issued when customers downgrade their subscriptions or cancel subscription items before the end of their billing period. Stripe offers two approaches for calculating credit prorations, depending on your subscription’s [billing_mode](https://docs.stripe.com/api/subscriptions/object.md#subscription_object-billing_mode) setting. See [Credit prorations](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/prorations.md#credit-prorations) for more details.

### Handle zero-amount prices and quantities

If you’ve subscribed a customer to a zero-amount price (for example, as a trial), changing the price to a non-zero amount generates an invoice and resets the [billing period](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/change-price.md#billing-periods) to the date of the change.

If you’ve subscribed a customer to a price with a non-zero amount and a zero-amount quantity, changing the quantity to a non-zero amount doesn’t generate an invoice or reset the billing period.

## See also

- [Billing period (cycle)](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/billing-cycle.md)
- [Canceling and pausing](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/cancel.md)
- [Update Subscription API](https://docs.stripe.com/api.md#update_subscription)