What’s new in Buy Me a Coffee 1.2.X
Version 1.2.X — April 26, 2026
Version 1.2.0 and 1.2.1 are the biggest updates since the admin UI redesign. Three major features land in this release: recurring Stripe subscriptions, one-click refunds, and a full activity log across every module. All free, no upgrade required.
⚡ New Feature
1. Stripe Recurring Subscriptions
Supporters can now back you on a monthly or yearly basis — no manual renewal, no chasing payments. The entire subscription lifecycle is managed automatically through Stripe webhooks the moment it happens.
For supporters
A new Recurring toggle appears on the donation form. When switched on, supporters pick monthly or yearly billing before completing checkout. Stripe handles every renewal automatically from that point forward.
Subscriptions admin page
Every active subscription is listed on the new Subscriptions page. Status, billing interval, amount, and next renewal date are visible at a glance. Open any subscription to see its full payment history or cancel it with one click.
Automatic webhook handling
No extra configuration needed. Buy Me a Coffee handles every Stripe subscription webhook automatically:
| Stripe event | What happens |
|---|---|
| invoice.payment_succeeded | Renewal transaction recorded, subscription stays active |
| customer.subscription.deleted | Subscription marked cancelled in admin |
| customer.subscription.updated | Status change reflected immediately |
⚡ New Feature
2. Instant Refunds
Previously, issuing a refund meant logging into Stripe or PayPal, finding the charge, and manually processing it. That’s gone. Open any supporter’s profile, find the transaction, hit Refund — done. Works for both Stripe and PayPal.
The refund is sent to Stripe or PayPal immediately, for the full transaction amount. The activity log records the event automatically so you always have an audit trail.
⚡ New Feature
3. Activity Log
Every significant event — payment completed, subscription renewed, refund issued, email sent, webhook received — is now written to a persistent log. Nothing gets lost. You can always see exactly what happened and when.
On supporter profiles
Scroll to the bottom of any supporter’s profile to see their personal activity timeline — form submission, payment events, emails sent, and any refunds, all in chronological order.
On subscription pages
The subscription detail page shows a focused timeline for that subscription only — creation, activations, renewals, cancellations.
Global Activity Log page
A new Activity Log page in the sidebar shows every event across all modules in a paginated table. Filter by type to zero in on payments, subscriptions, emails, or submissions.
In version 1.2.1
We have made it to the next level.
1. Subscription Management
Managing subscribers is now much smoother. You can track subscription activity in one place, with cleaner handling for creation, account linking, and supporter visibility.
2. Design Update v2
The plugin UI received a full v2 design refresh. Layouts feel cleaner, spacing is more balanced, and the overall interface looks more modern across both admin and user-facing views.
3. Coffee Theme & UI Polish
We refined the coffee-themed visual system with improved colours, typography, and component consistency. Small updates across buttons, cards, and loaders make the experience feel more premium.
4. Account Creation Email Details
When a supporter account is created, users now receive clearer email details. Messages include practical account information (such as access/password setup context), making onboarding feel complete instead of confusing.
5. Active Subscription Helper + Synced User Meta
A new helper makes it easier to check whether a user has an active subscription. We also sync user meta for faster and more reliable access checks, which is important for future content monetisation.
6. Subscription Query Fix
Subscription lookup logic was tightened to prevent missing or incomplete data scenarios. This helps ensure supporter/subscription records are fetched accurately, especially in real-world mixed histories.
7. Payment Flow & Release Pipeline Fixes
The payment confirmation and release flow received reliability improvements. Edge cases are handled better now, reducing inconsistent states and making deployments cleaner.
8. Subscriber Account History View
Subscriber history is now more complete and useful. Instead of showing partial records, the account history reflects linked supporter activity more accurately for better transparency.
9. Admin Loader Experience
The admin loading experience is now less intrusive. The full-screen blank feel is gone, and loading states look cleaner and more natural while keeping context visible.
10. Full Page Styling Refresh
All pages received a styling refresh for visual consistency. From section spacing to typography and component alignment, the plugin now looks unified end-to-end.
Bonus: What’s New modal
After updating, each admin user sees a short animated “What’s New” modal the first time they open the plugin. It introduces the three new features and disappears once dismissed — and never shows again.
Other improvements
- Gateway logos — Stripe and card logos now display correctly in the payment method selector
- Stripe IPN hardening — duplicate webhook event processing prevented with a per-event lock
- Validation patches — improved handling of edge-case PayPal IPN payloads and Stripe subscription confirmation responses
How to update
- Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins
- Find Buy Me a Coffee and click Update Now
- That’s it — the database migration runs automatically on first load
Backwards compatible: All existing supporters, transactions, settings, and email templates are fully preserved. No manual migration steps required.
Ready to update?
Buy Me a Coffee 1.2.0 is free and available now on WordPress.org.
Questions or feedback? Open an issue on GitHub or leave a review on WordPress.org.
