What it means
More than a repeated charge
A subscription can include billing periods, trials, usage, plan changes, prorations and cancellation. The subscription record, invoice and payment each describe a different part of the relationship and can have different statuses.
Make access rules explicit
A system should define when access starts, what happens after a failed collection and when cancellation takes effect. Delayed payment methods can produce states that differ from immediate card collection. A crypto payment flow may require a fresh customer action for every period rather than a native recurring debit.
Related concepts
Recurring payment, Software as a service, Invoice, Revenue recognition.
In practice
A concrete example
A software service generates a monthly invoice and grants access according to verified payment and entitlement rules, not simply the existence of a subscription record.
Technical notes & boundaries
Provider-specific status names must not be treated as universal. Subscription billing is a commercial process; SaaS is a software delivery model.
Go to the source.
Original references used for this definition. Product details and standards can change.