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How-to

Auto Order Item Rebill Step Tracking

When an auto order item has a multi-step rebill schedule, such as a subscription that changes price or product at specific rebill intervals, UltraCart tracks the item's position in that schedule with the Number of Rebills so far field on the auto order item record. This page explains what the field does and how to control it when you add or swap an item on an active auto order.

This page assumes you already have a customer's auto order open in the Auto Order Editor. See Edit Auto Orders for how to find and open one.

How the field works​

Each auto order item record stores a count of how many rebills have occurred for that item. UltraCart reads this count to decide which step of the item's rebill schedule applies to the next billing cycle.

Field stateResult
BlankThe item starts at the first rebill step of its schedule
Set to a number, for example 3The item's next rebill uses whatever step is configured at that position in the schedule

What happens when you add or swap an item​

A common point of confusion: merchants assume that changing the item on an active auto order always restarts the rebill schedule at step one. That's only true when the field is left blank on the new item.

When you add an item to an auto order, or replace an existing item with a different one that has its own multi-step schedule, UltraCart does not infer schedule position from the item being replaced. It reads only the new item's own Number of Rebills so far value:

  • Left blank, the new item's schedule begins at step one, regardless of how far along the original item's schedule was.
  • Set to a number, the new item picks up at that step immediately on the next rebill.

Swapping in a similarly configured item will not automatically preserve the original item's schedule position. You have to set the field explicitly to carry that position forward.

note

This field is separate from the Unit Cost for Next "x" Orders override, which controls a temporary price override countdown rather than rebill schedule position. See the Items section of Edit Auto Orders for that override.

Set the value intentionally​

To have a newly added or swapped-in item resume mid-schedule instead of restarting:

  1. Confirm the step count you want the item to resume at. For example, use step 3 if the original item had already processed 2 prior rebills.
  2. In the Items section of the Auto Order Editor, set Number of Rebills so far on the new item to that number before the next scheduled rebill runs.
  3. Leave the field blank only when you intend the item to fully restart at step one.

Verify the schedule with Save and Reload​

After changing an item or setting Number of Rebills so far, don't rely on the configuration screen alone to confirm the result. Use the Auto Order Editor's Save and Reload option, then check the Future tab.

  1. Make the item change and set Number of Rebills so far as needed.
  2. Click Save and Reload instead of a plain save. This commits the change and immediately recalculates the order's projected schedule.
  3. Open the Future tab on the same auto order.
  4. Confirm the upcoming rebills listed match the expected step, item, and pricing for that customer.

Save and Reload followed by the Future tab is the fastest way to verify a change before communicating the result to a customer, and it's the standard check whenever you add an item, swap an item, or manually set a rebill step.

Troubleshooting​

A swapped-in item restarts at step one instead of continuing the original schedule​

Symptoms: After you replace an item on an active auto order, the new item bills as though it were a brand-new subscription, at step-one pricing and behavior, instead of continuing from where the original item left off.

Root cause: The new item's Number of Rebills so far field was left blank, which always starts the schedule at step one.

Diagnosis: Check the new item's Number of Rebills so far value in the Items section. Click Save and Reload, then check the Future tab to see exactly which step and item the schedule currently reflects.

Solution: Set the field to the step count you want the item to resume at, click Save and Reload, and recheck the Future tab to confirm the corrected schedule.

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