How much to charge for a subscription: the method in four steps
A subscription price is built from the bottom up: variable cost of a wash × expected washes a month, plus the margin you want, plus collection costs. In practice, for an unlimited plan, the price almost always lands between two and three times the price of a single wash.
Updated on 16 September 2026
- Start from the variable cost of a wash, not from the list price.
- Estimate the real frequency: 2–4 washes a month for an unlimited plan, not 30.
- Put a safety cap where a wash takes a person.
- Test the price for three months, then look at the real numbers and correct it.
- A price can only go up for new customers: whoever has already signed keeps their terms.
Step 1. The cost of a wash
The variable cost is what leaves the till every time the gantry turns: water, detergents, energy, brush wear and, if the wash is by hand, a person's time. The mortgage on the building does not count: you pay that even when nobody washes.
In a tunnel the variable cost of a wash is usually between €1.50 and €3. In a hand wash the cost is mostly time: 45 minutes of a person's work is worth between €10 and €15, which is why almost nobody sells an unlimited hand wash.
Step 2. The real frequency
This is the number everyone gets wrong. The fear is «they subscribe and come every day»: in practice an unlimited subscriber comes in between two and four times a month. Three is the prudent estimate to build on.
If you already have wash data, you can read the frequency off it: how many washes your most frequent customers took in the last quarter. If you do not have it, that is the most concrete reason to start recording washes before you even sell the first subscription.
Step 3. The price, with the margin inside it
The sum is simple: cost per wash × frequency + margin + collection costs. With a cost of €2.50, three washes a month and €10 of margin, the price comes out at a little over €18: round it to €19.90, which reads better.
The check comes from the customer: the subscription has to cost less than washing two or three times would. If a single wash costs €8, at €19.90 the customer who comes three times is already saving, and the one who comes twice breaks even and buys the convenience of not paying every time.
| Single wash | Suggested unlimited | Pack of 4 washes |
|---|---|---|
| €6 | €14.90 | €19.90 |
| €8 | €19.90 | €26.90 |
| €10 | €24.90 | €32.90 |
| €15 (hand wash) | - | €49.90 |
Step 4. The test in the field
A price is judged over three months, not over three days. The questions to ask: how many people subscribed, how many washes a month they really take, how many renewed in the second month.
If subscribers take far more washes than expected, do not raise the price for those who have already signed: change the price list for new customers, or introduce a plan with a cap. Whoever signed at one figure has to find that figure, otherwise trust leaves along with the subscription.
- Renewal rate below 70%: the price or the service is not convincing.
- Frequency above five washes a month: consider a cap, not a price rise.
- Few subscribers but happy ones: the problem is the storefront, not the price.
Frequently asked questions
Is an annual subscription worth offering?
Yes, as a second option: you collect twelve months up front and the customer does not change their mind. The usual discount is one or two months off the monthly price.
Can I change the price of a plan I have already sold?
No, and it is not a technical limit but a matter of fairness: whoever signed keeps their terms. You archive the plan and publish a new one, with the updated price, for whoever comes next.
How much do payment costs weigh?
On a €20 fee, SEPA direct debit costs a few cents, a card around 1.5% plus a fixed amount. They are costs to account for, but they do not move the price.