When a student purchases a membership, it lasts for 30 days starting from the exact date of payment, not for a “calendar month.”
For example:
If a student pays on September 23, their membership lasts until October 23.
They’ll be billed again automatically on the 23rd of each month.
Why Change a Student’s Billing Date?
You should only move a billing date if the student specifically requests it (for example, to align with their payday or a sibling’s plan).
⚠️ Important: If the gym owner simply wants to receive payouts on a specific day, they should not change every student’s billing cycle. The correct solution is to update the Stripe payout schedule, it achieves the same result without touching any subscriptions.
How to Change a Student’s Billing Date Safely
The safest and cleanest way to move a billing date in Stripe is by adding a free trial period to the existing subscription.
This allows you to delay the next charge without double-billing the customer.
Step-by-Step Guide
Find the Subscription
Open the Stripe Dashboard.
Search for the student by name or email.
Open their active subscription.
Edit the Subscription
Click Update Subscription.
Click the icon under Free trial days
Set the New Billing Date
Enter Free trial days as the desired next billing date.
There are two possibilities:
The new billing date is before the customer's next billing date
(e.g. the customer's next billing date is October 15, and they want to change it to October 1).In this case, tick the box next to "Bill for prorated change amount" and select "On Next Invoice After the Update."
This way, the customer will pay a reduced amount covering only the period between their current billing date and the new, earlier billing date.
(e.g. if their billing date is the 15th and they want to change it to the 1st, they will pay a prorated amount covering the period from the 15th to the 1st.)
The new billing date is after the customer's next billing date
(e.g. the customer's next billing date is October 15, and they want to change it to November 1).In this case, simply add Free Trial Days until the desired billing date.
This option is easier, but keep in mind that you are giving the student a few additional days of their subscription for free.
Review and Save
Verify that the next invoice date now matches the intended billing date.
Save the changes. The student will not be charged until the trial ends.
Important Notes
No Double Charges: Using a trial ensures the customer is not billed twice.
Prorations: Stripe automatically pauses billing until the trial ends.
Credits: You don’t need to manually refund or credit previous payments — the trial simply delays the next one.
Customer View: Students will see that their “next payment is due on [new date].”
Example Scenarios
Example 1: Align with Payday
A student is billed on the 5th, but wants to move it to the 15th.
You add a 10-day free trial to their current subscription.
→ They won’t be charged until the 15th, and all future payments will occur on the 15th going forward.
Example 2: Align with a Sibling’s Billing Date
Two siblings have separate memberships, one billed on the 2nd and another on the 20th.
You add a trial period to the first subscription so both renew on the 20th.
→ Future charges are synchronized automatically.