Subscriptions with pending payments are a model in which the payment method is not defined when the subscription is created. According to this model, payments automatically go into pending status and depend on the users to complete it.

In this case, there are two options: The first one is to update the subscription by defining a payment method through the /preapproval/{id} endpoint. The second one is to share a payment link with the buyer so they can complete the purchase with the payment method of their choice.

To offer subscriptions without an associated plan and with pending payments, send a POST with the necessary attributes to the /preapproval endpoint and then pay attention to the status parameter, which must be filled in with the pending value. If you prefer, use the curl below.

          
curl --location --request POST 'https://api.mercadopago.com/preapproval' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer YOU_ACCESS_TOKEN' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-raw '{
    "reason": "Yoga classes",
    "external_reference": "YG-1234",
    "payer_email": "test_user_75650838@testuser.com",
    "auto_recurring": {
        "frequency": 1,
        "frequency_type": "months",
        "end_date": "2023-07-20T15:59:52.581Z",
        "transaction_amount": 10,
        "currency_id": "BRL"
    },
    "back_url": "https://www.yoursite.com",
    "status": "pending"
}'