Refunds and Cancellations

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Canceling Subscriptions

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Cancellation Options

• Cancel Immediately - Subscription ends right away and no further charges occur
• Cancel at Period End - Customer retains access until the end of the current billing period

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Programmatic Cancellation

import { createCreem } from "creem_io";

const creem = createCreem({
  apiKey: process.env.CREEM_API_KEY!,
  testMode: process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production",
});

// Cancel subscription
const canceled = await creem.subscriptions.cancel({
  subscriptionId: "sub_YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID",
});

console.log("Subscription canceled:", canceled);

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Customer Self-Service Cancellation

import { CreemPortal } from "@creem_io/nextjs";

export function ManageSubscriptionButton({ customerId }: { customerId: string }) {
  return (
    <CreemPortal customerId={customerId}>
      <button>Manage Subscription</button>
    </CreemPortal>
  );
}

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Processing Refunds

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Dashboard Refunds

1. Navigate to Transactions or Subscriptions
2. Find the transaction you want to refund
3. Click on the transaction details
4. Select Refund
5. Choose full or partial refund amount
6. Confirm the refund

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Refund Types

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Refund Processing

• Immediate processing - Refunds are processed immediately
• Customer notification - Customer receives an email notification
• Webhook event - A refund.created webhook is sent
• 5-10 business days - Funds typically appear in customer’s account within 5-10 business days

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Cancellation Policies

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Best Practices

1. Clear Communication
   • Set clear expectations about cancellation policies
   • Communicate what happens to customer data after cancellation
   • Explain billing cycle and refund policies upfront
2. Retention Strategies
   • Offer to pause subscription instead of canceling
   • Provide downgrade options to lower-tier plans
   • Ask for feedback to improve your service
3. Grace Periods
   • Consider offering a grace period for failed payments
   • Allow customers to reactivate within a certain timeframe
   • Preserve customer data for a reasonable period

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Cancellation Flow Example

import { createCreem } from "creem_io";

const creem = createCreem({
  apiKey: process.env.CREEM_API_KEY!,
});

async function handleCancellation(subscriptionId: string, reason?: string) {
  try {
    // Log cancellation reason for analytics
    console.log(`Canceling subscription: ${subscriptionId}`, { reason });

    // Cancel the subscription
    const canceled = await creem.subscriptions.cancel({
      subscriptionId,
    });

    // Send cancellation email to customer
    await sendCancellationEmail(canceled.customer.email);

    // Update internal database
    await db.subscription.update({
      where: { id: subscriptionId },
      data: { status: "canceled", canceledAt: new Date() },
    });

    return { success: true, subscription: canceled };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Cancellation failed:", error);
    throw error;
  }
}

​

Handling Cancellation Events

// app/api/webhook/creem/route.ts
import { Webhook } from "@creem_io/nextjs";

export const POST = Webhook({
  webhookSecret: process.env.CREEM_WEBHOOK_SECRET!,
  onSubscriptionCanceled: async ({ subscription, customer }) => {
    console.log(`Subscription ${subscription.id} canceled`);
    
    // Revoke access in your database
    await revokeAccess(customer.email);
    
    // Send cancellation confirmation email
    await sendEmail({
      to: customer.email,
      subject: "Subscription Canceled",
      body: "Your subscription has been canceled...",
    });
  },
});

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Failed Payments

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Payment Retry Logic

1. Automatic retries - Creem automatically retries failed payments
2. Status changes - Subscription moves to “unpaid” status
3. Customer notification - Customer receives email to update payment method
4. Grace period - Subscription remains active during retry period
5. Final failure - After all retries fail, subscription may be canceled

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Handling Failed Payments

// Handle failed payment webhook
await creem.webhooks.handleEvents(
  request.body,
  request.headers["creem-signature"],
  {
    onSubscriptionPastDue: async (data) => {
      const { subscription, customer } = data;
      
      // Notify customer to update payment method
      await sendPaymentFailedEmail(customer.email, {
        portalLink: `https://yoursite.com/portal?customer=${customer.id}`,
      });
      
      // Optionally restrict access or show warning
      await showPaymentWarning(customer.email);
    },
    
    onSubscriptionCanceled: async (data) => {
      // After all retries failed
      await revokeAccess(data.customer.email);
      await sendSubscriptionEndedEmail(data.customer.email);
    },
  }
);

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Next Steps