Migrating Your Subscriptions to Pebble: Best Practice Guide
Moving your subscription customers to Pebble can feel complex, but with the right setup and timing it can be a smooth, controlled transition — with no double charging, no refunds, and minimal disruption for parents.
This guide outlines the best-practice approach for migrating subscriptions onto Pebble, including how to use deferred payments, pro-ration and manual migration to keep everything aligned.
Start With Your Billing Cycle
Before creating your subscriptions in Pebble, the most important thing to understand is when your next billing cycle runs.
Ask yourself:
When are parents next due to be charged on your current system?
Are customers mid-month or mid-term?
Do you want everyone to begin paying on Pebble from the same date?
For most providers, the smoothest migrations happen when subscriptions are aligned with:
The start of a new month
The start of a new term
Or a planned future billing date
This allows you to move customers without double charging or issuing refunds.
Use “Defer First Payment Date” to Migrate Free of Charge
One of the most powerful tools for subscription migration in Pebble is deferring the first payment date.
This allows you to:
Move customers onto Pebble immediately
Let them book and attend as normal
Delay their first payment until a future agreed date
This is ideal when migrating mid-term or mid-month.
How this works
When setting up your subscription in Pebble, you can define:
Defer first payment date
Set the exact date the first payment should be taken.
Customers who book before this date will not be charged until then
Migrating customers will also begin paying on this same date
This means:
No customers are charged twice
No refunds are required
Everyone starts paying on Pebble together
Initial payment
You can choose what customers should pay on that deferred date.
After this, monthly payments will continue as normal.
This approach is one of the most effective ways to migrate subscriptions free of charge and with full control.
Configure Pro-Ration and Monthly Pricing Correctly
Pebble subscriptions automatically support pro-rated first months, which is ideal when customers join mid-month.
When setting up pricing, you’ll configure two key values:
Pro-ration rate
This defines the cost per remaining session in the first month.
The first month charge is calculated as:
Pro-ration rate × number of remaining sessions
This ensures customers only pay for the sessions they can actually attend.
Recurring monthly cost
This is your fixed monthly subscription price.
From then on, payments will be taken on the 1st of each month
The monthly charge remains consistent going forward
Important notes
The pro-rated first charge is capped at your recurring monthly cost
Customers will never pay more than one full month for their first payment
This ensures fair, automated billing during the transition period.
Migrating Existing Subscription Customers
When migrating subscriptions, it’s important to note:
Discount codes cannot be used on subscriptions
Parents cannot rebook subscriptions using codes
Instead, Pebble supports migration through manual customer addition.
Manually Adding Existing Subscribers (Recommended)
For most providers, the best approach is to manually add existing customers into their subscriptions in Pebble.
This allows you to:
Move customers without relying on them to rebook
Control start dates and billing dates precisely
Ensure attendance, access and registers are accurate
Support parents who are less proactive or less technical
This is especially useful when:
Migrating large volumes of customers
Working with younger age groups
Running franchise or multi-site programmes
Once added, Pebble will automatically manage:
Future billing
Attendance tracking
Access control
Reporting
Roll Out in Stages for Best Results
You do not need to migrate all subscriptions at once.
Many providers choose to:
Start with one location
Start with one programme
Or migrate one subscription type first
Once confirmed working smoothly, they then roll out to remaining locations and programmes.
This staged approach helps you:
Validate billing behaviour
Avoid large-scale errors
Reduce support queries
Build team confidence
Communicating With Parents
Clear communication is key to a successful subscription migration.
We recommend informing parents:
When Pebble will become their new booking platform
When their first payment will be taken in Pebble
Whether any payment has been deferred or pro-rated
How to access their new account
This reassures parents and reduces payment-related queries during the transition.
In Summary
For a smooth and stress-free subscription migration to Pebble:
✔ Align your transition with your billing cycle
✔ Use defer first payment date to migrate free of charge
✔ Configure pro-ration and monthly pricing carefully
✔ Manually add existing subscribers where needed
✔ Roll out in stages
✔ Communicate clearly with parents
With the right setup, Pebble allows you to move subscriptions cleanly, fairly and with full control — while keeping your customers supported every step of the way.
Migration Checklist: Moving Subscriptions to Pebble
Use this checklist to plan and manage a smooth transition of your subscription-based customers from your current platform to Pebble.
🗂️ Step 1: Plan Your Subscription Migration Strategy
☐ Identify which subscriptions are currently active
☐ Confirm:
How many customers are mid-month
When your next billing cycle runs
Which locations or programmes run on subscriptions
☐ Decide your approach:
Migrate one location first
Migrate one programme first
Or migrate all subscriptions together
☐ Decide whether you’ll:
Start Pebble from a future billing cycle
Or move everyone across immediately
💡 Tip: Subscriptions work best when you align your migration with a clear billing reset point.
📅 Step 2: Align With Your Next Billing Cycle
Before creating your subscription in Pebble, confirm:
☐ When your current platform next charges parents
☐ Whether you want:
Everyone to start paying in Pebble from the same date
Or stagger the migration
This decision will shape how you configure deferred start dates and pro-ration in Pebble.
⭐ Step 3: Use “Defer First Payment Date” to Migrate Smoothly
One of the most effective ways to migrate subscriptions is by deferring the first payment date in Pebble.
This allows:
Customers to book immediately
Migrating customers to move over free of charge initially
All customers to begin paying together on a future date
Configure in Pebble:
Defer first payment date
☐ Set the date the first payment should be taken (dd / mm / yy)
Customers who book before this date will not be charged until then
Migrating customers will also start paying on this same date
Initial payment
☐ Choose what customers should pay on that date
☐ Monthly payments will then continue as normal afterwards
💡 Tip: This is ideal when migrating mid-term — everyone moves onto Pebble without double charging or refunding.
💷 Step 4: Configure Pro-Ration and Monthly Pricing Correctly
Pebble automatically supports pro-rated first months for subscriptions.
Set your pricing:
Pro-ration rate
☐ Enter the rate per remaining session
☐ First month will be charged at:
Pro-ration rate × number of remaining sessions
Recurring monthly cost
☐ Set your fixed monthly subscription price
☐ From then on, payments will be taken on the 1st of each month
⚠️ Important:
The pro-rated first charge is capped at your monthly subscription price
Customers will never pay more than one full month for their first payment
💡 Tip: This is perfect when customers join mid-month and ensures fair, automated charging.
👨👩👧👦 Step 5: Migrate Existing Subscription Customers
When migrating subscriptions:
Discount codes cannot be used on subscriptions
Rebooking via codes is not supported
Instead, use the following methods:
Option A: Manually Add Existing Subscribers (Recommended)
☐ Manually add existing customers into the Pebble subscription
☐ Set their start date and billing date correctly
☐ Confirm:
They appear as active
Attendance and access works correctly
Future payments will be taken automatically
This is especially helpful for:
Parents who are less proactive
Customers who may not rebook themselves
Larger migrations where control is important
💡 Tip: This ensures no customers are missed and avoids relying on parents to complete the migration.
🏫 Step 6: Roll Out in Controlled Stages
☐ Start with:
One location
One programme
Or one subscription type
☐ Confirm:
Access works correctly
Registers are accurate
Billing dates align with expectations
☐ Roll out remaining subscriptions gradually
💡 Tip: A staged rollout reduces billing errors and support queries.
📣 Step 7: Communicate Clearly With Parents
☐ Inform parents:
When Pebble will become their new booking system
When their first payment will be taken in Pebble
Whether any payment will be deferred or pro-rated
☐ Share:
New booking links
Login instructions
Support contact details
☐ Confirm parents can access and view their subscription successfully
✅ Final Checks Before Going Fully Live
☐ Subscription products are created correctly
☐ Deferred payment dates are accurate
☐ Pro-ration and monthly pricing are correct
☐ Existing customers are added successfully
☐ Billing runs as expected on the 1st of the month
☐ Registers and attendance are correct
☐ Parents can log in and view their subscription
In Summary
For a smooth subscription migration:
✔ Align with your billing cycle
✔ Use defer first payment date to migrate free of charge
✔ Configure pro-ration and monthly pricing carefully
✔ Manually add existing customers where needed
✔ Roll out in stages
✔ Communicate clearly with parents
This approach ensures a controlled, fair and stress-free tra