# Bolt Subscriptions Setup

> Set up Bolt Subscriptions in your Merchant Dashboard.

Source: https://help.boltapp.com/products/bolt-subscriptions/subscriptions-setup

Use Bolt Subscriptions to sell digital goods on a recurring basis, from an external storefront or inside your app or game.

## Prerequisites [#prerequisites]

Create a [Bolt Merchant account](https://merchant.boltapp.com/onboarding/get-started) and finish onboarding first.

## Quickstart [#quickstart]

To get started with Bolt Subscriptions, complete the following steps:

1. [Create and activate your Bolt Merchant account](#create-and-activate-your-bolt-merchant-account)
2. [Complete Merchant Dashboard setup](#complete-merchant-dashboard-setup)
3. [Configure products and plans](#configure-products-and-plans)
4. [Get checkout links](#get-checkout-links)
5. [Manage subscriptions](#manage-subscriptions)
6. [Configure failed payment recovery](#configure-failed-payment-recovery)
7. [Review shopper notifications](#review-shopper-notifications)
8. [Configure a tax provider](#configure-a-tax-provider)

## Create and Activate Your Bolt Merchant Account [#create-and-activate-your-bolt-merchant-account]

1. Create a [Bolt Merchant account](https://merchant.boltapp.com/onboarding/get-started).
2. Provide your company **Website URL**.
3. Provide your company and personal details.
4. Accept the terms and submit the form.
5. Open the activation email from Bolt and follow the link to complete your setup.

After activation, sign in to your [Bolt Merchant account](https://merchant.boltapp.com/).

## Complete Merchant Dashboard Setup [#complete-merchant-dashboard-setup]

Sign in to your [Bolt Merchant account](https://merchant.boltapp.com/) and finish the remaining setup tasks in the dashboard.

<img alt="Dashboard setup tasks" src="__img0" />

### Upload a logo [#upload-a-logo]

1. Go to **Checkout** settings.
2. Under **Configuration**, click **Browse Files** to upload your logo.

<img alt="Company logo upload" src="__img1" />

### Provide Customer Support Contact [#provide-customer-support-contact]

1. Go to **Administration** settings.
2. Select **Business Info**.
3. Find the **Shopper Support Contact Information** section and enter your support contact info.

<img alt="Shopper support contact" src="__img2" />

## Configure Products and Plans [#configure-products-and-plans]

To enable a digital subscription:

1. In the **Commerce** section of the left navigation, click **Subscriptions**.
2. Click the **Products** tab, then click **Create Product**.
3. Fill in the product form and select at least one plan.

<img alt="Create product button" src="__img3" />

The form collects information about the product you will sell and the subscription plans you want to offer. Each product can have multiple plans (for example, monthly and yearly), but at least one plan is required.

<img alt="Product form" src="__img4" />
<img alt="Plan example" src="__img5" />

<Tip>
  You can choose weekly, monthly, or yearly subscriptions. Changing the Frequency value allows extra flexibility; for example, `Frequency = 3` and `Unit = monthly` yields a quarterly subscription.
</Tip>

<img alt="Quarterly plan example" src="__img6" />

## Get Checkout Links [#get-checkout-links]

After creating a product:

1. Open the **Product** view to see all plans associated with it.
2. Navigate to each **Plan** to get the Bolt checkout link for the subscription.
3. Add those checkout links to buttons wherever shoppers should subscribe.

<img alt="Product view" src="__img7" />
<img alt="Checkout link on plan" src="__img8" />

## Manage Subscriptions [#manage-subscriptions]

Subscriptions appear on the **Subscriptions** tab. The table shows active and canceled subscriptions across products.

* Use the search box to find a specific subscription.
* Click a subscription to view details, orders, and the next scheduled charge.

<img alt="Subscriptions table" src="__img9" />

The subscription view shows all orders associated with the subscription, including the next scheduled charge.

<img alt="Subscription details" src="__img10" />

### Cancel a Subscription [#cancel-a-subscription]

1. Open the subscription details.
2. Click **Cancel Subscription** and confirm.

## Configure Failed Payment Recovery [#configure-failed-payment-recovery]

Bolt automatically retries failed renewal payments and reminds subscribers before each renewal. Configure this from the **Payment Recovery** tab:

1. In the **Commerce** section of the left navigation, click **Subscriptions**.
2. Click the **Payment Recovery** tab .
3. Set **Retry schedule (hours after failure)**: a comma-separated list of hour offsets from the initial payment failure, for example `24, 72, 168, 336`. Up to 10 entries, strictly increasing, each at most 2160 hours (90 days).
4. Set **Renewal reminder lead days**: a comma-separated list of days before renewal to email subscribers, for example `30, 7, 3`. Up to 10 entries, each at most 90 days, no duplicates.
5. Choose **After final retry fails**: **Cancel subscription** or **Pause subscription**, the action Bolt takes once every retry in the schedule has failed.
6. Turn on **SMS notifications** to also text subscribers when a renewal payment fails, in addition to email.
7. Click **Save Settings**.

<Tip>
  If you haven't configured these settings yet, Bolt applies defaults: retries at 24, 72, 168, and 336 hours after failure, reminders at 30, 7, and 3 days before renewal, and cancellation as the final action.
</Tip>

## Review Shopper Notifications [#review-shopper-notifications]

Bolt sends transactional emails for subscription events (created, renewed, canceled). See examples below.

### Subscription Created Email [#subscription-created-email]

<img alt="Subscription created email" src="__img11" />

### Subscription Renew Email [#subscription-renew-email]

<img alt="Subscription renew email" src="__img12" />

### Subscription Payment Update Email [#subscription-payment-update-email]

<img alt="Subscription payment update email" src="__img13" />

When a shopper updates their payment method using the link in this email, Bolt retries the failed payment immediately.

### Subscription Cancel Email [#subscription-cancel-email]

<img alt="Subscription cancel email" src="__img14" />

## Configure a Tax Provider [#configure-a-tax-provider]

The instructions below apply only for digital goods and subscriptions:

1. In your [Bolt Merchant account](https://merchant.boltapp.com/), go to **Integrations**.

<img alt="Integrations tab" src="__img15" />

2. In **Tax Compliance Provider**, choose your provider and enter provider credentials:
   * **TaxJar**: API Key
   * **Avalara**: Account ID and License Key

<img alt="Tax provider configuration" src="__img16" />

3. Click **Update credentials** to save and activate tax calculations.

<Tip>
  Ensure your account with the selected provider is active and properly configured before connecting.
</Tip>

## Related [#related]

* [Bolt Subscriptions](/products/subscriptions)
* [Subscriptions integration guide](/api-reference/guides/subscriptions)
* [API keys](/getting-started/api-keys)