Overview
You can create a subscription contract directly from the Subi admin panel — without the customer visiting your storefront or going through checkout. This is useful for:
Phone and email orders — convert leads into recurring revenue during a call or conversation
B2B clients — set up automatic monthly deliveries for wholesale customers
Migrations — move customers from a previous subscription platform or spreadsheet
Support requests — re-create a subscription that was cancelled by mistake
Before you start
Make sure the following are in place:
At least one Subscription Plan is active in Subi
The customer exists in your Shopify admin — a saved payment method is not required to create the subscription, but nothing is charged until the customer has one (see the FAQ below)
The products you want to subscribe have a selling plan attached via Subi
Step 1 — Open the Create subscription page
In your Shopify admin, go to Apps → Subi Subscriptions → Contracts.
Click the Create subscription button in the top-right corner.
Step 2 — Add products
On the Create subscription form, use the Products section to add items to the subscription.
Type a product name in the search field, or click Browse to open the product picker.
Select one or more products and click Add.
Step 3 — Select a customer
In the Customer section on the right, click Search customer and search by name or email. The search covers every customer in your Shopify admin, including customers who have never subscribed or ordered before, so a phone-order lead, a B2B account or a customer you are migrating can be found straight away. Selecting a customer that Subi did not know yet saves them into Subi automatically.
If Shopify cannot be searched at that moment, the modal shows a warning instead of a result list: Couldn't search your Shopify customers just now. Showing saved customers only — try again in a moment. (or Couldn't search customers just now… when nothing could be searched at all). That warning means the search could not run — it is not an answer about whether the customer exists. Wait a moment and search again.
Click the customer in the dropdown to select them.
Once selected, Subi will automatically load the customer's:
Payment method — saved cards on file in Shopify
Shipping addresses — all addresses on the customer's account
Step 4 — Set billing and shipping
With the customer selected:
Choose the payment method to charge for future renewals (if the customer has none, you can still continue — see Step 5)
If the customer has no saved payment method, you can click Send payment method request email to email them a link to add a card in their account on your store. This button is only available when your store uses new customer accounts — see the FAQ below
Select a shipping address (or enter a new one)
Review the billing date for the first and future orders
Check Charge first payment immediately if you want to bill the customer right away
Step 5 — Create the subscription
Once products, customer and shipping address are set, the Create subscription button becomes active.
If the customer has no saved payment method, Subi asks Create subscription without a payment method? — click Create anyway to continue. The customer is not charged on the billing date until they have a saved card on your store. On a store with new customer accounts, the customer can add one in their account and it is assigned to this subscription automatically.
Click Create subscription to confirm.
Subi will create the subscription contract and — if you selected immediate charge — process the first payment automatically.
After creation
The new subscription will appear in the Contracts list. From there you can:
View and manage the subscription like any other contract
Skip, pause, or cancel orders
Edit products, quantities, or billing frequency
Frequently asked questions
Can I create a subscription without a saved payment method?
Yes. If the customer has no saved payment method, the Payment method section shows This customer has no saved payment methods. and Subi asks you to confirm with Create anyway. The subscription is created, but the customer is not charged until they have a saved card on your store. If your store uses new customer accounts, the customer can add a card in their account — as soon as they do, it is assigned to this subscription automatically and billing starts on the next billing date.
Why is the Send payment method request email button greyed out?
The Send payment method request email button asks the customer to sign in to their account on your store and add a card. Subi disables it when your customers have nowhere to do that:
Legacy customer accounts — the note under the button reads Your store uses legacy customer accounts, which have no place for customers to add a card. Upgrade to new customer accounts to send this request. Follow Shopify's guide to upgrading to new customer accounts.
Customer accounts turned off — the note reads Customer accounts are turned off on your store, so customers have no place to add a card. Turn them on to send this request. Follow Shopify's guide to managing customer accounts.
Once your store uses new customer accounts, the button is available again. The same applies on the subscription contract page, where the Payment Method card shows No payment method on file. You can still create the subscription without a card either way.
Can I create a subscription for a customer who has never ordered from my store?
Yes. As long as the customer exists in your Shopify admin, the Search customer box finds them, even if they have never placed an order or subscribed before.
Will the customer receive a confirmation email?
Yes. Shopify sends an order confirmation for the first order if you chose immediate charge. Subi also sends subscription-related emails based on your notification settings.
Can I create a subscription for a product without a selling plan?
No. Products must have a selling plan (subscription plan) assigned in Subi before they can be added to a manual subscription.
Can I backdate the subscription start date?
No. The subscription starts from the date of creation. You can adjust the next billing date after creation from the contract detail page.