> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://subscriptions-docs.getappfox.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bill monthly, deliver bimonthly

> Practical workaround for mismatched billing and delivery schedules

Some subscription businesses want to charge monthly but deliver less frequently — for example, a plant club that charges £10/month and ships a plant every two months. Shopify's subscription rules don't support this natively, but there's a practical workaround.

## Why Shopify blocks it

Shopify requires the billing interval to be a whole-number multiple of the delivery interval. You can prepay for more frequent deliveries (bill every 2 months, deliver monthly), but you cannot charge more often than you deliver (bill monthly, deliver every 2 months).

This is a platform rule that applies to all Shopify subscription apps, not an Appfox limitation.

## What Appfox supports natively

Appfox prepaid plans support the Shopify-native direction: billing period as a multiple of fulfillment frequency.

**Example:** You want to deliver products monthly but collect payment every 2 months.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a Prepaid or Advanced Prepaid plan">
    In the app, click **Plans** → **Create Subscription Plan**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the plan type">
    Choose **Prepaid** or **Advanced Prepaid** from the **Plan Type** dropdown.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure frequencies">
    * **Fulfillment Frequency**: Every 1 month
    * **Billing Period**: Every 2 months
  </Step>
</Steps>

Customers pay every 2 months and receive a delivery every month. This is fully supported and creates a standard Shopify subscription contract.

<Tip>
  For more on plan settings, see [Subscription plans](/plans).
</Tip>

## Workaround for bill monthly, deliver bimonthly

If you need to charge monthly but deliver every 2 months — the reverse scenario — here's the operational pattern that works with Appfox today.

### Set up the plan

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a Pay as you go plan">
    Go to **Plans** → **Create Subscription Plan** and set **Plan Type** to **Pay as you go**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set monthly billing">
    Configure the billing frequency to **Every 1 month**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Price the product at the monthly rate">
    Set the product price to your monthly membership amount (e.g., £10).
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Handle fulfillment manually

Because Shopify creates an order every month, you'll need to manage fulfillment based on your delivery schedule:

* **Odd billing cycles (months 1, 3, 5, ...)**: Do not fulfill the order. You can leave it unfulfilled, mark it on hold in your fulfillment system, or cancel fulfillment. This represents the monthly "membership" charge.
* **Even billing cycles (months 2, 4, 6, ...)**: Fulfill the order normally and ship the product.

<Warning>
  You will receive a Shopify order every month. Your fulfillment team must distinguish between membership charges (no shipment) and delivery cycles (ship the product).
</Warning>

### Customer communication

Because customers are charged monthly, they'll see a recurring charge every month in the customer portal. Make sure your product page copy clearly explains:

* They're charged every month
* They receive a delivery every 2 months
* What happens in the "off" months (e.g., "Your monthly membership keeps your spot in the queue")

Consider using custom email templates (see [Emails](/emails)) to remind customers of the delivery schedule after each charge.

### Handling skipped cycles

If a customer wants to skip an upcoming delivery cycle, you can **pause** the subscription before the next charge and **resume** it afterward. See [Subscriptions](/subscriptions) for how to pause and resume.

<Note>
  Appfox does not support order skipping from the customer portal. Pause and resume is the recommended approach.
</Note>

## Alternative approaches

### Flip to prepaid

If monthly charges aren't a business requirement, flip the model:

* Ship every month
* Bill every 2 months (£20 per charge)
* Market the effective monthly price (e.g., "£10/month, billed every 2 months")

This is Shopify-native and doesn't require manual fulfillment discipline.

### Advertise the bundled price

Another option: advertise the bimonthly price up front and frame it as a bundle.

* Charge £20 every 2 months
* Deliver one product every 2 months
* Market it as "Two months of membership for £20"

This is honest, Shopify-native, and avoids operational complexity.

## What not to expect

Appfox does not currently support:

* Native "bill more often than you deliver" plans
* Customer-facing skip buttons in the portal (pause/resume is the supported pattern)

If your business model requires charging monthly for bimonthly deliveries, the Pay as you go + manual fulfillment workaround above is the recommended path.

***

For setup help or questions, contact [support@getappfox.com](mailto:support@getappfox.com).