Ghost Release: 5.88.3

TL;DR

Ghost v5.88.3: Fixing Unexpected Invoices During Member Imports

This patch release fixes a critical billing issue where importing members with tiers was creating unexpected invoices and potentially charging customers incorrectly. The fix prevents unwanted invoices from being generated during the import process by modifying how subscription price updates are handled in the Stripe integration.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed a critical bug in the member import process that was creating unexpected invoices
• Prevented incorrect charges for customers with previous one-off discounts
• Added flexibility to the Stripe integration for controlling proration behavior

Migration Guide

No migration steps are required for this update. This is a patch release that can be safely applied without any additional configuration changes.

Upgrade Recommendations

This update is highly recommended for all Ghost users who:

• Use the members/subscription features
• Import members from other platforms
• Plan to migrate users with paid subscriptions

The fix prevents potential billing issues that could affect both site administrators and their paying members. As this is a patch release (v5.88.3), it should be safe to upgrade with minimal risk of introducing new issues.

Bug Fixes

Fixed Unexpected Invoices During Member Imports

This release resolves an issue where importing members with tiers using the alpha importer would create unexpected invoices. Previously, when moving a subscription over to a Ghost product/price, the updateSubscriptionItemPrice() method was setting proration_behavior: 'always_invoice'. This resulted in:

• Invoices being generated even when no actual price changes were occurring from the customer's perspective
• Customers with previous one-off discounts potentially being incorrectly charged the proration difference because the discount was no longer applied

The fix modifies the forceStripeSubscriptionToProduct() method used by the importer to pass prorationBehavior: 'none' when updating subscription item prices, preventing unwanted invoices and charges during the import process.

New Features

Enhanced Stripe Integration Flexibility

The Stripe integration now has improved flexibility with the addition of an options parameter to the updateSubscriptionItemPrice() method. This allows for more granular control over how subscription price updates are handled, including the ability to override the proration_behavior property on a per-call basis.

Security Updates

No security fixes were included in this release.

Performance Improvements

No specific performance improvements were included in this release.

Impact Summary

This release addresses a specific but important issue in Ghost's Stripe integration that was causing unexpected invoices during member imports. The fix is particularly valuable for site owners migrating from other platforms who need to bring their paying subscribers into Ghost without disrupting their billing experience.

By modifying how subscription price updates are handled during imports, the patch ensures a smoother transition for both site administrators and their members. The change also adds more flexibility to the Stripe integration by allowing for better control over proration behavior, which could be beneficial for future development.

While this is a targeted fix for a specific use case, it represents an important improvement in Ghost's handling of subscription migrations and demonstrates the project's commitment to ensuring a reliable billing experience.

Full Release Notes