Creating a test subscription order

Testing subscription orders is essential for ensuring customers receive the correct discounts and that orders renew as expected. We strongly recommend that all merchants create at least one test subscription to fully understand the app's functionality before going live.


This guide covers three ways to place a test subscription order without paying for real, how to check that the subscription really reached the cart and checkout, and how to test a renewal straight away instead of waiting a full cycle.


Table of contents




While test mode is on, your store cannot take real payments. That includes renewals of real subscriptions, which fail while test mode is on. Turn test mode off as soon as you are done.


Shopify Payments has a test mode that lets you place orders with a test card, so you can see how the first order, the discount and the renewals behave without charging a real card.


  1. Enable test mode in your Shopify payment settings.
  2. On your storefront, pick a subscription option in the widget and add the product to your cart, then go to checkout.
  3. Use the Shopify test card to create the test order:


  • Card number: 4242 4242 4242 4242
  • Expiry date: Any future date
  • CVV: Any 3 number combination


  1. Finalise the payment.


Important note


Make sure not to create any shipping labels as you may be charged


Method 2. The Bogus Gateway on a development store


On a development store you can use Shopify's Bogus Gateway, a test payment provider that moves no money. Subscription checkouts and renewals work with it.


  1. In your Shopify admin payment settings, activate the Bogus Gateway (shown as "(for testing) Bogus Gateway").
  2. Add a product with a subscription option selected to your cart and go to checkout.
  3. Pay with card number 1 (a successful payment), any name, any future expiry date and any CVV.


Method 3. A 100% discount code


Use this on a live store when you cannot turn on test mode.


  1. In your Shopify admin, go to the Discounts page and click Create discount
  2. For the discount type, select Amount off orders
  3. Use the following settings to correctly set up the discount


  • Method: Discount code
  • Value: 100%
  • Purchase type: Subscription
  • Recurring payments for subscriptions: Discount applies to all recurring payments


Make sure the discount is set to Discount applies to all recurring payments to avoid getting charged for renewal orders


  1. Add your subscription product to the checkout and use your discount code
  2. Finalise the purchase using a real payment method


Shipping may still be charged unless you also use a free shipping discount. Delete the discount code when you are done testing.


Check that the subscription is in the cart


Before paying, confirm the subscription really came through:


  • In the cart, the product line shows the name of the subscription option you picked.
  • At checkout, Shopify shows the recurring charge, for example a Recurring subtotal line.


If neither appears, the product was added as a one-time purchase. See Subscriptions are not adding to cart and What shoppers see in the cart and at checkout.


After checkout, the order appears on your Shopify Orders page and a new subscription contract appears in Supr Bundles & Subscriptions > Subscriptions.


Test a renewal without waiting


You do not need to wait a full delivery cycle to see a renewal:


  1. Open Supr Bundles & Subscriptions > Subscriptions and click your test subscription.
  2. In the Upcoming renewals card, click Renew immediately, then Renew.
  3. Wait up to a minute. The customer is charged straight away (with a test card or the Bogus Gateway nothing real is charged) and the renewal order appears on the subscription and in your Shopify Orders.


Only click Renew once and wait for the result. Clicking again while the first attempt is still running can create a second renewal order.


The renewal also sends the customer the usual renewal email, unless you have turned that notification off.


Common questions


  • Can I test a subscription without paying?

Yes: use Shopify Payments test mode, the Bogus Gateway on a development store, or a 100% discount code that applies to all recurring payments.

  • The Bogus Gateway does not seem to work. What can I do?

Make sure it is the active payment provider in your Shopify payment settings, and pay with card number 1. If you are testing on a live store, use test mode or a 100% discount code instead.

  • How do I test the renewal without waiting a month?

Open the test subscription and click Renew immediately in the Upcoming renewals card.

  • How can I tell whether the subscription was actually added to the cart?

The cart line shows the subscription option name and checkout shows a recurring charge. If not, it was added as a one-time purchase.

  • My test order went through but no subscription appeared in the app.

Check the order in Shopify: if it has no subscription, the product was bought one-time. See Subscriptions are not adding to cart. Otherwise contact support via live chat with the order number.

  • What should I do with the test subscription afterwards?

Cancel it from its page in Subscriptions so it does not keep renewing, and turn Shopify Payments test mode off.

Updated on: 09/25/2026

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