Mastering Prepay Across Subscriptions in NetSuite SuiteBilling

NetSuite SuiteBilling has introduced a powerful feature for handling prepaid services, allowing for enhanced flexibility and efficiency. Prepay Across Subscriptions is a tool that enables businesses to manage prepaid usage over distinct combinations of customer, currency, and subsidiaries. This feature provides deeper integration and optimization for businesses looking to streamline their billing processes.

Understanding Prepaid Usage with Drawdown

The Prepaid Usage with Drawdown functionality is designed to allow billing for usage services in advance, with the capability to draw down on the prepaid amount as services are utilized. This can be particularly useful for businesses that provide usage-based services. In NetSuite, prepaid services can be attached to both subscriptions and plans. An important consideration is that prepaid lines must be in draft status and cannot be modified once activated or suspended.

Key Features

Flexible Configuration: You can configure a prepay service in one subscription while utilizing usage services from another. This cross-subscription flexibility is a game-changer for businesses managing multiple service offerings.
Prepayment Frequencies: Choose between One-Time and Auto-Refill:
- One-Time: Payments are made in advance based on estimated usage. As the balance is depleted, the service switches to a "pay as you go" model. Once the balance reaches zero, new subscription lines need to be created.
- Auto-Refill: Maintains a minimum balance, auto-generating new prepayments once this balance is reached, ensuring uninterrupted service provisioning.

Setup and Administration

To enable the Prepay with Drawdown feature, ensure your account is configured appropriately:

Navigate to Setup > Company > Enable Features.
In the Billing section under the Transactions subtab, check the box for Prepay with Drawdown.

Note: Ensure that the Create Revenue Elements for Subscription Revisions preference is unchecked, as this feature is incompatible.

Practical Considerations

Revenue Recognition: It is crucial to integrate subscription items correctly for revenue recognition purposes.
Handling Prepay Balances: When a subscription term concludes, businesses have options to either refund remaining balances or recognize them as non-refundable.

Key Takeaways

Leverage the enhanced prepaid feature for effective cross-subscription service usage.
Ensure proper setup to avoid conflicts with other billing features.
Use the prepay service to manage cash flow effectively with clear revenue recognition strategies.