# App Store subscription offers: introductory, promotional, offer codes and win-back

> The App Store has four subscription offer types: introductory offers for new subscribers, shown automatically on the product page; promotional offers for current or lapsed subscribers, shown only inside your app (up to 10 per subscription); offer codes you distribute yourself (up to 1 million per app per quarter); and win-back offers for lapsed subscribers, which the App Store itself can show.

Uptika team · Published: 2026-11-05 · Last updated: 2026-11-05 · https://uptika.app/en/guides/app-store-subscription-offers

## How do the four offer types compare?

| | Introductory offer | Promotional offer | Offer code | Win-back offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| For whom | New to the subscription group | Current and lapsed subscribers | Whoever you choose: new, existing and/or expired | Lapsed subscribers that match your rules |
| Where it shows | Automatically on the product page for eligible people; applied at purchase | Only inside your app | Redemption URL, App Store code redemption, or your app | Product page, editorial and personalized spots (if promoted), Manage Subscriptions, in-app StoreKit message |
| Who decides eligibility | Apple: one introductory offer per person per group | You, in your app | You, when creating the offer | Apple applies your rules |
| Limits | One current and one future offer per storefront | Up to 10 active per subscription | 1 million codes per app per quarter; up to 10 active offers per subscription | Up to 350 per subscription; 5 live per storefront |
| Types | Free, Pay as you go, Pay up front | Free, Pay as you go, Pay up front | Free, Pay as you go, Pay up front | Free, Pay as you go, Pay up front |
| Code needed in the app | No (shown by StoreKit) | Yes, a signed (JWS) request | Only for in-app redemption | Only for the in-app message |
| Editable after creation | No | Price only | No | Some fields, see below |

**Offer types explained once:** *Free* is a free period. *Pay as you go* is a discounted price for several billing periods. *Pay up front* is one discounted payment that covers a set duration.

## When should I use which? A decision tree

1. **Someone has never subscribed in this group?** Use an **introductory offer**. It appears on the product page without extra work.
2. **Someone subscribes now and you want to keep them or move them up** (for example at cancel time or to upgrade to annual)? Use a **promotional offer** in your app.
3. **Someone left and you can reach them inside the app?** A **promotional offer** works if they still open the app.
4. **Someone left and no longer opens the app?** Use a **win-back offer**; Apple can show it on the product page and in Manage Subscriptions.
5. **You want to reach people outside the app** (email, partners, events, a podcast)? Use **offer codes**: one-time codes for controlled groups, custom codes for public campaigns.

## How do introductory offers work?

Introductory offers give new subscribers a free trial or a lower price at the start. Each person can redeem **one introductory offer per subscription group**, so a free trial in one plan blocks a second one in another plan of the same group. You can set one current and one future offer per storefront, in any of the 175 App Store countries and regions.

Allowed durations:

| Standard period | Pay as you go | Pay up front | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 week | 1–12 weeks | 1, 2, 3, 6 months; 1 year | 3 days; 1, 2 weeks; 1, 2, 3, 6 months; 1 year |
| 1 month | 1–12 months | 1, 2, 3, 6 months; 1 year | Same as above |
| 2 months | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 months | 1, 2, 3, 6 months; 1 year | Same as above |
| 3 months | 3, 6, 9, 12 months | 1, 2, 3, 6 months; 1 year | Same as above |
| 6 months | 6, 12 months | 1, 2, 3, 6 months; 1 year | Same as above |
| 1 year | 1 year | 1, 2, 3, 6 months; 1 year | Same as above |

Setup: **Apps > your app > Subscriptions > group > subscription > Subscription Prices > View all Subscription Pricing > Set up Introductory Offer.** Choose countries, start and end dates, the type, duration and price, review the prices for all 175 storefronts and click **Confirm**. Introductory offers cannot be edited; delete and recreate instead, from the **Introductory Offers** tab.

## How do promotional offers work?

Promotional offers give a discounted price for a set duration to **existing and previously subscribed customers**. They can be accepted even if the person already used an introductory offer. You present them **only inside your app**, with StoreKit and a signed request (JWS). Each subscription can have **up to 10 active** promotional offers.

Setup: **Subscriptions > group > subscription > Subscription Prices > add (+) > Create Promotional Offer.** Enter a **reference name** and an **offer identifier** (your app uses the identifier), choose the type, duration and price, review and **Confirm**. Only the price can be edited later.

Typical uses: a discount shown when someone opens the cancel flow, an upgrade price from monthly to annual, or a thank-you for long-time subscribers.

## How do offer codes work?

Offer codes are codes you hand out: **one-time-use codes** in batches of 500 to 25,000, or a **custom code** like SPRINGPROMO with a redemption limit of up to 25,000 per batch. The app limit is **1 million codes per quarter**, shared across all subscriptions. One-time-use codes expire at most six months after creation; custom codes can have no end date. You choose eligibility: new, existing and/or expired subscribers. Full steps: [How to create App Store offer codes](https://uptika.app/en/guides/app-store-offer-codes).

## How do win-back offers work?

Win-back offers target **lapsed subscribers** of a specific subscription product. You set:

- **Minimum paid duration** they must have had (1–24 months, or 3, 4 or 5 years).
- **Time since last subscribed**, a range between 1 and 24 months (for example 5–11 months).
- Optionally, **wait between offers** of 2–24 months before the same person can redeem again.

Limits: **350 per subscription**, **5 live per storefront** at once, **at least 3 days** long, starting **no earlier than tomorrow**. You can mark an offer **High Priority** to signal which matters most to you. If you **Promote** a win-back offer on the App Store (it needs an approved subscription image), it replaces in-app purchase promotions in that storefront. Details and where each placement appears by OS version: [Win-back offers](https://uptika.app/en/guides/win-back-offers).

## Common mistakes

- **Assuming a second free trial is possible** in the same group. It is one introductory offer per person per group.
- **Stacking discounts by accident:** an offer code set to "Yes" for introductory interaction gives the introductory offer first, then the code's offer.
- **Forgetting promotional offers need server signing.** Without it the offer cannot be presented.
- **Too many overlapping campaigns.** Offers cannot be edited after creation; plan names and dates first.
- **Trial terms not clear in the app.** Apple's guideline 3.1.2(c) asks you to describe clearly what the user gets for the price before they subscribe.

## How do offers affect commission?

Apple's commission is a share of what the customer pays, so a discounted period earns proportionally less, and a free period earns nothing. After a subscriber accumulates one year of paid service, your share rises from 70% to 85% (members of the Small Business Program get 85% from the start). Paid days stop counting while a subscription has lapsed and resume if it renews within 60 days. See [App Store and Google Play commission rates](https://uptika.app/en/guides/app-store-google-play-commission).

## What is the Google Play equivalent?

Google Play builds offers into the subscription itself: a subscription has base plans, and each base plan has offers with eligibility rules (new customer acquisition, upgrade or developer determined) and phases (free trial, single payment, discounted recurring payments). See [Google Play subscriptions: base plans and offers](https://uptika.app/en/guides/google-play-subscription-offers).

## How does Uptika help?

Uptika does not read your subscription data. It watches the store side: the Rival log records the day competitors change their price or listing, and the ASO score and Keyword radar show whether more people can find your page in the first place. The Free plan tracks one app in one storefront: [start free](https://uptika.app/app/#/?signup=1).

## Questions

### Introductory offer vs promotional offer?

An introductory offer is for people new to the subscription group, appears automatically on your product page for eligible people, and each person can redeem one per group. A promotional offer is for existing or previously subscribed customers, can only be presented inside your app with a signed request, and can be taken even after an introductory offer.

### How do I set up an introductory offer in App Store Connect?

Apps > your app > Subscriptions > group > subscription > Subscription Prices > View all Subscription Pricing > Set up Introductory Offer. Choose countries, start and end dates, then Pay as you go, Pay up front or Free with a duration and price, review the prices and Confirm.

### What are win-back offers?

Offers for lapsed subscribers that you configure by subscription product with eligibility rules (minimum paid duration, time since they left, wait between offers). Apple can show them on your product page, in editorial and personalized spots, on the Manage Subscriptions page and inside your app via a StoreKit message.

### How many promotional offers can a subscription have?

Up to 10 active promotional offers per subscription. Offer codes also allow up to 10 active offers per subscription, and win-back offers allow up to 350 per subscription with at most 5 live per storefront.

### Can a free trial be longer than a month?

Yes. Introductory free trials can be 3 days, 1 or 2 weeks, or 1, 2, 3 or 6 months, or 1 year, whatever the standard subscription length.

## Sources

- [Set up introductory offers (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-subscriptions/set-up-introductory-offers-for-auto-renewable-subscriptions)
- [Set up promotional offers (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-subscriptions/set-up-promotional-offers-for-auto-renewable-subscriptions)
- [Set up subscription offer codes (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-subscriptions/set-up-offer-codes)
- [Set up win-back offers (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-subscriptions/set-up-win-back-offers)
- [Auto-renewable subscriptions (Apple Developer)](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/subscriptions/)

---

Uptika is an ASO and store-intelligence tool for the App Store and Google Play. https://uptika.app/en