WP Payment Pal Documentation
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Customer Subscription Portal

Give customers a self-service portal to view and manage their subscriptions. This guide covers setting up and configuring the customer portal.

Reading time: 4 minutes | Difficulty: Beginner

Overview

Give customers a self-service portal to view and manage their subscriptions. This guide covers setting up and configuring the customer portal.

Prerequisites

  • WP Payment Pal installed
  • Active subscriptions in your system
  • A WordPress page for the portal

What is the Customer Portal?

The Customer Portal lets subscribers:

  • View their active subscriptions
  • See billing history
  • Cancel subscriptions (if permitted)
  • View subscription details
Customer subscriptions portal

Setting Up the Portal

Step 1: Create a Page

  1. Go to Pages > Add New
  2. Title it “My Subscriptions” or similar
  3. Choose a template (optional)

Step 2: Add the Shortcode

Add this shortcode to the page content:

[wppal_subscriptions]

Step 3: Publish

  1. Click Publish
  2. Note the page URL
  3. Test the portal (logged in as a subscriber)

Portal Features

Subscription List

Customers see all their subscriptions:

Information Displayed
Plan name Yes
Status Yes
Amount Yes
Next billing date Yes
Start date Yes

Subscription Details

Clicking a subscription shows:

  • Full plan details
  • Billing history
  • Payment dates
  • Cancel button (if enabled)

Self-Service Cancellation

If enabled, customers can cancel their own subscriptions:

  • Cancel button visible
  • Confirmation required
  • Immediate effect
  • Cancellation email sent

Controlling Cancellation Access

Allow or prevent customer self-cancellation per form.

Enable Customer Cancellation

  1. Edit the payment form
  2. Go to subscription settings
  3. Enable Allow Customer Cancel
  4. Save the form
Allow customer cancel setting highlighted

Disable Customer Cancellation

  1. Edit the payment form
  2. Disable Allow Customer Cancel
  3. Save the form

When disabled:

  • Cancel button hidden from customers
  • Customers must contact you to cancel
  • Admin can still cancel

Linking to the Portal

Navigation Menu

Add the portal to your site menu:

  1. Go to Appearance > Menus
  2. Add the portal page to your menu
  3. Save the menu

Account Area

Link from your account/profile area:

<a href="/my-subscriptions/">Manage Subscriptions</a>

Email Links

Include in subscription emails:

Manage your subscription: {portal_link}

Login Requirement

The portal requires users to be logged in:

  • Logged out users see a login prompt
  • After login, they see their subscriptions
  • Each user only sees their own subscriptions

Matching Subscriptions to Users

Subscriptions are matched by:

  1. WordPress user email
  2. PayPal payer email

Emails must match for subscriptions to appear.

Portal Display Options

Using Gutenberg Block

Instead of shortcode, use the block:

  1. Edit the portal page
  2. Add a block
  3. Search for “WP Payment Pal”
  4. Select “Subscriptions Portal”

Styling

The portal inherits your theme’s styles. For custom styling:

/* Portal container */
.wppal-subscriptions-portal { }

/* Subscription cards */
.wppal-subscription-card { }

/* Status badges */
.wppal-subscription-status { }

/* Cancel button */
.wppal-cancel-subscription { }

Empty State

When a customer has no subscriptions:

  • Friendly “no subscriptions” message
  • Optional link to subscribe

Customer Experience

Viewing Subscriptions

  1. Customer visits portal page
  2. Logs in (if not already)
  3. Sees list of their subscriptions
  4. Can click for details

Cancelling a Subscription

  1. Customer views subscription
  2. Clicks “Cancel Subscription”
  3. Confirms the cancellation
  4. Receives confirmation message
  5. Gets cancellation email

Testing the Portal

  1. Create a test subscription (Sandbox mode)
  2. Log in as the test customer
  3. Visit the portal page
  4. Verify subscription appears
  5. Test cancellation flow

Security Considerations

The portal automatically:

  • Requires authentication
  • Shows only the user’s subscriptions
  • Validates cancellation requests
  • Prevents cross-user access

Common Questions

Can customers update payment methods?

Payment method updates happen through PayPal. Link customers to their PayPal account settings.

Can customers upgrade/downgrade plans?

Not directly. They would need to:

  1. Cancel current subscription
  2. Subscribe to new plan

Or contact you for assistance.

Why doesn’t my subscription appear?

Check that:

  • User is logged in
  • Email addresses match (WordPress and PayPal)
  • Subscription exists in the system

Can I customize the portal design?

Yes, use CSS. The portal uses standard WordPress classes plus wppal- prefixed classes.

Best Practices

  1. Prominent link – Make portal easy to find
  2. Clear naming – “My Subscriptions” or “Subscription Management”
  3. Email reminders – Include portal link in subscription emails
  4. Support fallback – Provide contact option for issues
  5. Test regularly – Ensure portal works after updates

Troubleshooting

Portal shows “No subscriptions”

  • Verify customer is logged in
  • Check email addresses match
  • Sync subscriptions with PayPal

Cancel button not working

  • Check JavaScript console for errors
  • Verify nonce is valid
  • Test in incognito mode

Portal not displaying

  • Verify shortcode is correct
  • Check for theme conflicts
  • Try a default theme temporarily

What’s Next?

Last Modified: February 26, 2026