A plan is the set of perks members get: which posts, pages and products are theirs alone, what discounts they get, what their members area shows, and what their emails say. Each customer can hold one membership per plan, and changing a plan changes it for every member at once.
Every rule is optional. A plan can be just a discount, just a paywall, or both.
When you’d use this
- Create a plan by hand, or edit the one the setup wizard made.
- Offer tiers, such as Basic and VIP, each as its own plan.
- Drip content: open posts to members a set time after they join.
- Copy a plan as the starting point for another.
How to use it
1. Add the plan
Go to Constellation » Plans and click Add Plan. Enter the plan’s name, which members see in emails and in My Account.
2. Choose how members get access
On the General tab of the Plan Data box:
- Slug: a short name used in shortcodes, imports and exports. Leave it blank to create one from the name.
- Grant access upon: manual assignment only, user account registration (everyone who registers an account joins) or product(s) purchase. You can always add members by hand, whatever you choose.
- Products: with product(s) purchase, the products that grant this plan. You can also link a product from its own edit screen; see Sell memberships with Constellation.
3. Set how long memberships last
Membership length:
- unlimited: memberships never end.
- specific length: memberships end a set time after each member’s start date, such as 1 year.
- fixed dates: everyone’s membership runs between a Start date and an End date. Members who join before the start date have a Delayed membership until it begins.
If a recurring billing product grants the plan, a second setting appears, Subscription-tied Membership length, for members who joined through recurring billing:
- subscription length: the membership lasts as long as the recurring billing stays active. This is the usual choice.
- unlimited: the membership continues after billing ends, as long as every payment was made.
- specific length or fixed dates: the membership follows those dates regardless of billing dates, as long as payments are up to date.
4. Restrict content
On Restrict Content, click Add New Rule and choose:
- Type: a post type (posts, pages, other content types) or a taxonomy (categories, tags).
- Title: specific items. Leave it blank to restrict every item of that type.
- Accessible: immediately, or after a set time from the member’s start date, to drip content.
As soon as you save, that content is members-only for everyone who doesn’t hold a plan that grants it. Restrict content and files with Constellation covers what non-members see and how to restrict new posts as you write them.
For a plan sold with recurring billing, each rule also has Start after trial, which keeps the content closed until the member’s free trial ends.
5. Restrict products
On Restrict Products, add rules the same way and choose what Only members can do: view (non-members can’t see the product) or purchase (everyone sees it, only members can buy). Don’t restrict the product that sells this plan, or nobody can buy their way in; Constellation warns you if you do.
6. Add member discounts
On Purchasing Discounts, click Add New Discount, pick the products or categories (or leave it blank for all products), and set the Discount type (a percentage or a fixed amount) and Amount. Untick Active to pause a discount without deleting it. Restrict and discount products with Constellation explains how discounts show and combine.
7. Choose the members area
On Members Area, choose the sections for Include sections for:
- Content: posts, pages and other content the plan gives access to.
- Products: products members can view or buy.
- Discounts: products with a member discount.
- Notes: membership notes you emailed to the member.
- Manage: the membership’s status and dates, with actions such as cancel or renew.
Leave it empty to hide the members area for this plan. See What Constellation members see in My Account.
8. Write the email content
On Email Content, edit the text of each membership email for this plan. A plan only lists emails you’ve turned on under WooCommerce » Settings » Emails. See Constellation membership emails.
9. Publish
Click Publish (or Update). The plan’s rules apply from that moment.
How rules combine
- The most specific rule wins. If a plan restricts all posts with access after 7 days, and another rule opens one post after 3 days, that post opens after 3 days.
- Any plan that grants access is enough. Content restricted by two plans opens for members of either.
- Forced public beats every rule. A post or product set to Disable restrictions in its own editor stays public, whatever the plans say. The plan’s tabs list those items.
Give existing customers access
When you link products to a plan after people already bought them, or create a registration plan on a store with existing accounts, use Grant Access. Open the plan: its publish box shows Existing purchases: Grant Access (or Existing users: Grant Access for a registration plan). The Grant Access Retroactively window asks you to confirm before it starts.
Constellation then creates memberships for customers who bought a granting product, or for every registered user on a registration plan. Customers who are already members keep their status and dates. For subscription-tied plans, only customers with active recurring billing join. The process can’t be undone, so save the plan with the right products first.
Duplicate or delete a plan
- Duplicate in the plans list (or Make a copy in the publish box) copies the plan and its rules, with "(Copy)" added to the name.
- A plan with active members can’t be moved to the trash ("This plan cannot be moved to trash because it has active members."). Cancel or move its members first.
Common issues
Members of the plan still can’t see the content
Check the rule’s Accessible timing and the member’s start date, and the membership status under Constellation » Members: Delayed, Paused, Expired and Cancelled memberships don’t give access. If timing looks right, check your timezone (see Troubleshoot Constellation).
"It looks like that you have restricted one or more products that could grant access to this plan"
A Restrict Products rule covers a product that grants this plan, so non-members can’t buy it. Narrow the rule, or set Disable restrictions on the membership product.
"You cannot set an access start date after the access end date, or on the same day"
With fixed dates, the end date must be at least a day after the start date. Constellation saves the dates a day apart; fix them and save again.
The Email Content tab is empty
Turn on at least one membership email under WooCommerce » Settings » Emails.