1What FoxPlug reads from Chargebee
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| Subscriptions | up to 5 pages of 100 subscriptions from your site. Per subscription: status, billing period and unit, currency, items with amount, quantity and unit price, due invoice count, created time and cancelled time. |
| Monthly amount per subscription | each plan or add-on item's amount (one-time charge items left out) is turned into a monthly figure from the billing period and unit. If the items give nothing, Chargebee's own monthly revenue field is used. |
| Active subscribers and monthly revenue | status active, non-renewing or in trial counts as an active subscriber; only active and non-renewing ones add to monthly revenue, trials add nothing. |
| Past-due subscriptions | an active or non-renewing subscription with one or more unpaid invoices: how many, and the monthly amount at risk. They are not counted as active. |
| New and cancelled in 30 days | new = created in the last 30 days (not a future-start one); cancelled = status cancelled with a cancelled time in the last 30 days. |
| Currency | the currency code on the subscriptions as read (the last one seen wins), lower case; usd if none. |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in Chargebee worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
The first active subscription appears
The moment is titled like this: 💸 Got the first paying customer
A maker connects Chargebee and presses Check for what's new. One subscription is active, so the moment reads 'Got the first paying customer' with the line 'Someone is paying for the thing I'm building (counted from Chargebee).' A post is drafted for review.
Active subscriptions reach 10, 50 or 100
The moment is titled like this: Passed 10 paying subscribers
The 10th active subscription is read. The moment 'Passed 10 paying subscribers' is written once, described as '10 people now pay for it every month (counted from Chargebee).'
One or more subscriptions are past due
The moment is titled like this: No milestone. Brief line like '2 subscriptions are past due, $48 a month at risk.'
Two subscriptions show a past-due payment. The monthly amount at risk is added up from their amounts and the brief puts a Fix line ahead of any post.
Monthly revenue crosses a milestone number between two reads
The moment is titled like this: Brief line: 'You passed $1,000 a month. Tell people.'
A first read shows $940 a month and a later read at least a day on shows $1,060. The brief offers a Say line for crossing $1,000.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to Chargebee. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- Past-due subscriptions become the fix line. How the brain decides
- The first paying customer, then 10, 50 and 100 subscribers, become say lines. How the brain decides
- Crossing a monthly revenue milestone ($100 up to $50,000) becomes a Say line. How the brain decides
- Card expiry, saving customers and win-back need each customer's details, so they stay Stripe only. How the brain decides
- When several revenue tools are connected the brief uses one: connected Stripe first, else another connected one. How the brain decides
4Set up Chargebee in a few steps
Access: Chargebee Read-Only API key and site name pasted into FoxPlug. What to give it: A Read-Only API key (Chargebee lets you choose Read-Only when making a key). The site name is the part before.chargebee.com.
- In Chargebee, go to Settings, Configure Chargebee, API Keys and Events, then API keys.
- Click Add API Key, choose Read-Only Key, name it FoxPlug and create it.
- Copy the key and paste it into the Chargebee box in FoxPlug, and type your site name (the part before.chargebee.com) in the box above it.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- At most 500 subscriptions are read (5 pages of 100); if there are more, the result is marked partial.
- Discounts and coupons are not subtracted; the monthly figure is the list amount of the items.
- Trials count as active subscribers but add nothing to monthly revenue.
- Past due relies on Chargebee's due invoice count, which Chargebee does not fill for consolidated invoicing or some account hierarchies.
- If subscriptions use more than one currency, the last one seen is reported for the whole total and amounts are not converted.
- Chargebee's default limit is 150 calls a minute on the Starter plan; a read uses at most 5.
- No failed-payment rescue, expiring card, saving or win-back drafts: those are Stripe only.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Customer names, emails, addresses and card details. The reader keeps only status, amounts, interval, currency and dates.
- Anything written back: only GET reads are made, nothing is created, changed or cancelled in Chargebee.
- Customer records: Chargebee returns a customer and a card block beside every subscription; the reader takes only the subscription part and drops the rest.
7How Chargebee differs from the tools next to it
Chargebee gives every subscription with its items, billing period and a due invoice count, so past due needs no second lookup, unlike Recurly. It lists subscriptions in pages of 100 and offers a true Read-Only key, which FastSpring does not. It needs your site name as well as the key.
8Questions
Does FoxPlug see my customers' names or emails from Chargebee?
No. Chargebee sends a customer record beside each subscription, but FoxPlug keeps only status, amounts, billing period, currency and dates. No name, email, address or card detail is read or stored.
Which key do I make?
A Read-Only API key. Chargebee offers it when you add a key under Settings, Configure Chargebee, API Keys and Events.
What is the site name?
The part of your Chargebee address before.chargebee.com. It is letters, digits and hyphens only.
Why is monthly revenue different from the number in Chargebee?
FoxPlug adds up the list amounts of your plan and add-on items, without discounts, and turns each into a monthly figure.
When does it read Chargebee?
When you press Check for what's new or Build the brief.
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.