---
title: "Understanding order days and order day cutoffs"
slug: "using-order-and-cutoff-dates-with-subscription-plans"
description: "Optimize your subscription renewals with order days for efficient fulfillment. Control billing cycles and ensure timely delivery of products."
updated: 2026-04-08T16:08:46Z
published: 2026-04-08T16:08:46Z
---

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

# Understanding order days and order day cutoffs

## What is an order day?

By default, subscriptions renew according to the frequency selected at checkout. For example, a 30-day subscription renews every 30 days starting from the initial order date.

**Order days override this default behavior.** Instead, you can set all subscriptions using a specific selling plan to process:

- On a specific day of the month for monthly frequencies (e.g., the 15th)
- On a specific day of the week for weekly frequencies (e.g., every Monday)

## Why use order days?

Order days are useful when you need to consolidate recurring orders for operational efficiency or align subscription renewals with your fulfillment schedule. Common use cases include:

- **Subscription boxes with rotating content**: Ensure customers receive the correct monthly box by controlling when recurring orders process
- **Batch fulfillment**: Process all subscription orders on specific days to streamline warehouse operations
- **Fixed delivery schedules**: Align subscription renewals with your shipping calendar

## How do I set up order days?

### Step 1: Navigate to selling plan settings

In your Skio dashboard click **Products**, then select **Selling Plans**.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/a953bba6-c70d-43ce-bc77-d7f32a8fc514/Images/Documentation/CleanShot 2025-12-02 at 17.23.16@2x.png)

### Step 2: Configure order day settings

1. Click the **Order day** toggle to enable it
2. Choose your order day type:
  - **Order day of month** for monthly frequencies (select dates like 1st, 15th, etc.)
  - **Order day of week** for weekly frequencies (select days like Monday, Tuesday, etc.)
3. Select either **flexible** or **strict** mode depending on your fulfillment model:
  - **Flexible**: Best if you fulfill initial orders immediately on the day they're placed
  - **Strict**: Best if you only fulfill orders on the order day

## Understanding order day strictness

### Flexible order day strictness

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/a953bba6-c70d-43ce-bc77-d7f32a8fc514/Images/Documentation/CleanShot 2025-12-02 at 17.27.02@2x.png)

When Flexible mode is selected, the option to set a Missed order day allowance appears.

Flexible mode calculates recurring orders by rounding the initial order date to the closest order day.

#### What is a missed order day allowance?

A missed order day allowance is a **day of the month** (not a number of days) that defines a grace period window after the order day. If a customer places their initial order between the order day and the allowance date, they're treated as having just missed the current order day and their next billing date snaps to the following order day. If they order after the allowance date, they're pushed out to the order day two cycles from now.

**Example:**

You want all subscriptions for Product A to recur on the 15th of each month. You set a missed order day allowance on the 20th.

- Customer checks out on **January 17**: Their next order processes on **February 15** (within the allowance window)
- Customer checks out on **January 22**: Their next order processes on **March 15** (after the allowance, so they skip February)

| Order day | Missed order day allowance | Checkout date | 1st recurring order (order #2) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 15 | 20 | February 1 | March 15 |
| 15 | 20 | January 22 | March 15 |
| 15 | 20 | January 17 | February 15 |
| 15 | none | February 1 | March 15 |
| 15 | none | January 29 | February 15 |

This prevents customers who order just after the order day from receiving duplicate content in the same billing cycle—especially important for subscription boxes with rotating monthly content.

#### What happens if a customer subscribes after the missed order day allowance?

If a customer subscribes after the missed order day allowance, they are automatically enrolled in the **next subscription cycle**. Their first subscription order will be scheduled for the next available order day in that cycle.

**Example:**

- Order Day: 15
- Missed Order Day Allowance: 20
- Customer subscribes on January 22

Because January 22 falls after the allowance window, the customer joins the **February billing cycle**, and their first subscription order is scheduled for **February 15**.

By default, the first box is fulfilled on that scheduled order day. However, merchants may choose to ship the upcoming box early as part of their fulfillment workflow. Early fulfillment is an operational decision and does not change the customer’s billing schedule or future order dates.

### Strict order day strictness

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/a953bba6-c70d-43ce-bc77-d7f32a8fc514/Images/Documentation/CleanShot 2025-12-02 at 17.27.46@2x.png)

When Strict mode is selected, the option to set an order day cutoff appears.

In Strict mode, all orders — including the first order — are fulfilled on the scheduled order day rather than immediately at checkout. The next billing date is calculated from that order day.

#### Order day cutoff

> [!NOTE]
> **Order days give you control over when subscriptions renew**, helping you optimize fulfillment operations and ensure customers receive the right products at the right time.

A cutoff day is a **day of the month** representing the last day a customer can place an order for the current fulfillment cycle. Orders placed after this date are automatically moved to the next fulfillment cycle. The cutoff day must be set earlier in the month than the order day.

**Example:**

The cutoff day is the 10th and the order day is the 15th. A customer orders on **February 12** (after the cutoff). Their initial order is fulfilled on **March 15**, and their first recurring order processes on **April 15**.

| Order day | Cutoff day | Checkout date | 1st recurring order (order #2) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 15 | none | February 1 | March 15 |
| 15 | none | February 16 | April 15 |
| 15 | 10 | February 1 | March 15 |
| 15 | 10 | February 12 | April 15 |
| 15 | 10 | February 16 | April 15 |