> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.outpost.pub/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Gift Subscriptions
> Let members give paid subscriptions to others as gifts, with dedicated purchase and delivery flows.
Gift subscriptions allow one member (the giver) to purchase a paid subscription on behalf of another person (the recipient). Outpost handles the purchase, delivery, and activation end-to-end.
Go to **Subscriptions → Gift Subscriptions** to configure the feature.
## How it works
The giver visits your gift subscription page, enters the recipient's email and an optional personal message, and pays via Stripe. Gift subscriptions are **one-time purchases** — they do not auto-renew. The purchaser can also choose to have this start in the future - e.g. for a birthday present.
Outpost emails the recipient to let them know about the gift, including the giver's name and personal message (if provided), with a link to sign in and start reading. If the gift was scheduled for a future date, this email goes out on that date.
The recipient's membership is activated automatically when the gift is delivered — there's nothing for them to redeem and no payment information required. They simply sign in (or create their account) to start reading. For scheduled gifts, this happens on the chosen start date.
After the gift period ends, the recipient's subscription expires. They can choose to continue by adding their own payment method and subscribing. The [Autoresponder](/features/basic-autoresponder) can send reminders to the giver before the gift sub expires to see if they want to re-give, and then to the recipient, if the buyer doesn't give, to buy for themselves.
Gift subscriptions are **one-time purchases** and do not auto-renew. When a gift is about to expire, both the giver and recipient can receive reminder emails encouraging renewal or conversion to a self-paid subscription.
## Scheduled gifts
Givers can schedule a gift to be delivered on a specific date — useful for birthdays, holidays, or other occasions. The giver pays immediately, but the recipient isn't notified and their access doesn't begin until the scheduled date.
Outpost uses your **site's timezone** to decide when the scheduled day has arrived. On that day, the recipient's membership is activated and their gift email is sent **between 10am and 8pm in your site's timezone** — givers choose a date, not a specific time of day. Set your timezone under [Settings → Publication Details](/features/publication-details).
## Gift subscription management
In **Members**, gift givers and gift recipients are [labeled](/features/labels):
| Label | Applied when… |
| :--------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------- |
| `Bought_Gift_Subscription` | Member purchased a gift subscription for someone else |
| `Received_Gift_Subscription` | Member received a gift subscription |
## Gift lifecycle statuses
Each gift subscription moves through these statuses:
| Status | Description |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Issued** | Gift created at checkout, waiting for the buyer's payment to be confirmed |
| **Pending** | Payment confirmed; the gift is waiting to be delivered — immediately, or on its scheduled date |
| **Active** | The gift has been delivered and the recipient's membership is active |
| **Canceled** | The gift was stopped, refunded, or replaced by a newer gift to the same person |
## Autoresponder integration
The Autoresponder's **Gift Subscriptions tab** includes 7 pre-built email actions:
| Action | Recipient | Purpose |
| --------------------------------- | --------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Gift received notification | Recipient | Tell them about the gift and who sent it |
| Purchase thank-you | Giver | Thank the giver for purchasing |
| Scheduled gift sent | Giver | Notify that a scheduled gift was delivered |
| Gift ending soon (3 weeks before) | Giver | First reminder — sent 3 weeks before expiry |
| Gift ending soon (2 weeks before) | Giver | Second reminder — sent 2 weeks before expiry |
| Gift ending soon (10 days before) | Giver | Final reminder — sent 10 days before expiry |
| Subscription ending soon | Recipient | Encourage the recipient to subscribe on their own |
The "ending soon" emails to the giver can each include a different [offer](/features/offers-and-discounts) to make re-gifting more appealing.
See [Autoresponder → Gift Subscriptions tab](/features/basic-autoresponder#gift-subscriptions-tab) for details.
***
## Frequently asked questions
No. If the recipient already has an active paid subscription, Outpost blocks the purchase and points the buyer to the member portal instead — there's no point paying for access they already have. To give an existing paid member extra time or free access, use a [Complimentary Subscription](/features/complimentary-subscriptions) instead.
Refund handling depends on your Stripe settings and policies. Refunds need to be processed through your Stripe dashboard. If a gift is refunded, the recipient's access is revoked.
There's no redemption step, so the recipient's membership is set up automatically when the gift is delivered — the access is waiting for them whether or not they open the email. They can sign in any time before the gift period ends. (Until a scheduled gift's start date arrives, it simply stays pending and the recipient isn't notified.)
For free access grants, use [Complimentary Subscriptions](/features/complimentary-subscriptions) instead. Gift subscriptions always involve a payment from the giver.
No. Gift subscriptions are one-time purchases. When the gift period ends, the recipient can choose to subscribe on their own. The Autoresponder sends reminders to both the giver and recipient before expiry.
A scheduled gift starts on the date the giver chooses, measured in your **site's timezone**. On that day, the recipient's membership is activated and their gift email is sent sometime **between 10am and 8pm** (site time) — givers pick a date, not a specific time. Until then, the gift stays pending and the recipient isn't notified. Set your timezone under [Settings → Publication Details](/features/publication-details).
Yes — the purchase goes through, and when the gift activates it gives the recipient a fresh complimentary period for the gift's length. Because that resets their complimentary access to the gift's duration, avoid gifting a member whose existing free access you want to leave untouched — for example someone who's part of a [group](/features/group-subscriptions) or [institutional](/features/institutional-subscriptions) subscription. To simply grant or extend free access, use [Complimentary Subscriptions](/features/complimentary-subscriptions) instead.
All four give a member access without that member paying, but they're set up differently:
* **Gift** — one member buys a paid subscription for another person, purchased through Stripe.
* **[Complimentary](/features/complimentary-subscriptions)** — you grant free access to an individual, with or without an end date.
* **[Group](/features/group-subscriptions)** and **[Institutional](/features/institutional-subscriptions)** — an organization sponsors access for many members at once.
Gifts and individual complimentary subscriptions are usually **time-limited** — they have an end date and trigger reminder emails before they expire. Group and institutional subscriptions are typically **open-ended** and don't send expiry reminders.
That's a general "something went wrong" message shown when the gift checkout can't be created. The most common reasons:
* The recipient is already an active paid subscriber (gifts to existing paid members are blocked).
* The buyer used the same email for both the giver and the recipient — you can't gift yourself.
* There's already an active gift for that recipient that hasn't neared its expiry yet.
* A payment or setup issue — for example, gift pricing isn't configured or your Stripe connection is unhealthy.
If buyers hit this repeatedly, confirm gift subscriptions are enabled and priced under **Subscriptions → Gift Subscriptions** and that your Stripe connection is working.
When someone buys a gift, Outpost creates a member record for the buyer so it can send them the purchase thank-you, the "gift delivered" notice, and renewal reminders before the gift expires. A buyer who isn't a paying subscriber appears as a free member, which the Members list labels **"Lifetime"** — that only means "free, no expiration," not a paid lifetime plan. The record stays after the gift ends; Outpost doesn't delete members automatically.
If the buyer is already a member (free or paid), their existing record is reused and their own membership is left unchanged — buying a gift never alters the buyer's own subscription.
***
## Related features
Free access grants (different from paid gifts)
Automated gift-related emails for givers and recipients
The subscription products available as gifts
Attach discount offers to gift re-purchase reminder emails