Maintaining Subscription Rates

This section describes the tabs used to maintain subscription rates. Each tab is discussed in its own section, and all of the procedures you can perform on that tab (e.g., viewing information, adding, modifying, etc.) are explained there.

Subscription Rate Setup Tab
Rate Code
Rate Terms
Auto Pay Terms
Rate Fixed Term
Discount Rate Codes
Rules
Rate Links
Publication
Subscription
Occupant
Payments
Location

Rate Code Tab

Use the Rate Code tab to view, add, modify, copy and delete rate codes. Also, the Rate Code tab allows one to choose whether to charge an Activation Fee for a specific Rate Code.

To select a rate:

• Locate the rate code in the left pane of the window.

• Double-click on it. All of the rate code details will be displayed on the Rate Code tab.

Note: If you want to create a new rate, the easiest way is to use the Subscription Rate Setup Wizard.

The buttons on the bottom of the tab allow you to maintain rate codes. They are described below.

Button	Use it to...
Chain	Create new “reduced” or “promo” rates based on a percentage of an existing rate. For example, if you need a reduced rate that is 15% off an existing normal rate, you could create a rate chain at 85%. See Rate Chains and Creating Rate Chains for more information about rate chains.
Add	Add a new rate code. Note: The easiest way to add a new rate code is to use the wizard (see Adding Subscription Rates).
Modify	Make changes to an existing rate code (e.g., change a start or end date).
Copy	Create a new rate code by copying an existing rate code. For example, if you want to add a normal rate to go along with a retail rate, you can copy the retail rate and then change a few details to create the new normal rate. Please note, however, that none of the rate terms, rule-rate links, or discounted rate information will be copied. You will have to add this information separately.
Delete	Delete a rate code that is no longer needed.
Help	Get help related to this tab.

The fields on the Rate Code tab are described below.

Field	Type	Description
RATE CODE	display	The rate code ID. This value is assigned during rate setup with the wizard. You cannot change it.
START DATE, END DATE	date	The date range during which this rate code can be used.
SUBSCRIPTION TYPE	predefined	Indicate whether this is a subscription term rate, or a day pass rate. Term rates are for typical subscriptions that have terms, for example a 13 week subscription. Day pass subscriptions allow a customer access to the publication website for a day (see the User Manual for more information). Separate rates must be defined for term vs. day pass subscriptions.
RATE TYPE	predefined	Indicate if this rate code is for a normal (standard) rate, or for a special promo, reduced or retail rate. See About Discounted Rates for more information about special rate types. If the rate type is retail, only the DESCRIPTION field below will be active. Note: Only normal and retail rate types are available for day pass rates.
COMBO	setup	If this is a combo (multiple-product subscription), enter the combo ID for this rate code.
DESCRIPTION	open	The description of the rate code.
NEXT RATE	setup	The rate code that will apply to the subscription after the subscriber makes a payment for this rate code. If this is a promotional rate, this field should contain the rate code that applies when the promotion is over. If this is a reduced rate, this field should contain the rate code for the full rate so that the discount can be calculated. If you are setting up a promotional rate, such as “1/2 Off”, and the next rate the subscriber should receive is “1/3 Off”, after which the subscriber should receive the “Normal” rate, you must set up three rate code records; one for “1/2 Off”, one for “1/3 Off” and one for the “Normal” rate. The record for “1/2 Off” would have a value of “1/3 Off” in NEXT RATE; the record for “1/3 Off” would have “Normal” in NEXT RATE.
RENEWAL MESSAGE	open (unlimited)	The message that will print on the renewal notice.
TURNOVER RATE	setup	The rate code that will apply when office pay subscriptions with this rate are switched to carrier collect. Office pay subscribers can switch to carrier collect with a billing change, or they may be switched automatically if their grace period ends. TURNOVER RATE is also used when carrier collect subscribers switch to office pay. This field will only be open if you have Business Rules set to rate carrier collect subscribers. The rate code entered in NEXT RATE will default.
AAM PRICE LEVEL	setup	The AAM price level for subscribers with this rate code. Enter “*” to use the default price level defined in Business Rules.
PREVIOUS DELIVERY	checkbox	Select this checkbox if new or restarting subscribers with this rate should be offered a previous day’s paper. For example, a new subscriber starting Tuesday might be offered the previous Sunday’s paper.
REFUNDABLE	checkbox	Select this checkbox if refunds can be given to subscribers on this rate code.
INCLUDE IN BONUS DAY ADJUSTMENT	checkbox	Select this checkbox if subscribers on this rate will be included when the Bonus Day Adjustment utility is run. If it is not selected, these subscribers will be ignored.
CHARGE ACTIVATION FEE	checkbox	Select this checkbox if subscribers on this rate will be charged Activation Fees. By default, the value is set to Yes.
DIGITAL RESTATE TYPE	predefined	Indicate if subscriptions on this rate code are subject to AAM restatement (i.e., if they have not met AAM’s requirements for accessing their digital subscriptions). The possible settings are: All Digital. Digital subscriptions having this rate code can be restated for AAM. None. Digital subscriptions having this rate code will not be restated for AAM. One Digital (only available for combo rates). Combo subscriptions with this rate code will have digital AAM history tracked under a single digital edition. The Digital Draw Type field determines how that draw is tracked.
DIGITAL DRAW TYPE	predefined	If Digital Restate Type is set to “One Digital”, the Digital Draw Type field opens. Indicate how to create digital draw for AAM reporting: Standard. If the Digital Restate Type is “All Digital” or “None”, Digital Draw Type defaults to “Standard” and cannot be changed. For AAM purposes, digital draws will be created by End Publ Run for each edition of a combo (if Digital Restate Type is “All Digital”). If the Digital Restate Type is “One Digital”, this option cannot be selected. Best Digital Only. Digital draw will be created by End Publ Run only for the digital edition flagged as Primary Digital in Combo setup. No AAM restating will be needed in this case. Before setting Digital Draw Type to “Best Digital Only”, you must have the primary digital edition flagged in the associated combo (see Combo). Unpaid. Digital draw will be created for digital editions by End Publ Run, but with an AAM column of “Unpaid”. The draw can later be moved to the correct AAM column by Digital Access Draw, based on the subscriber’s digital access records. None. No digital draw will be generated by End Publ Run for subscriptions with this rate code. Instead, digital draw will be generated by Digital Access Draw, based on the subscriber’s digital access records.
FREE RATE CODE	setup	Some rates contain “free days” at the beginning or end of the subscription period—for example, “buy 2 months, get 2 weeks free”. Free days may only be defined for promo or reduced rates (see About Discounted Rates below). If this rate contains free days, enter the rate code that should apply to subscribers during their free days. The free rate code will be used only for description purposes and to indicate the discount GL account for the free days discount. Note: Please note that free rates do not support percent-by-day rate terms.
MINIMUM PURCHASE	integer (7)	If a free rate code has been entered, indicate the minimum number of days the subscriber must buy in order to qualify for this rate. For example, you might require a subscription period of at least 30 days to qualify for a “one week free” promotion.
FREE WHEN	predefined	Indicate whether the free days come at the beginning or end of the subscription period.
DAY TYPE	predefined	Indicate whether the free days are calendar or publishing days. If the copy rates for this rate code vary by day of week, you must choose “calendar”.
FREE DAYS	integer (7)	Indicate the number of free days offered with this rate code. If the copy rates for this rate code vary by day of week, you may only enter days in increments of 7 (7, 14, 21, etc.). The free days are added to the rate term. So, for example, if a 12-week term has 7 free days, the total subscription term would be 13 weeks.
CC TERM DAYS	integer (7)	Indicate how many days this term should apply to carrier collect subscriptions. After this term is over, the rate code entered in NEXT RATE will apply to the subscription. Note that the subscription length of office pay subscriptions is determined by their payment (payment / rate = subscription term).
DAY TYPE	predefined	Indicate whether the term days entered above are publishing or calendar days. For example, if a newspaper publishes Mon-Sat, one week would be counted as 6 publishing days but 7 calendar days.
MAXIMUM DAYS	integer (7)	If DAY TYPE is “publishing”, Indicate the total number of calendar days that a carrier collect subscription is allowed to stay at this rate. This can come into play, for example, if the subscription is temp stopped. Leave the field set to 0 if there is no maximum.
MARKETING TERM	predefined	If this is a marketing term rate, indicate whether the term length is defined by day, week, month, quarter or year. See About Marketing Terms for more information on marketing terms.
MARKETING LENGTH	integer (8)	Enter the number of days, weeks, months, etc. (depending on the marketing term selected). For example, if you enter “3” here, and you entered “month” for the marketing term, you will have a marketing term period of 3 months.
MIN PERIOD REQUIRED?	yes/no	If using marketing terms, you can select this checkbox to indicate that a minimum subscription period is required before a stop can be entered. The following message will be displayed in Customer Service and during Transaction Processing if the minimum period has not been met: “There are X copies and $X.XX before a stop can be entered. The next available stop date is mm/dd/yy”.

Creating Rate Chains

Rate chains allow you to create new reduced or promotional rates based on a percentage of an existing rate. When you add a rate chain, you make a copy of an existing rate (including all of the rate code details, rate term details, and rule-rate links). You assign a rate code to the new rate and enter a percentage of the existing rate.

Note: For more information about rate chains, see Rate Chains.

To create a rate chain:

1. Select the existing rate on which you want to base a new reduced or promo rate.

2. On the Rate Code tab, click the Chain button. The Rate Chains window is displayed.

   
3. Enter the rate chain information described below.

   Field	Type	What to enter
   CREATE RULE RATE LINK	checkbox	Select this checkbox if you want to create a new rule rate link for this rate.
   NEW RATE CODE	open (20)	Enter a name (i.e., ID) for this rate code. This is what that will appear when viewing and selecting rates for subscribers in Customer Service.
   DESCRIPTION	open (20)	Enter a description that will distinguish this rate from other rates.
   RATE TYPE	predefined	Identify the type of rate you are creating. You have two options: • Promo—Temporary rate used primarily for new subscribers. After the promotional term, subscribers are automatically assigned a new rate (usually a normal rate). • Reduced—Permanent, reduced rate given as a result of a billing change, change in rating rules, etc.
   NEXT RATE	setup	This display-only field shows the next rate, which is automatically the existing rate on which this rate is based.
   TURNOVER RATE	setup	Note: This field is active only if you have Business Rules set to rate carrier collect subscribers. Enter the rate code that should apply when office pay subscriptions with this rate are switched to carrier collect or vice versa.
   FREE RATE CODE	setup	If this rate contains free days, enter the rate code that should apply to subscribers during their free days. The free rate code will be used only for description purposes and to indicate the discount GL account for the free days discount. Note: Please note that free rates do not support percent-by-day rate terms.
   REASON	setup	Enter the reason code that should be linked to this rate, or enter “*” for all. The reason code is considered only when entering Start or Delivery Schedule Change transactions. Click the Reason Code Setup button if you need to set up a new reason code.
   PERCENT DISCOUNT	open (3)	Enter the percentage of the existing rate that subscribers should be charged for this rate. For example, if this rate should be 80% of the original rate, enter “80” here. All amounts will be calculated automatically for the new rate.

4. Click OK.

Note: When creating a rate chain, if you select a reason code that has not been set up previously with the source rate, a new window will appear for creation of the new rule. If you accept this new rule, it will update the rule-rate links automatically.

Rate Terms Tab

Rate terms define the subscription periods (e.g., 6 weeks or 1 month) and their corresponding costs for a rate code, as well as the cost of extra copies by day of the week.

On the Rate Terms tab, you can view, add, modify, copy and delete rate terms.

All of the rate terms for this rate code are listed at the top of the tab. To select a rate term, double-click it.

Note: This tab will be populated automatically if you used the Subscription Rate Setup Wizard to create the rate.

When a subscriber payment is entered, the longest term that can be purchased by the payment amount will be selected, and then the next longest will be added to it, and so on, until the payment is accounted for.

Rather than having a single amount associated with a subscription period, you may specify different amounts for each day of the week. For example, you may want to enter a higher rate for Sunday than for other days of the week. You do this in one of two ways, depending on the type of subscription term:

• If the term is in weeks, amounts can be entered for each day. This is the cost per day of the subscription.

• If the term is in months, quarters, or years, a single amount is specified, and then percentages are entered for each day to “weight” them. For example, you may enter 45% for Sunday, 15% for Wednesday, and 10% for all other days. This means that 45% of the cost of this term is used to buy Sunday papers, 10% for Monday papers, and so on. Percentages can also be entered for weekly terms.

The advantage of specifying rates per day rather than an overall rate is that it can be fairer to the subscriber. With a single overall rate, all days are equal: a subscriber who misses a Sunday paper and is given an extra day will most likely get the extra paper on some other day of the week. Business Rules determine whether subscriber rates vary by day of week.

Button	Use it to...
Rewards	Display the Rate Term Reward Setup window, where you can attach rewards, such as air miles, to specific rate terms. See Set Up Rewards for more information.
Add	Add a new rate term (e.g., if you want to add a 6-month subscription to a rate code that already has a 3-month subscription).
Modify	Make changes to an existing rate term (e.g., change the cost per day or extend the end date).
Copy	Create a new rate term by copying an existing one (e.g., if you want to add a 26-week term that has the same cost per day as an existing 13-week term, you can use the Copy option to save time).
Delete	Delete a rate term that is no longer needed.
Help	Get help related to this tab.

The fields on the Rate Terms tab are described below.

Field	Type	What to enter
RATE CODE	setup	The rate code ID. This value is assigned during rate setup with the wizard. You cannot change it.
PAYMENT LENGTH	integer (3)	The payment length in units of payment terms. For example, if the rate code is in effect for one week, the Payment Length would be “1” and the Payment Term would be “week”.
PAYMENT TERM	predefined	The payment term that corresponds to the Payment Length: year, quarter, month, or week. For day pass rates, this field will be set to “Day” and cannot be modified.
START DATE, END DATE	date	The date range during which this rate term is valid.
RATING METHOD	predefined	Indicate whether the Amount entered below is a Amount by Day, Percent by Day, Flat Amount, or Combo rate. Use “Amount by Day” or “Percent by Day” if your copy rate varies by day of week. For day pass rates, this field will be set to “Flat” and cannot be modified.
AMOUNT	decimal (9)	Enter the amount for this rate code. If the subscription rate varies by day and the payment term is in weeks or days, this field will be skipped and you will enter your amounts in Amount By Day (see below).
SHOW ON RENEWAL, SHOW ON INVOICE	predefined	Indicate whether the rate term should be printed on the subscriber’s renewal notice and invoice always, never, or based on a previous payment. Set up at least one term to “always” print on renewals and invoices—this is required for renewal notice printing. If you enter “previous”, this rate term prints only if the subscriber previously paid for this payment term. This is often used for special rates that are not normally offered. “Never” is commonly used for 1-day terms, which are needed to calculate odd-amount payments.
FULL VAC PACK DAYS, HALF VAC PACK DAYS, MAX VAC PAC AMT	integer (4) integer (4) decimal (9)	Some newspapers have vacation pack promotions—if a subscriber takes a vacation pack, rather than temp stopping the subscription, some or all of the vacation pack papers will be free (i.e., the subscriber’s expire date will be extended). If this rate offers a promotion for vacation pack holders, enter the maximum number of full-day and half-day extensions allowed during the term. For example, if the full days maximum was 14 and the half days was 6, a subscriber with a vacation pack for a month would be extended 17 days. If, instead, the subscriber took a six-day vacation in May and another in June within the same payment period, the subscription would be extended for 12 days. In order to receive credit for full and half days, the subscriber must be up-to-date with payments; in-grace subscribers do not receive credit for full and half days. A maximum value for vacation packs can also be entered. Note that vac pack promotions apply only to office pay subscribers. Vac packs are specified as part of a stop transaction.

Rate term amounts are entered on the Rate Term Amounts subtab. These fields are described below.

Field	Type	What to enter
AMOUNT BY DAY, PERCENT BY DAY	decimal (6) decimal (9)	Either the Amount By Day or Percent By Day fields will be editable. With Amount By Day, the combined amount for all days, multiplied by the payment length, should equal the total rate for the term. With Percent By Day, the combined percentages of all seven days must equal 100.
EXTRA COST BY DAY	decimal (10)	For each day of the week, enter the cost of an extra copy if requested by a subscriber with this rate code. Note that the extra cost applies only if the subscriber receives extra copies only on some delivery days. If the subscriber receives extra copies on each delivery day, the number of copies will be multiplied by the base copy rate.

If rate terms are being defined for a combo subscription, the Rates By Product subtab will also be available. This subtab is used to maintain the costs by day of the week for each publication in the combo. The days of the week that are available for each publication are defined in Combo setup. Days that are not included in the combo will default to a zero value and cannot be modified.

Set Up Rewards

The Rate Term Details tab allows you to add subscriber rewards, such as air miles, to a specific rate term. For example, you may want to give 1,000 air miles to all new subscribers who purchase a 13-week subscription, and offer an additional 500 air miles every time they auto renew.

To set up rewards:

1. Click the Rewards button on the Rate Term Details tab. The Rate Term Reward Setup window appears.

   
2. Double-click the term to which you want to add rewards.

3. Click Add.

4. Complete the following fields and click OK.

   Field	Type	What to enter
   RATE CODE	setup	This display-only field shows the rate code ID with which this term is associated.
   PAYMENT LENGTH	integer (3)	This display-only field shows the payment length in units of payment terms. For example, if the rate is in effect for one week, the Payment Length would be “1” and the Payment Term would be “week”.
   PAYMENT TERM	predefined	This display-only field shows the payment term that corresponds to the Payment Length: year, quarter, month, week or day.
   REWARD PROGRAM	setup	Select a reward program from the list. Reward programs are set up in character Circulation: Setup | Business | Reward Program.
   OFFER CODE	setup	Select an offer code from the list. Offer codes are set up in character Circulation: Setup | Subscription | Codes | Offer Code.
   START DATE, END DATE	date	The date range during which this reward program is valid for this term.
   REWARD	integer (5)	Enter the reward amount that the subscriber will receive for this term.
   AUTORENEW REWARD	integer (5)	Enter the reward amount that the subscriber will receive when auto renewing for this term.

Auto Pay Terms

The Auto Pay Terms tab allows auto-renew subscribers to be billed monthly while their payments are amortized using per-copy amounts that vary by weekday. The Auto Pay Terms tab is enabled for subscription rates with weekly terms and for which amounts or percentages by day have been specified. This tab is where the monthly, override rate terms are specified for auto-renewal purposes.

The Auto Pay Terms panel at the top of the tab shows the monthly terms that have already been set up for the selected rate code. Clicking on an existing monthly term will display the details of that term in the Auto Pay Term Details panel below it. The Rates By Product panel is used when entering rates for each component of a combo.

Note:

• Before performing the following setup on the Auto Pay Terms tab, you will need to calculate the cost of your monthly override terms. For example, an existing weekly term can be converted to a monthly term as follows: one-week term * 52 weeks / 12 months = one-month term. For combo terms, you will need to convert the weekly term into a monthly term for each component product in the combo. Weekly rate components of a combo are found on the Rate Terms tab, Rates By Product subtab.

• You cannot use marketing term rates with auto pay terms.

To set up a monthly auto-pay term:

1. With the desired subscription rate term highlighted in the rate tree, click on the Auto Pay Terms tab. This tab is enabled for subscription rates that have weekly terms and amounts or percentages by day already set up.

2. Click Add and complete the following fields as needed:

   • Rate Code—The selected rate code is displayed.

   • Billing Length—Enter the number of months for this auto-pay term.

   • Billing Term—“Month” is displayed, as only monthly terms can be used with this option.

   • Start Date and End Date—Specify the date range during which this auto-pay term is valid. The end date is optional.

3. Enter the amount of the auto-pay term as follows:

   • For a regular rate (i.e., a non-combo rate), enter the amount charged to the subscriber for this term in the Amount field.

   • For a combo rate, enter the amount for each component product in the Rates By Product Mix panel. Double-click in the Total column and enter the charge for each component for this term. The Amount field above will display the total amount of all component products.

     
4. Click OK to save the auto-pay term.

Notes

• When a new start is entered using an auto-pay term, “Month” must be selected in the Term field of the Continuous Renewal Information window (see below) in Customer Service screen. The “Month” term must be set up in advance in Setup | Business | Products | Publication | Specifics | Auto Renew Term.

  
• After setting up auto-pay terms, the Rate Terms tab in Customer Service will show both the week terms and the month terms (see below).

  
• For combo subscriptions, a plus sign (+) will appear beside the month terms. When expanded, the amounts for each component product in the combo are shown (see below).

  
• Payment transactions made on auto-renew terms will include the remark, “Auto renew billing term override,” which can be seen in Customer Service.

  
• Unallocated amounts are not included in the term amount when auto renewing the term (in order to keep the amounts the same across terms). Therefore unallocated amounts can build up in a subscriber's balance over time, if no other transactions are entered for the account. These unallocated amounts can be applied to the subscriber's balance via a transfer out/in transaction.

Rate Fixed Term

Non-refundable normal rates can be set up with fixed end dates. This feature is useful for offering a “teacher” type of subscription—a fixed price for the entire school year. Teachers can start the subscription whenever they want, but the end date is fixed (coinciding with the last day of the school year). Teachers typically receive a significant discount for such subscriptions (e.g., 20.00 for the entire school year, paid in advance), but subscriptions are not extended for any reason, and any balances remaining at the end of the period are not refunded. All starts within the period for which the rate is valid will end on the same date and cost the same amount.

The fields on this tab are as follows:

• Rate Code—The rate code is displayed.

• Start Date—The first date on which new starts can be entered with this rate.

• End Date—The last date on which new starts can be entered with this rate.

• Fixed End Date—The permanent stop date for all subscribers on this rate. On the fixed end date, system-generated stop transactions will be created for the subscribers, and these transactions cannot be modified or deleted.

• Source—The source code for the permanent stops created on the fixed end date.

• Reason—The reason code for the permanent stops created on the fixed end date.

• Donation Code—The donation code for GL purposes.

When entering a start for a fixed-rate, fixed end-date subscription, the Billing Method field will be populated with “office pay,” and it cannot be changed. Also, the Renew After This Term checkbox will be set based on a Business Rule, When entering a fixed term start, what is the default answer to “Renew after this term?,” which is in the Customer Services section.

Discount Rate Codes Tab

Discount GL accounts are used to record discount amounts attached to promo, reduced, retail and free day rates, as well as term discounts, overridden rates and “let’s make a deal” rates (if the subscriber pays an extra amount, they are given a lengthened subscription rather than a refund). The Discount Rate Codes tab is where you define these accounts. Separate accounts can be defined for each day of the week, and can vary based on product, distribution method, and other parameters.

When you select a rate code, the discount GL account entries are displayed at the top of the Discount Rate Codes tab. To view the details of a specific entry, double-click it. The fields are populated with the details.

Button	Use it to...
Add	Add a new discount GL account entry (e.g., to record discounts for a different product).
Modify	Make changes to an existing discount GL account entry (e.g., change the GL account for a specific day of the week).
Copy	Create a new discount GL account entry by copying an existing one (e.g., if you want to use the same GL accounts, but you want to capture discounts in a specific district, you can simply copy the existing entry and change the district to create the new entry).
Delete	Delete a discount rate that is no longer valid.
Help	Get help related to this tab.

The fields on the Discount Rate Codes tab are described below.

Field	Type	What to enter
RATE CODE	display	The subscription rate code being defined.
COMPANY PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION METHOD AAM ZONE AREA REGION DISTRIB ZONE DISTRICT DELIVERY SCHEDULE	setup	Subscriber discount GL accounts can be defined based on any combination of these fields. Enter a specific value in a field, or enter “*” to include all. For example, if you enter “DM” in PRODUCT, the discount GL accounts would only be used with DM subscribers. If you enter “*” in PRODUCT instead, any subscriber could use the discount GL accounts (if the subscriber met the other criteria defined here).
DISCOUNT ACCT	setup	For each day of the week, enter the GL account that should be used for discounts for subscribers meeting the criteria entered above.

Rules Tab

You use the Rules tab to create and maintain the rules used for subscriber rating. These are the rules that appear as valid entries in lookups when you run the rate setup wizard. If you want to add a new publication rule, for example, you need to create it on the Publication tab.

The Rules tab allows you to define and maintain subscription rate rules. This tab contains several sub tabs, one for each rule:

• Rate Links Sub-Tab

• Publication Sub-Tab

• Subscription Sub-Tab

• Occupant Sub-Tab

• Payment Sub-Tab

• Location Sub-Tab

• Rate Class Sub-Tab

The options for each sub-tab are the same.

Button	Use it to...
Add	Add a new rule or rule-rate link.
Modify	Make changes to an existing rule or rule-rate link.
Copy	Create a new rule or rule-rate link by copying an existing one.
Delete	Delete a rule or rule-rate link that is no longer needed.
Help	Get help related to the tab.

Each subtab is described next.

Rate Links Sub-Tab

Rule-rate links connect a rate code to specific rules for which subscribers must qualify in order to receive the rate. To view an existing rule-rate link, double-click it to populate the fields. You can also click the and buttons on the grid to show or hide details about individual rules.

Note: This sub-tab will be populated automatically if you used the Subscription Rate Setup Wizard to create the rate.

You may enter different combinations of rules for the same rate code. For example, if residents of your primary market area (PMA) and your city market area (CITY) should get the same rate but all other AAM zones should get a different rate, set up three rule/rate records. Two of the records (for PMA and CITY) would have the same rate code. Business Rules determine whether carrier collect subscriptions should be rated.

The fields on the Rate Links sub-tab are described below.

Field	Type	What to enter
RATE CODE	display	The rate code is displayed here.
RULE PUBLICATION	setup	Enter the publication rule to apply to this rate. If you have not defined rules, enter a rule ID in this (and the following four) fields and press F5. You can then define the rule in the window that opens.
RULE SUBSCRIPTION	setup	Enter the subscription rule to apply to this rate.
RULE OCCUPANT	setup	Enter the occupant rule to apply to this rate.
RULE PAYMENT	setup	Enter the payment rule to apply to this rate.
RULE LOCATION	setup	Enter the location rule to apply to this rate.
START DATE, END DATE	date	Enter the date during which this rate is valid.

Publication Sub-Tab

Use this sub-tab to set up and maintain subscriber rating rules based on the publication the subscriber receives. If you publish more than one publication, and each one has a different rate, you must set up a publication rule for each.

Field	Type	Description
RULE PRODUCT	open (20)	Enter the ID of the publication rule.
PRODUCT	setup	Enter the publication that is valid for this rule. Enter “*” if the rule is valid for all publications, or if the rule is being defined for a combo. Note: Day pass rates require publication rules defined by product rather than combo.
COMBO	setup	If the rule is for a combo, specify the combo that is valid for this rule. If the rule is being defined for a product, or is valid for all combos, enter “*” here. You may select a product or a combo for the rule, but not both.

Subscription Sub-Tab

Use this sub-tab to set up and maintain subscriber rating rules based on subscription information, such as the delivery schedule and delivery type. One of the subscription items is the reason code, which describes why the subscription was started. If you have a promotional rate, you can use a special reason code (such as “promo”) that the operator enters for the new start. Then, you can define a subscription rule for the “promo” reason code and link it to a promotional rate.

The subscription rules that are displayed on this sub-tab depend on the filter criteria entered in the Delivery Type, Schedule, Source, and Reason fields. Enter values in these fields and then click Filter to display subscription rules that match the criteria.

Field	Type	What to enter
RULE SUBSCRIPTION	open (20)	The ID of the subscription rule.
SUBSCRIPTION TYPE	predefined	Indicate whether the subscription rule is being defined for term or day pass subscriptions. This should be “Term” unless you are setting up a rate for day pass subscriptions.
DELIVERY TYPE	predefined	The delivery type that is valid for this rule. You can enter a user-defined route type or a predefined option such as mail (for mail delivery), multiple (used only for subscriptions delivered by multiple routes with varying delivery types), or online (for online subscriptions). Enter “*” in this field if: ALL delivery types are valid for this rule. Mixed delivery is valid. Mixed delivery refers to mail and route delivery being used on different days of the week. Hybrid delivery is valid. Hybrid subscriptions employ a combination of online and route delivery for different days of the week.
SOURCE	setup	The source code that is valid for this rule. Enter “*” for ALL.
DELIVERY SCHEDULE	setup	The delivery schedule that is valid for this rule. Enter “*” for ALL.
REASON	setup	The start reason code that is valid for this rule. Reason code is considered only when entering starts or delivery schedule change. Therefore, you should define at least one rule with a reason code of “*”, which will be valid if the rate changes during a payment, move, etc.
DAYS STOPPED	integer (4)	The minimum number of days a subscription must be permanently stopped to qualify for this rule. Note: If your site uses subscription-length pricing (i.e., if rates are determined by how long subscribers have been active), this field has a different function—it defines the minimum number of days the subscriber must be active to qualify for this rule.

Occupant Sub-Tab

Use this sub-tab to set up and maintain subscriber rating rules that determine rates based on occupant types. For example, you may decide to define a rule for all subscribers who are senior citizens, or you might set up a different rule for students.

Field	Type	Description
RULE OCCUPANT	open (12)	The ID of the occupant rule.
OCCUPANT TYPE	setup	The occupant type associated with this rule.

Payment Sub-Tab

Use this sub-tab to set up and maintain subscriber rating rules for the types of payments received, such as bank draft and credit card auto renewal.

You may give subscribers special rates depending on how they pay for their subscription. For example, you could have a special offer for subscribers who automatically renew via credit card.

Field	Type	Description
RULE PAYMENT	open (12)	The ID of the payment rule.
PAYMENT TYPE	predefined	Enter the payment type to associate with this rule: Credit Card Auto Renew, Bank Draft Auto Renew, PayPal Auto Renew, or “*” for ALL.

Location Sub-Tab

Use this sub-tab to set up and maintain subscriber rating rules that determine rates based on location, including city, route, and dwelling type. You must set up at least one location rule. The location may be any combination of route, AAM zone, census tract, dwelling type, district, Zip code, country, state, county, delivery placement and city. For example, if you have different promotional rates for in-state and out-of-state subscribers, define one rule for each. Another example might be to define a rule specifying that apartment dwellers in a certain city get a designated rate.

Subscriber rating rules can be set up either independently (as with this option) or as part of the rule-rate link process. You must set up at least one location rule (this applies to other rules as well).

The location rules that are displayed on this sub-tab depend on the filter criteria entered in the various address, Placement, and Dwelling fields. Enter values in these fields and then click Filter to display existing location rules that match the criteria.

Field	Type	Description
RULE LOCATION	open (12)	The ID of the location rule.
ROUTE	setup	The route that is valid for this rule, or “*” for ALL.
DISTRICT	setup	The district that is valid for this rule, or “*” for ALL.
RATE CLASS	setup	The subscription rate class that is valid for this rule (enter “*” for all). A subscription rate class is a grouping of routes for subscriber rating purposes.
AAM ZONE	setup	The AAM Zone that is valid for this rule, or “*” for ALL.
ZIP ZIP EXT	setup	The Zip code extension that are valid for this rule, or “*” for ALL. Only the first five digits of US Zip codes or first three digits of Canadian Zip codes may be entered. A Business Rule (Subscriber Acctg section) determines whether this field is active.
COUNTRY	setup	The country that is valid for this rule, or “*” for ALL.
STATE	setup	The state that is valid for this rule, or “*” for ALL.
COUNTY	setup	The county that is valid for this rule, or “*” for ALL.
CITY	setup	The city that is valid for this rule, or “*” for ALL.
CENSUS TRACT	setup	The census tract that is valid for this rule (leave at “00000.00000” for ALL).
DWELLING TYPE	setup	The dwelling type that is valid for this rule, or “*” for ALL.
DELIVERY PLACEMENT	setup	A newspaper may add a small surcharge for a special delivery placement. For example, if a subscriber on a motor route requests that the paper be delivered under the mat, a higher rate might be assigned. If this location rule will be used for specific delivery placements, enter the placement here. Otherwise enter “*” for ALL.
DELIVERY ADDRESS TYPE	predefined	Define whether this rate will be used for multiple-address subscriptions, single-address subscriptions, or “*” for both.

Rate Class Sub-Tab

Subscription rate classes are user-defined categories used to group together routes that have similar subscriber rates. Routes can be assigned to a subscription rate class when they are set up, and a subscription rate class may be specified when setting up a location rule (see above).

As an example of how a subscription rate class can be used, say you have all the routes in a neighborhood called “Upper Town” grouped into a subscriber rate class. A location rule using that subscriber rate class could then be added and linked to a special subscriber rate. Any subscriber delivered by an “Upper Town” route would then qualify for the special rate. Of course, this can be done without a subscriber rate class, by setting up individual location rules for each “Upper Town” route. But with a subscriber rate class only one location rule is needed, making it easier to enter and keep track of subscriber rates.

Field	Type	Description
SUBSCRIPTION RATE CLASS	open (8)	The subscription rate class.
DESCRIPTION	open (30)	Enter a description of the subscription rate class.