E-commerce
July 1, 2026
“I paid 6 months in advance, how much is left?” “My prepaid sub is renewing without my consent.” “I want a refund for unused deliveries.” Three tickets where a poorly explained prepaid subscription generates chargebacks, churn, and pro-rata refund disputes.
The e-commerce prepaid subscription support covers credit balance, period end date, renewal conversion, and unused refunds. Distinct from free trial (#435) and monthly subscription: here, it's about pre-paid duration and prepaid cycles.
This guide #533 covers PREPAID-SUP policy, flows PP-1 to PP-8, and the PREPAID-MAP matrix. New prepaid content. Future CS pair with PREPAID bot (#534).
Summary
Why do prepaid subscriptions generate tickets?
The customer pays 3, 6 or 12 months upfront. They cannot see the remaining balance or the renewal conversion date. Without a SOP, the agent confuses prepaid with trial or promises a refund outside of policy.
Five typical friction points
Opaque balance: remaining delivery credit is invisible on the portal
Surprise renewal: automatic conversion to recurring post-prepaid
Prorated refund: refund request for unconsumed deliveries
Pausing during prepaid: is skipping possible or is credit frozen
End of period: what happens after the last box
Recharge prepaid subscriptions incur an upfront charge and expire after N cycles (Recharge, Prepaid 2026). Without a PREPAID-MAP, agents improvise balance and refund.
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PREPAID #533 vs trial #435, RENEWDATE #505, gift sub and general subscription
Five contents, five subscription payment layers.
Quick matrix
#533 PREPAID: balance duration conversion refund prepaid self
#435 TRIAL: free trial first debit date
#505 RENEWDATE: monthly recurring charge date
Gift subscription: gift credit giver recipient
General subscription: pause swap cancellation portal
#435 = free trial then charge. #533 = paid upfront N cycles. Gift prepaid → reroute gift subscription if giver or recipient.
Which prepaid_* typologies should be classified?
Eight prepaid subscription ticket scenarios.
Eight prepaid typologies
prepaid_balance_remaining: how many credit deliveries remain
prepaid_expiry_when: end date of the prepaid period
prepaid_renewal_convert: post-prepaid recurring conversion
prepaid_refund_unused: pro-rata refund of unused portion
prepaid_pause_skip: pause skip during prepaid
prepaid_upgrade: mid-term prepaid plan upgrade
prepaid_charge_surprise: charge after perceived end of prepaid
prepaid_gift_reroute: prepaid gift giver recipient
Tags: prepaid, subscription. Lookup Recharge prepaid_balance charges_remaining PREPAID-MAP.
How tool structurer the PREPAID-MAP matrix?
The PREPAID-MAP matrix documents renewal balance refund rules for agents and future bot #534.
PREPAID-MAP Columns
prepaid_plan_type: N_deliveries X_months monetary_credit
total_prepaid_units: deliveries or months paid upfront
renewal_convert_policy: auto opt_in opt_out cancel
refund_unused_policy: pro-rata Y/N deadline_days formula
pause_allowed: Y skip credit preserved N
expiry_behavior: cancel convert_recurring notify
portal_balance_url: link to prepaid balance section
reminder_schedule: D-30 D-7 end of prepaid conversion
upgrade_midterm_policy: Y pro-rata N new contract only
One line per prepaid selling plan. Sync with checkout copy and end-of-period emails.
PREPAID-SUP policy in six rules
Six rules supporting prepaid subscriptions.
PREPAID-MAP-GROUNDED: refund balance conversion from map only
CITE-BALANCE-EXACT: charges_remaining Exact cite top-up
NO-REFUND-PROMISE: refund according to refund_unused_policy map
RENEWAL-OPT-CITE: renewal_convert_policy explain before end
GIFT-REROUTE: prepaid_gift → gift subscription playbook
REFUND-PRORATA-FORMULA: amount from documented map formula
Flow PREPAID PP-1 to PP-8
Flow agent eight steps prepaid subscription.
PP-1 Intake: prepaid_* intent + auth subscription
PP-2 Recharge lookup: prepaid_balance charges_remaining expiry
PP-3 PREPAID-MAP: plan type renewal refund pause rules
PP-4 Classify: balance expiry convert refund gift
PP-5 Respond: macro PREPAID grounded balance date
PP-6 Action: cancel convert refund finance ticket
PP-7 Reminder: proactive D-7 end prepaid if convert opt_in
PP-8 Close: tag prepaid_resolved outcome
SLA: prepaid_balance_remaining answered in one interaction with CITE-BALANCE-EXACT and portal_balance_url.
Essential PREPAID macros
Four macro agents.
PREPAID-BALANCE-01
"Prepaid subscription: [total_prepaid_units] standard deliveries paid. Remaining [charges_remaining]. Next box [next_ship_date]. Portal balance: [portal_balance_url]."
PREPAID-EXPIRY-01
"End of prepaid period: [expiry_date]. Subsequently: [renewal_convert_policy explain]. Cancel conversion: [portal_url]#cancel-renewal before [cutoff]."
PREPAID-REFUND-01
"Unused refund as per policy: [refund_unused_policy]. Estimated amount [prorata_amount] €. Bank processing time: timeframe guide (#519)."
PREPAID-CONVERT-01
"After last prepaid delivery, subscription [auto convert / stops / opt-in required]. Add credit card: [portal_url]. No debit without action if opt_in."
Edge cases: gifts, upgrades, and surprise charges
Five cases outside the standard macro.
Prepaid gift: GIFT-REROUTE gift subscription playbook
Upgrade mid-term: upgrade_midterm_policy prorated or new contract
Charge post prepaid: Recharge finance log PREPAID-CHARGE-SURPRISE
Edit before shipping: SUBEDIT #531 if cycle is in progress
Out of stock: SUBSTOCK #507 credit preserved
Do not confuse prepaid balance and gift card store credit: look up Recharge subscription prepaid flag, mandatory.
Essential prepaid KPIs
Five PREPAID management metrics.
prepaid_ticket_rate: prepaid tickets / prepaid subscribers
prepaid_explain_success: % balance expiry resolved in one interaction
prepaid_convert_rate: % recurring conversion post prepaid
prepaid_refund_rate: prorated refund vs total prepaid
prepaid_surprise_charge_rate: disputed charges post expiry
Target: prepaid_explain_success > 85 % after portal balance visible and D-7 end-of-period reminder.
PREPAID anti-patterns
Five common mistakes.
Confusing trial #435: prepaid paid upfront distinct
Approximate balance: CITE-BALANCE-EXACT violation
Refund promised without policy: NO-REFUND-PROMISE
Unexplained auto-conversion: RENEWAL-OPT-CITE
Gift prepaid treated as self: GIFT-REROUTE mandatory
PREPAID with Qstomy
Qstomy on Shopify + Recharge: detect prepaid_* intent, PREPAID-MAP lookup, balance widget, D-7 expiry reminder, handoff #534 bot tier 1, refund finance payload.
Pipeline: #533 agents balance refund → #534 bot prepaid tier 1 → gift subscription if prepaid_gift.
Explore AI support and request a demo.
Checklist, FAQ and going further
PREPAID Checklist (8 steps)
PREPAID-MAP v1: plans renewal refund pause upgrade
Policy PREPAID-SUP: 6 rules CITE-BALANCE-EXACT
8 prepaid_* typologies: tags helpdesk subscription prepaid
4 macros PREPAID-*: BALANCE EXPIRY REFUND CONVERT
Portal balance section: charges_remaining visible
D-7 expiry e-mail: renewal_convert_policy explain
Training gift vs self 20 min: GIFT-REROUTE
Dashboard KPI: prepaid_* section 9
FAQ
Difference trial #435?
#435 = free trial then charge. #533 = paid upfront N cycles.
Difference gift sub?
Gift = giver recipient credit. #533 = prepaid self-serve holder.
Refund unused possible?
According to refund_unused_policy PREPAID-MAP prorata formula.
Bot #534 sufficient?
Tier 1 balance expiry. Complex finance refund → agents #533.
Going further
p: Trial (#435)
This week: document PREPAID-MAP by selling plan, activate portal balance charges_remaining, configure e-mail D-7 end of prepaid, measure prepaid_explain_success.
Enzo
July 1, 2026
