This page is essential for properly setting up the Simple Membership Plugin. Since there are multiple ways to configure access—such as free access, one-time payments, and recurring subscriptions—we’ve outlined each scenario in detail. We strongly recommend reading through this documentation carefully to fully understand your options and choose the configuration that best fits your needs.
Membership levels allow you to easily control and assign what content your members CAN and CANNOT see on your site.
Once a visitor becomes a member, they are assigned to one of the membership levels that you have created. Subsequently, members can access content based on their respective membership level.
You can think of a membership level as an access “category” or “template” for your members. You will assign members to any of the membership levels that you have created. The member will then get access according to their assigned membership level.
Table of Contents
- Adding a New Membership Level
- Membership Level and Access Duration
- Understanding the Access Start and Expiry Dates
- Understanding the Access Start and Remaining Time for Renewal
- Free vs. Paid Membership Levels
- Membership Pricing for Paid Memberships
- Membership Payment Types and Access Durations
- Managing Remaining Time After Subscription Cancellation (Prorating)
- Additional Related Documentation
Adding a New Membership Level
Go to the “Membership Level” menu from the membership plugin’s admin interface. See screenshot below:
Next, click on the “Add New” button to add a new membership access level.
Give your membership level a name and choose the membership access duration value then hit the “Add New Membership Level” button.
You can use one of the following types of access duration for your membership level
- No Expiry
- Expire After XX Days (example: 90 days)
- Expire After XX Weeks (example: 14 weeks)
- Expire After XX Months (example: 6 months)
- Expire After XX Years (example: 3 years)
- Expire on a Fixed Date (example: 01/01/2022)
- Annual Expiration Date (example: December 31)
Membership Level and Access Duration
The membership level determines how long a member can access the content associated with that level.
For example: If you create a level with a 1-year duration, members assigned to that level will have access to the content for 1 year from their join date. After this period, their account will expire, requiring them to renew or upgrade to regain access. Upon renewal, they will receive access for another year, and the cycle continues.
An exception to this rule is when using a “fixed date expiry”. In this case, the expiration date is set to a specific date, and renewing will not automatically extend this fixed expiry date.
You can create as many membership levels as needed to cater to different variations of content access on your site. Assign members to the appropriate membership level based on the access duration and content permissions you wish to provide.
The following section provides basic examples of the three different types of “Expiry Setup” and their typical use cases.
1) No Expiry (Ongoing Membership Type Setup)
This option is typically used for a free membership level or for a subscription payment type setup.
For example: To charge a monthly membership fee, you can create a PayPal and/or Stripe subscription button using this option. The member’s account will remain active as long as the subscription is ongoing. If the subscription is canceled, the associated member account will be deactivated.
2) Expire After (Duration Type Setup)
This option is typically used to sell a membership with a one-time payment. Members can also renew their membership if desired. Additionally, it can be used for subscription payments as well.
For example: To charge $50 for a 6-month membership, you can use this option. Members can renew their membership by making another payment before the 6-month period ends, extending their access for an additional 6 months.
You can use it to offer a trial membership also. For example: you can set up a 14-day membership that you offer for free. During this period, the member has 14 days to make a payment and upgrade their account. If no payment is made, the account will be deactivated after the 14 days.
This option can also be used with a subscription payment button. For instance, if you set the membership level duration to 3 months, you can create a subscription button that charges every 3 months. As long as the recurring payment is received within the 3-month period, the membership will be extended for another 3 months. If the subscription is canceled, the membership will be deactivated at the end of the 3-month term.
3) Expire on a Fixed Date (Hard Expiry Date)
This option can be used to offer a membership that expires on a specific date, with no extensions allowed. It is ideal for offering a one-time membership that concludes on a predetermined date.
4) Annual Expiration Date (Calendar or Fiscal Year)
This option is particularly useful for memberships aligned with calendar years, fiscal years, or any recurring annual cycle. With this option, you can define a fixed expiration date each year, ensuring all members in a level renew or expire on the same schedule. Additionally, an optional “minimum period” setting provides flexibility to extend access for late joiners, preventing short-term memberships.
The annual membership documentation explains how to configure this type of membership access.
Understanding the Access Start and Expiry Dates
Access to protected content and the expiry of a member’s account are determined by the following two factors:
- Access Start Date set in the member’s profile.
- Membership Level assigned to the member.
The Access Start Date is automatically set to the date when the user joins your site or when they make a payment for a paid membership. To determine when a member’s account will expire, check the Access Duration of the assigned membership level and compare it with the Access Start Date of the member. Once an account has expired, the member will no longer have permission to view the protected content.
Understanding the Access Start and Remaining Time for Renewal
When an existing member makes a payment for a membership level that is already assigned to their account, the system treats that payment as a renewal.
In this case, the plugin calculates the member’s remaining access time and determines how the new payment extends the membership access period according to the membership level configuration.
Refer to the renewal payment logic documentation for detailed information on how the renewal payment logic works and how to configure it.
Free vs. Paid Membership Levels
When creating a membership level in Simple Membership, you don’t need to explicitly define it as free or paid. Instead, whether a membership level is free or paid depends on how you grant access to it:
- Free Membership Level: If you allow users to register and access a membership level without requiring payment, it functions as a free membership.
- Paid Membership Level: If you configure a payment option and require users to complete a payment before gaining access, it becomes a paid membership level.
This approach gives you flexibility in structuring your memberships based on your specific needs.
Membership Pricing for Paid Memberships
Simple Membership does not assign a fixed price to membership levels within the setup. Instead, pricing is determined by the payment options you configure.
To set up pricing for your paid membership levels, follow these steps:
- Choose a Payment Method:
- Simple Membership includes built-in payment options for PayPal and Stripe to handle membership payments.
- Additionally, the plugin supports integrations with various e-commerce solutions for more payment flexibility.
- Create a Payment Button:
- Generate a payment button using your preferred payment method.
- Configure it to associate with the desired membership level.
- Add the Payment Button to Your Site:
- Place the payment button on your “Join Us” or “Pricing” page so users can easily purchase the membership.
This approach provides flexibility, allowing you to:
- Offer multiple pricing options for the same membership level.
- Integrate additional payment gateways if needed.
- Modify payment methods in the future without disrupting access for existing members.
For more details on configuring membership payments, refer to the “Membership Payment Options“ section of our documentation.
Membership Payment Types and Access Durations
To help you better understand how membership payment types interact with different access durations, refer to the matrix below. This matrix outlines the available options for setting up memberships on your site.
Membership Payment Types
- Free Membership: Ideal for offering free access to your content.
- One-time Payment (Buy Now): Perfect for a single upfront payment granting access for a specified duration.
- Recurring Payments (Subscription): Best for ongoing access with periodic billing, such as monthly or yearly subscriptions.
| Access Duration | Free Membership | One-time Payment | Recurring Payments (Subscription) |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Expiry | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Expire After an Interval | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Expire After a Fixed Date | Supported | Supported | Not-ideal |
Managing Remaining Time After Subscription Cancellation (Prorating)
If you are using a subscription-based button to charge recurring payments for membership and want members to retain access for the remaining time after canceling their subscription, follow these steps:
To avoid the immediate deactivation of a member’s account upon subscription cancellation, do not use the “No Expiry” option for the membership level. The “No Expiry” option will deactivate the account as soon as the subscription is canceled. Instead, set a duration value that matches or exceeds the subscription period by one day. This approach ensures that the plugin allows the member to use their remaining subscription time, with the account being deactivated only after the set duration expires.
Example Setup for Remaining Time
Suppose you create a subscription payment button that charges every 30 days. In the membership level configuration, set the subscription duration to 31 days. The extra day acts as a buffer, allowing the payment gateway to process the recurring charge and notify the plugin before the account is deactivated. This setup creates a 31-day cycle, ensuring that the member retains access for 31 days after each recurring charge. If the subscription is canceled, the account will remain active until the end of the current cycle.
Additional Related Documentation
The related documents listed below will be very beneficial for you to read and learn about the membership system.
Manually Activating an Expired Account
If you want to learn how to manually activate an expired member’s account, read this documentation.
Creating Membership Renewal Payment Buttons
If you want to learn how to create renewal payment buttons, read this documentation.
Membership Upgrade Payment Buttons
To learn more about how the plugin handles membership upgrade payments, please refer to this documentation.
Calendar Year Membership Setup
If you’re looking to establish a calendar-year membership on your site, this documentation offers valuable guidance and tips.
Subscription/Recurring Payments
If your membership site utilizes subscription or recurring payments (such as PayPal or Stripe subscription payment buttons), then review this documentation.
What Happens if a Subscription Payment is Cancelled
If you are using a recurring payment model for your memberships, then refer to this documentation to learn more about what happens when a subscription payment is cancelled.
Offering Free Membership Levels
If you want to offer free membership levels on your site, please refer to this documentation for more detailed information.