Hi people - I started doing this as a wishlist item in github, but then realised there are some ins and outs it’s worth getting thoughts / agreement on first. I think is quite likely we can find a papercut form of solution for this
I also realise it interacts with split checkout . . which I’m not yet familiar enough with to discuss, so perhaps working out these other bits first
Description
As a Hub with subscriptions, I use the order creation process for the customer to tell me what they want in their subscription (which I then manually create). I want to remove the step where I have to chase Customers to go to their account and ‘allow charges’ on the credit card. They feel like they have already done this and I lose customers at this point
I want Customers to be able to complete this step when they are creating their order and checking out the first time - rather than needing another step
Possible solution and questions . .
In the Checkout:
Additional checkbox that says “I authorise my credit card to be used for subscriptions”
When that checkbox is selected by the customer, the ‘allow_charges’ is set for this shop, along with creation of the customer if this is their first order
When would this checkbox appear?
As a shop preference set by Shop manager?
and/or if Subscriptions are enabled?
and/or if Terms and Conditions are enabled to ensure coverage of Customer agreement to this
Could be some conditions in which there is no actual need for another checkbox? If Terms and Conditions and Subscriptions are on, could a Shop set a preference that ‘remembering this card’ or just using a card sets the ‘allow_charges’ to on? Too risky?
I am slightly tempted by the ‘make it a default’ IF
subscriptions are enabled AND
the shop has Terms & Conditions enabled, and file uploaded
This does however create a risk that someone doesn’t explain properly in T&Cs and uses badly, or do explain but customer doesn’t read. We are not going to be checking this, so there is a risk as platform provider that we will get the blame if someone uses that authorisation in a way the customer is not expecting.
Is there a reason we would only ‘allow charges’ for subscription orders? Why wouldn’t we allow a customer to authorize their card to be charged for any order? The same pain point exists when the hub manager adds to an order. Eventhough the customer has saved their card to the store - the manager has to chase them for card credentials. Or else hit their card via stripe and manually update their OFN account via a payment. Customers don’t understand this - they think they have already authorized the store to use their card. (The ‘risk’ is actually greater when the hub manager hits the card via stripe - because they can hit the card for any amount - not just the amount on the customer’s order.)
@Kirsten In FR most shops using subscriptions are not using credit cards. So if this is allowed, customers will always see the checkbox but they cannot use it. It might create confusion?
Therefore, I would favor a settings in shop preferences. Also this way it could be indeed de-coupled from subscriptions and showed any time a hub manager wants it to appear in the checkout process.
However @tschumilas this won’t answer your need, which is for a hub manager to be allowed to manually take money from shoppers’s account (as subscription are allowed to). I guess this is another wishlist?