# Products, payment links and subscriptions

> Save reusable products, share a self-serve checkout link, and bill customers on a weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly schedule.

Canonical: https://help.spacebrain.ai/payments/payment-links-and-subscriptions/
Last modified: 2026-09-25T00:00:00.000Z

This guide is for businesses that sell the same thing again and again. You will save products, create a payment link anyone can use to pay, and set up a subscription that sends a new invoice on a schedule.

## Before you begin [#before-you-begin]

* Complete **Invoice identity** and connect a ready payment account in **Payments → Settings**. See [Set up payment accounts](/payments/set-up-payment-accounts/).
* Payment links need a product first. Create it in **Products**.
* Decide whether you need a subscription or a membership. A subscription only sends invoices. A [membership](/memberships/) also tracks what the customer can use, such as classes or sessions.

## Products [#products]

Products are saved items with a price. You can use them on invoice lines, payment links and membership plans.

1. Open **Payments → Products** and choose **New product**.
2. Enter **Name**, **Description**, **Currency** and **Unit price**.
3. Leave **Active** on so the product can be picked.
4. Choose **Save**.

Changing a product later never changes invoices you already created. To stop offering a product, use **Archive** instead of deleting it.

## Payment links [#payment-links]

A payment link is a reusable checkout page for one fixed-price product. You do not need to create an invoice for each buyer. It works well for simple offers, such as a one-hour consultation.

### Create a payment link [#create-a-payment-link]

1. Open **Payments → Payment links** and choose **New payment link**.
2. Under **Link details**, enter an **Internal name**. Only your team sees it.
3. Choose the **Product**. Its name and price are copied into the link when you create it.
4. Choose the **Payment account**.
5. Optional: turn on **Let the customer choose quantity** and set a **Maximum quantity** (1–100).
6. Optional: set an **Expiration**.
7. Choose **Create payment link**.
8. On the link page, choose **Copy link** and share it by email, on your site or in social posts.

### What your customer sees [#what-your-customer-sees]

The customer enters **Your name** and **Email for receipt**, picks a quantity if allowed, and sees the total. They then pay on the provider's secure page. The payment appears in **Transactions**.

### Manage payment links [#manage-payment-links]

The list shows each link's status (**Active**, **Expired** or **Archived**), price and how much it has **Collected**. To stop a link, open it and choose **Archive**. To change the price, create a new link with an updated product, then archive the old one.

## Subscriptions (recurring invoices) [#subscriptions-recurring-invoices]

A subscription creates a normal invoice on a repeating schedule. Each invoice appears in **Invoices** and can be paid, reminded and refunded like any other.

### Create a subscription [#create-a-subscription]

1. Open **Payments → Subscriptions** and choose **New subscription**.
2. Under **Customer and schedule**, enter the **Subscription name**, **Customer name**, **Customer email** and **Currency**.
3. Choose a **Frequency**: **Weekly**, **Monthly**, **Quarterly** or **Yearly**.
4. Check the **Timezone**, then set the **First invoice date**. Add an **End date (optional)** if the schedule should stop.
5. Set **Payment terms (days)**. This is how long the customer has to pay each invoice.
6. Add an **Invoice memo (optional)**.
7. Turn on **Email each invoice automatically** if Spacebrain should send each invoice for you. Turn on **Use invoice reminders** to follow your reminder defaults.
8. Add line items. A discount here is a fixed amount on every invoice.
9. Choose **Create subscription**.

### What you should see [#what-you-should-see]

The subscription shows **Active**, the **Frequency**, the **Next invoice** date and the amount. After each run, the invoice history lists the new invoice and whether it was **Sent**, is **Pending**, needs **Manual** sending or **Needs attention**.

### Pause, resume or cancel [#pause-resume-or-cancel]

* **Pause** stops new invoices until you choose **Resume**.
* **Cancel subscription** stops all future invoices. Existing invoices and payment history are kept. Confirm in the **Cancel subscription?** dialog, or choose **Keep subscription** to back out.

### Automatic card collection [#automatic-card-collection]

Some subscriptions, such as those started from a signed [agreement](/agreements/billing-and-collections/) that uses automatic card collection, show an **Automatic collection** panel.

1. Choose **Create private payer setup link** and share it only with the payer. Creating the link does not send a message or give consent.
2. The payer opens the link and sets up a payment method. They can also replace or revoke it later.
3. Once the payer has authorized the schedule, you can choose **Review collection of this invoice**, check the details in **Collect this invoice?**, then choose **Queue collection**.

Each schedule needs its own payer consent. Adding a card does not collect earlier unpaid invoices by itself.

## Worked example: a monthly retainer [#worked-example-a-monthly-retainer]

A marketing consultant bills a client the same amount on the first of every month.

1. Create a product called "Monthly retainer".
2. Create a subscription with **Frequency** set to **Monthly** and the **First invoice date** on the 1st.
3. Set **Payment terms (days)** to 14 and turn on **Email each invoice automatically** and **Use invoice reminders**.
4. Each month, a new invoice is issued and emailed. The consultant checks **Invoices** for anything **Overdue**.

## If something goes wrong [#if-something-goes-wrong]

* **"No payment links yet" and I can't create one.** Create a product first, then try again.
* **A subscription invoice was not sent.** Open the subscription's invoice history. If it shows **Manual**, send it from the invoice. If it shows **Needs attention**, open the invoice to see why.
* **I need to change the price of a subscription.** Cancel the old subscription and create a new one from the next billing date, so the customer is not billed twice.
* **The link says it has expired.** The **Expiration** date passed. Create a new link and share it.

## FAQ [#faq]

### Is a subscription the same as automatic card billing? [#is-a-subscription-the-same-as-automatic-card-billing]

No. A subscription creates and sends invoices on a schedule. Customers pay each invoice unless the payer has separately authorized automatic collection.

### Can I use a payment link for different prices? [#can-i-use-a-payment-link-for-different-prices]

No. Each link sells one product at one price. Create a separate link for each price.

## Next step [#next-step]

[Check payments and issue refunds](/payments/transactions-and-refunds/).