---
title: "Set a fixed end date for the first step"
slug: "set-an-end-date-to-an-offer"
description: "Learn how a fixed end date controls the first step of time-based subscription offers, billing, purchases, cancellations, and automatic renewals."
status: "new"
updated: 2026-10-12T14:20:03Z
published: 2026-10-12T14:20:03Z
canonical: "help.frisbii.com/set-an-end-date-to-an-offer"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.frisbii.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set a fixed end date for the first step

## Overview

With a fixed end date, you can sell promotions such as *"Subscribe now and read until 31 December"*. The first step then ends on the same date for every customer, no matter when they buy. The later a customer buys, the shorter their first step. The next step, for example the regular subscription, starts automatically on the day after the end date.

The fixed end date belongs to the offer only and replaces the runtime of the first step. The product contracts stay unchanged and can still be reused.

> [!CAUTION]
> Limitations
> 
> - Only the first step of an offer can have a fixed end date.
> - Only available for time-based subscription offers, not for issue-based or credit-based offers.
> - The accounting period and the minimum term of the first step must both be 1 of the same unit, for example monthly billing with a 1-month term.
> - If the offer contains several products, they all share the same fixed end date.
> - The fixed end date must lie in the future when you save the offer.

## Before you begin

- You have created a time-based subscription with one step OR
- You have created a time-based subscription with two or more steps

## Set the fixed end date

1. Open the menu item **Products → Offers** and open the offer.
2. In the action bar, click **Extended Offer Data**, then click **Edit End Date of the First Step**.
3. Select the last day of the first step and save.

The offer view now shows the first step as **"until <date>"** instead of its runtime, for example "until 31 Dec 2026".

![](https://cdn.document360.io/b84e1b5d-2ba6-4465-8c62-fb45a2f31314/Images/Documentation/image-JG105XYL.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-07T09%3A48%3A36Z&se=2026-11-07T10%3A48%3A36Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=Fq3cCHd8qPOmA%2FpS6QxOKP8uCOJ4Embz%2FdeHDRapFX4%3D)

## How the fixed end date works

- **End of step 1:** The fixed end date is the last day of the first step and is fully included. The next step starts on the following day.
- **Billing:** The customer is billed as usual until the end date. The last, shorter period is charged at the full price, without pro-rata calculation.
- **Without a second step:** A second step is not required. Without one, the subscription simply ends after the end date.
- **Cancellation:** The customer can cancel at the end of each accounting period, subject to the notice period. The fixed end date is the latest possible date.
- **Purchase window:** A purchase is rejected with an error if the subscription would start after the end date. This applies in the checkout and in the shopping cart of the Merchant Backend, and also when a chosen or fixed start date is used. A purchase on the end date itself still works: the first step then lasts one day and is charged at the full price.
- **Expired offers:** Once the end date has passed, the offer can no longer be bought, and the Merchant Backend shows a warning on the offer.
- **Changing the date:** If you change the fixed end date later, this only affects new purchases. Existing subscriptions keep their dates.

### Example

Step 1: monthly billing, 1-month term, fixed end date 31 December 2026. Step 2: regular subscription.

| Customer buys on | Step 1 runs (inclusive) | Invoices in step 1 | Step 2 starts |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 10 Oct 2026 | 10 Oct – 31 Dec | 10 Oct, 10 Nov, 10 Dec (the last one covers only 10–31 Dec, at the full price) | 1 Jan 2027 |
| 15 Dec 2026 | 15 Dec – 31 Dec | 15 Dec (full price) | 1 Jan 2027 |
| 31 Dec 2026 | 31 Dec only | 31 Dec (full price) | 1 Jan 2027 |
| 1 Jan 2027 or later | – | – | Purchase rejected |

> [!NOTE]
> Note
> 
> Offer views, the checkout and the label of the first step show the date you entered, for example "until 31 Dec 2026". The subscription views in the Merchant Backend and in the Self Service display the date ranges in the same way as for all other subscriptions: the end of a step is shown as the start of the next step. For a purchase on 10 Oct 2026, step 1 is shown as "10 Oct 2026 – 1 Jan 2027" and step 2 starts on 1 Jan 2027.