B2

Members only! Subscription models

1. Describe how people experienced the areas in the boxes before Internet subscription models were
introduced and how the experience has changed.
T Tell students that they can discuss their personal experience or speak generally.

TV shows and movies newspapers and magazines music food and drink

2. Complete the company messages about subscriptions with the words from the boxes. Then, explain
the phrases you created in your own words.

auto-renewal basis cancellation flat

payment recurring rewards trial

A. Our streaming service offers subscription plans on a(n) annual/monthly basis, allowing users to
enjoy unlimited access to our content in a way that works for them.
B. Try our premium software for free with a 7-day free trial and experience its benefits before
committing to a subscription.
C. Purchase our e-book for just £9.99 with a one-off payment and enjoy lifetime access to the content
without any additional charges.
D. Join our loyalty program today and get access to discounts, gifts and special offers as part of our
membership rewards program.
E. Please note that a £50 cancellation fee will be applied if you choose to end your gym membership
before the agreed contract term.
F. Our auto-renewal contract means you’ll have uninterrupted access to our services all year without
the need for manual renewal.
G. Instead of charging hourly rates or arranging complicated subscription plans, we prefer to offer
customers a flat fee to have access to our services.
H. Our recurring revenue from monthly subscriptions allows us to invest in ongoing product
development and provide continuous support to our customers.
Possible answers: on a(n) monthly/annual basis – payment arranged to occur every year/month; 7-
day free trial – a promotional offer where potential clients use a product/service for free to see if
they’d like to purchase it; one-off payment – a single payment without any additional/future charges;
membership rewards – extra benefits available only to subscribers of a product/service; cancellation
fee – a charge from a company when you cancel your subscription before the agreed date; auto-
renewal contract – an agreement where a customer’s subscription continues unless they cancel it
before the date of renewal; flat fee – a fixed price for a product/service, no matter how much/little of
Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.
 B2
Members only! Subscription models

it you use; recurring revenue – income from subscription payments ensuring a reliable money source
for a company.
3. Complete the sentences with your own ideas.
• The best thing about a 7-day free trial is…
• Auto-renewal contracts might be useful for budgeting because…
• It’s sometimes difficult for companies to secure recurring revenue
due to…
• One of the most popular subscriptions that works on a monthly
basis is…
• While many professionals provide services for a one-off payment, some
professions are able to use a subscription model, like…
• The unfair thing about charging a cancellation fee is…
• A company known for offering cool membership rewards is…
• Charging a flat fee can be beneficial for both the consumer and the company, because…

4. Watch the first part of a video [https://youtu.be/1nDzaO7Hsnk] about subscription services (to
02:03) and complete the statements with information from the video.
Possible answers:
A. We’re only going to see more subscriptions, especially connected to gadgets and things around us.
[00:44]
B. SaaS and HaaS products mean that the services and features are constantly updating, until you
stop paying. [01:25]
C. Companies don’t want to charge a flat fee because they love the idea of recurring revenue. [01:49]

5. You are going to watch the second part of the video which includes advice on how to manage
subscriptions. Discuss how the things in boxes might be connected to the advice in the video.

bank account chatbot calendar

6. Watch the second part of the video (from 02:03) and check your ideas.

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.

 B2
Members only! Subscription models

Bank account: go through your bank account and make a list of your subscriptions and how much you
pay. [02:20] Chatbot: use a chatbot to help you if you are struggling to cancel your subscription.
[03:02] Calendar: set a calendar reminder to do this on an annual basis. [03:26]

7. Discuss the questions.

• 84% of Americans forget what they pay monthly for subscriptions. Does this surprise you?
Why/Why not?
• Do you think you have any unnecessary subscriptions? Which ones?
• Have you ever been in a situation where you couldn’t cancel a subscription? Do you think
companies should be forced to make cancellation as easy as subscription?
• Should cancellation fees be legal? Do such fees discourage you from purchasing a subscription?
• Would you consider doing a subscription ‘spring clean’? What benefits could you expect, apart
from saving money?
• Do you make use of free trials? What was the last free trial you used? Did you buy the
product/service in the end?

8. Choose one of the options in each pair and explain your choice.

a subscription that is more a subscription that’s cheaper but

expensive but all features or some features need to be
are available purchased separately

a free trial with access to a free subscription with restricted

or
everything for a few days free content but no time limit

getting content via supporting

buying content from a content
or a content creator with a monthly
creator with a one-off payment
contribution of your choice

automatic renewal manual renewal

or
without reminders after receiving reminders

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.

 B2
Members only! Subscription models

9. Read the descriptions of services and discuss the questions.

Imperfect Foods Patreon

A sustainable produce company secures
Content creators offer exclusive material
recurring revenue through weekly or
to their subscribers, known as patrons, in
biweekly deliveries of ‘imperfect’ organic,
exchange for recurring payments. Patrons
seasonal fruits and vegetables that would
choose their subscription level and receive
otherwise go to waste. Subscribers choose
access to special content, community
the frequency of their deliveries and
engagement and other rewards, while
customize the contents based on
supporting their favourite creators.
personal preferences.

LinkedIn Learning Once Upon a Book Club

A subscription-based service providing
access to thousands of online courses taught
by industry experts, covering topics such as
business, technology and leadership.
Professionals can develop new skills, advance
their careers and stay competitive in their
fields. There’s no cancellation fee so learners
are free to experiment.
An auto-renewal contract to a subscription
box offering a unique reading experience
every month! Subscribers receive a newly
released book, accompanied by carefully
selected gifts related to specific details of
the book. Readers can select from various
types of subscriptions, including
preferences on genre.

• Have you ever used anything similar to these services? Would you be interested? Why/Why not?
• Do you know of any other unusual or interesting subscriptions? Are there any subscriptions that
you wish existed but you haven’t heard of?
• Can you think of any potential disadvantages of or challenges for these subscriptions? Would you
change any aspects of the services?
If your students would like to know more about any of the services, you can direct them to the
T
following websites: Imperfect Foods, Patreon, LinkedIn Learning, Once Upon a Book Club

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.

 B2
Members only! Subscription models

10. Look at the following companies and brainstorm how their services or products could be turned into
a subscription. Use at least two phrases from the box to talk about each company.
EXAMPLE: McDonald’s
McDonald’s Monthly Meals Club: Subscribers are charged $8 on a monthly basis to
receive unlimited drinks refills, membership rewards on surprise items and one free
dessert weekly, with no delivery fee for takeout.

• Ryanair 7-day free trial membership rewards

• Nike auto-renewal contracts on a(n) monthly/annual basis

• Ford charge a cancellation fee one-off payment

• L’Oréal flat fee recurring revenue

• Coca-Cola

This worksheet includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. It’s only
T available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. The task with the answer key is below, while the
students’ version is on the last page. Print it and hand it out to your students.
Using the phrases in the box, complete the subscription reviews. Then, write two reviews: one about a
subscription you enjoyed and one about one you didn’t enjoy. Use at least two phrases from the box in
both reviews.
EXAMPLE: My gym charged me a one-off payment of $100 for two months, as I didn’t want
to get a subscription. I only realized afterwards that all of the classes are only
available with the annual membership!

A. The app offered me a 7-day free trial to test out the 7-day free trial
service. What they didn’t mention was that the free
auto-renewal contract
version comes with so many ads – I ended up just buying
the subscription! cancellation fee

B. All this company cares about is maintaining recurring flat fee

revenue… They’re happy to take my money but when it membership rewards
comes to customer service, they don’t want to help! I
on a monthly or an annual basis
spent three hours on the phone with a clueless
employee. one-off payment

C. The best part about this service is the membership recurring revenue
rewards. Every month, I get to choose a product for

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.

 B2
Members only! Subscription models

FREE, enjoy discounts on my regular products and receive personalized recommendations! I’m
never cancelling my subscription!
D. I love this company, but I hate the auto-renewal contract. It feels wrong that a company is able to
just take the money from my account without my permission. The thing is, I usually forget the
charge is coming and it’s an unpleasant surprise!
E. My favourite thing about this streaming service is the payment flexibility. The company allows you
to pay on a monthly or an annual basis. I don’t have a steady income and I can’t always predict my
spending, so it’s great to be able to adjust to my needs.
F. This is the best online meeting service I’ve ever used. For a relatively low flat fee, I have access to
everything I need – no limitations! Plus, they’re always updating it to give their users the best
possible experience. Take my money!
G. Words can’t express my anger at this company. I decided after a few months that I didn’t want to
continue using their product, and they produced a cancellation fee that’s twice as much as the
annual subscription!

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.

Members only! Subscription models

Using the phrases in the box, complete the subscription reviews. Then, write two reviews: one about a
subscription you enjoyed and one about one you didn’t enjoy. Use at least two phrases from the box in
both reviews.
EXAMPLE: My gym charged me a one-off 7-day free trial
payment of $100 for two months, as
auto-renewal contract
I didn’t want to get a subscription. I
only realized afterwards that all of cancellation fee
the classes are only available with flat fee
the annual membership!
membership rewards
on a monthly or an annual basis
A. The app offered me a __________________________
one-off payment
to test out the service. What they didn’t mention was
that the free version comes with so many ads – I ended recurring revenue
up just buying the subscription!
B. All this company cares about is maintaining __________________________… They’re happy to
take my money but when it comes to customer service, they don’t want to help! I spent three hours
on the phone with a clueless employee.
C. The best part about this service is the __________________________. Every month, I get to
choose a product for FREE, enjoy discounts on my regular products and receive personalized
recommendations! I’m never cancelling my subscription!
D. I love this company, but I hate the __________________________. It feels wrong that a company
is able to just take the money from my account without my permission. The thing is, I usually forget
the charge is coming and it’s an unpleasant surprise!
E. My favourite thing about this streaming service is the payment flexibility. The company allows you
to pay __________________________. I don’t have a steady income and I can’t always predict my
spending, so it’s great to be able to adjust to my needs.
F. This is the best online meeting service I’ve ever used. For a relatively low
__________________________, I have access to everything I need – no limitations! Plus, they’re
always updating it to give their users the best possible experience. Take my money!
G. Words can’t express my anger at this company. I decided after a few months that I didn’t want to
continue using their product, and they produced a __________________________ that’s twice as
much as the annual subscription!

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.