How does membership renewal work?
There is no automatic direct debit: each member remains free to renew, either from a link sent by email before the due date or by returning to the membership page. And renewing creates a brand-new membership, with a new card, a new number and a new QR code: the same card does not carry on working.
On your side, you have nothing to do: the reminders are sent automatically, and your dashboard flags the memberships that are coming up for expiry.
Reminders before expiry
30, then 15, then 7 days before the end of a member's membership, that member receives an email titled “Your membership is expiring soon”, at 9 a.m., with a link to renew and pay online without having to work out how. A membership paid on No limit never expires and therefore triggers no reminders.
How the member renews
From their donor area, in the Memberships section, the Renew button appears as soon as the membership expires within 30 days, or once it has expired. It leads to the public membership page, where the member goes through the same process as at their first sign-up: choice of rate, options, questions, then payment.
Does the card remain valid after a renewal?
No. Each renewal is a new order, which creates a new membership: new number, new QR code, and a new card sent by email. The old card remains linked to the old membership: it will display “Membership expired” as soon as its own end date has passed. At the entrance to an event or to your premises, it is therefore the most recent card that should be scanned. To find out everything about the card itself, read how the digital membership card works.
Important: a member who renews early, before the end of their current membership, may therefore see two active memberships at the same time for a few days: the old one, until its end date, and the new one. This is not an error.
The price of a renewal
A renewal follows the same process as a first membership: if you have activated Automatic proration on your membership, it also applies to an early renewal, and a promo code that is still valid can be reused. If you have changed your rates since the previous season, a member who renews pays the new amount, not the old one.
Tracking renewals from the dashboard
On your membership page, the figure Expiring soon counts the members whose membership ends within the next 30 days, and the Mailing section lets you send reminders yourself: write to Expiring soon (less than 30 days) or to Expired members, in addition to the automatic reminders.
What if the member does not renew?
Nothing for you to do: as soon as their end date has passed, the membership automatically switches to expired status, every day. Their card then displays “Membership expired” when scanned, and the member no longer has access to what the membership gave them. If they return later, they renew like any new member, online or, if they pay in cash or by cheque at your office, via Add a member from your dashboard (see how to track and validate your members' memberships).
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| The member renews before the end | New membership created straight away, with its own card; the old one remains valid until its end date. |
| The member renews after expiry | New membership created at the moment of payment, with a new card. |
| The member does not renew | The membership switches to expired status on its end date, without any action on your part. |
| Membership paid on No limit | Never expires: no reminders, no renewal needed. |
Preparing the next season
Renewing an individual member is one thing; relaunching your entire membership for a new season is another. Rather than recreating your membership from scratch each year, duplicate it from its status button: the rates, options and form questions are copied into a new membership in draft, which you adjust (new dates, new amounts) before activating it. The details of this step are in how to create a membership campaign.
Good to know: duplicating a membership does not copy its members: these are two different matters, one for the structure of the membership, the other for each person who joins it.
Key takeaways
- No automatic direct debit: the member chooses for themselves whether to renew.
- Reminder emails are sent automatically 30, 15 and then 7 days before the due date.
- Renewing creates a new membership with a new card, a new number and a new QR code: it is not the same card that remains valid.
- Without renewal, the membership automatically switches to expired status on its end date.
- For a new season, duplicate your membership rather than creating a new one.