Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions about how Garde works, what it can and can't do, and what to do when something goes wrong.
Will Garde block my members from cancelling?
No. Garde is designed to give members a moment to pause and reconsider — not to trap them. Every cancel flow includes a clear path to cancel if the member decides that's what they want. If a member declines all offers, they can confirm their cancellation and exit.
The goal is to present a well-timed offer, not to frustrate members into staying. Blocking cancellations is bad for trust and, in most jurisdictions, legally problematic. Garde doesn't do it.
How does Garde actually execute pause, skip, and discount offers?
When a member accepts an offer, Garde calls the Awtomic API in real time to apply it. For example:
- Pause — sends a pause request to the member's subscription via Awtomic
- Skip — sends a skip-next-cycle request
- Discount — applies a percentage discount for a set number of billing cycles
- Club swap — moves the member to a different tier or club
Awtomic handles the actual subscription change. Garde doesn't touch your billing provider directly — it goes through Awtomic as the intermediary. This means the change shows up in your Awtomic dashboard immediately.
If an offer fails to execute (for example, if the API key is incorrect or the subscription isn't in a state that allows the action), the member will see an error and no change will be made.
Can I use Garde without Awtomic?
Not currently. Garde is built specifically on top of the Awtomic subscription platform. It uses Awtomic to pull member data (name, club, tenure, LTV) and to execute offers (pause, skip, discount, swap).
If you're not using Awtomic for subscription management, Garde won't connect to your store. Integrations with other platforms aren't available yet.
What happens if a member exits the flow without choosing?
If a member lands on the cancel page and then closes the browser or navigates away without clicking "Cancel my subscription," nothing changes. Their subscription stays active. Garde only records an "Exit" outcome — no cancellation is triggered.
The exit path is distinct from the cancel path on purpose. A member who bounces off the page is very different from one who confirmed cancellation.
Does Garde work for members on any subscription club?
Yes, as long as the subscription exists in your Awtomic store. Garde pulls club and subscription data dynamically for each member, so it works regardless of which club or tier they're on. Your save offers and cancel reasons apply to all members by default, though you can configure different offers per reason.
What are common error messages and what do they mean?
"We couldn't load your subscription details" — Garde couldn't fetch the member's data from Awtomic. Usually means the customer ID or subscription ID in the URL is wrong, or the API key is incorrect. Check your winery integration settings.
"Something went wrong applying your offer" — The offer execution request to Awtomic failed. Check that your API key is still valid and that the subscription is active (not already cancelled or in a locked state).
"This offer is no longer available" — The member tried to accept an offer that had already been accepted in an earlier step. This can happen if they navigate back and try to accept the same offer again.
Still have a question that isn't answered here? See Troubleshooting the cancel flow for step-by-step fixes.