Creating bundles with a subscription plan like like Recharge, Seal, and Appstle in Simple Bundles 2.0

If you’re using subscriptions with your bundles, it’s important to know that native subscription support is not currently available through the Cart Transform API in Simple Bundles 2.0 due to Shopify limitations. However, you can still use subscriptions seamlessly, as the app will automatically fall back to the order editing method when a subscription is present in the order.

With order editing, bundles are broken down at the order level instead of at checkout. This allows Simple Bundles 2.0 to work smoothly with the most popular third-party subscription apps, helping you combine bundles and subscription products while maintaining accurate order processing and inventory management.

Popular subscription apps recommended for merchants

Many merchants have integrated their bundles with leading subscription platforms. Some of the popular options include:

• Recharge Subscriptions
• Seal Subscriptions
• Appstle
• Bold Subscriptions
• Loop Subscriptions
• Skio

Key considerations for subscription orders in Simple Bundles 2.0

Subscription orders processed through third-party apps are considered to originate outside of Shopify’s native sales channel. As a result, they are handled using the same order editing process as in Simple Bundles 1.0.

However, when the bundle is sold as a one-time purchase only, the bundle product will be broken down into its components at checkout using the Cart Transform API method.

Using subscription-only products in bundles in the Recharge app

If you're using Recharge Subscriptions and including subscription-only products (i.e., no one-time purchase option enabled) in your bundles, it’s important to note that Shopify will reject the add-to-cart action when the bundle is added to the cart via the storefront. This issue is not theme-related. Instead, it's tied to how Shopify and Recharge handle selling plan requirements for subscription-only products.

For example:“Aro Home + Gardenia Whisper (150ml) with FREE Mystery Gift”, the product “Gardenia Whisper inspired by Mont-Blanc Resorts®” is configured in Recharge as subscription-only (with the one-time purchase option turned off).

As a result, when a customer tries to add this bundle to cart through the storefront, Shopify rejects the add-to-cart request entirely because it includes a product that must be purchased with a selling plan, but the bundle isn’t set up to pass that plan.

Solution: In Recharge, make sure that "One-Time Purchase" is enabled for all bundle component products. This ensures that the parent bundle can be successfully added to the cart, even if the customer is only purchasing the subscription product as a one-time purchase.

One-time bundle purchase vs. a subscription purchase

Below, we show how a bundle appears on the storefront and in the order admin as a one-time order vs. a subscription order. Below is a comparison of how a bundle appears to customers and in the Shopify admin when purchased as a one-time order versus a subscription.

1. Bundle as a one-time purchase

   

   What customers see at checkout:

   

How it appears in the Shopify order admin:

2. Bundle as a subscription

What customers see at checkout:

How it appears in the Shopify order admin:

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