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How to upsell to a subscription in checkout and cart

UpsellPlus can turn one-time purchases into subscriptions before the shopper pays. You can offer a specific product as a subscription, or use Dynamic Subscription to automatically offer the subscription version of whatever eligible item is in the cart, with one offer for your whole catalog. With Product Swap, the one-time item is replaced by the subscription instead of added next to it.


  • Specific product: Offers tab → pick the product → Add as a subscription
  • Whole catalog, one offer: Offers tab → Automatic → Dynamic Subscription
  • Requires: products with subscription selling plans (Shopify Subscriptions, Recharge, Appstle, Seal, Stay AI, Bold, and so on). Checkout offers need Shopify Plus; cart offers work on every plan.



Dynamic Subscription offer switching a one-time cart item to a discounted subscription



One offer upgrades any cart item that has a subscription plan.


  1. Go to Offers → Create Offer and choose a Cart or Checkout placement on the Funnel tab.
  2. On the Offers tab, under How should products be selected?, choose Automatic, then Dynamic Subscription.
  3. Check Your subscription plans. UpsellPlus lists the plans it will offer and skips plans with no discount, since they'd advertise a $0 saving. If none of your plans discount the price, the offer stays hidden.
  4. Choose the Item selection strategy for carts with several eligible items: Highest value item or First eligible item.
  5. Edit the message. Tokens: {product_name}, {first_order_discount} (from the plan's first-order discount), {delivery_interval} (for example "every 30 days").
  6. Save.


Each cart item gets the plan from its own subscription group, preferring the plan with the best discount.


Option 2: Offer a specific product as a subscription


  1. Go to Offers → Create Offer and choose a Cart or Checkout placement.
  2. On the Offers tab, choose Specific Products and pick a product with a selling plan.
  3. Click Add as a subscription, then Choose selling plans. Pick one plan, or several to let shoppers choose the frequency from a dropdown.
  4. To replace the one-time item rather than add a second one, choose Product Swap on the Behavior tab and set Swap Quantity to Match original quantity.
  5. On the Targeting tab, add Cart Products with the one-time version, so the offer only shows to shoppers who have it.
  6. Save.


Tips


  • Show the saving: mention the subscription discount in the message (for example with {first_order_discount}).
  • Offer several frequencies: attach multiple selling plans so shoppers pick what suits them.
  • Products that are subscription-only need at least one selling plan selected, or they can't be added to the cart.


FAQ


Do I need Shopify Plus?
Only for checkout offers. Cart offers work on every plan. After checkout, see How to upgrade customers to a subscription after checkout.


Why isn't my Dynamic Subscription offer showing?
The cart needs at least one item with a selling plan that gives a discount. Plans set to 0% off are skipped.


Does the subscription discount apply to every order?
Recurring prices come from the selling plan in your subscription app.



Updated on: 14/10/2026

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