> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bango.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Offer model

> Understand how the DVM Offer Model combines a plan and products to define lifecycle, billing, and access.

Every reseller using an Offer-based Digital Vending Machine® (DVM™) starts by creating an Offer in their Offer Catalog.

An Offer combines two core concepts:

* A `Plan`
* One or more `Products`

Together, these define how the Offer behaves, how the consumer is billed, and what digital services the consumer can access.

<Tip>
  The Offer Model is a core DVM concept. The `Plan` controls the commercial lifecycle of the Offer, while the `Products` define the services and product tiers the consumer receives.
</Tip>

## Offer at a glance

The Offer Model brings commercial rules and service access together in a single object:

* The `Plan` controls billing and lifecycle behavior
* The included `Products` define what the consumer receives
* The included `Product Tier` defines the consumer's starting level of access
* The `Available Product Tiers` define the product tier changes the consumer can make during the lifecycle of the Offer.

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
    A[Offer] --> B[Plan]
    A --> C[Products]
    B --> D[Phases]
    C --> E[Included product tier]
    C --> F[Available product tiers]
    D --> G[Billing schedule and lifecycle]
    F --> H[Upgrade or downgrade options]
    H --> I[Delta price used to recalculate billing]
```

| Concept | What it defines |
| - | - |
| **Plan** | How the consumer is billed, when the Offer starts, how it renews, and how the Offer progresses over time |
| **Products** | The digital services included in the Offer and the product tiers the consumer can access |

## What is a plan?

A plan defines how the consumer is billed.

It controls:

* When the Offer lifecycle starts
* Whether billing is one-time or recurring
* How the Offer progresses over time
* When pricing or billing schedule changes happen during the lifecycle

A plan can consist of multiple phases. This supports Offers where the price or billing schedule changes over time, for example:

* Free trial to paid subscription
* Introductory price to full price
* Fixed-term pricing across a defined subscription period

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Start trigger">
    The start trigger defines when the Offer lifecycle begins. For example, the plan can start when the consumer Offer is fully created or when all entitlements are fully activated.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Billing structure">
    The plan defines whether the consumer is billed once or on a recurring schedule. This depends on how the plan is configured.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Phases">
    A phase defines pricing for a period of the Offer lifecycle. Each phase can have its own duration, renewal frequency, amount, and billing description.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Billing schedule">
    The billing schedule is derived from the plan configuration. If billing and charging is enabled, the DVM uses this schedule to determine when charge requests should be submitted.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## What are products?

Products represent the digital services a consumer gains access to once the Offer is provisioned.

An Offer can include one or more products. Each product is owned by a content provider and can include one or more product tiers, for example `Basic`, `Standard`, or `Premium`.

## Product tiers in an Offer

Each Offer defines the specific **Product Tier** the consumer receives when the Offer is first provisioned.

This included product tier determines:

* The level of service the consumer starts with
* Which entitlement is provisioned
* The initial service level the Reseller is selling

## Available product tiers

Each product in an Offer can also define available product tiers.

Available product tiers are the other service levels a consumer can upgrade or downgrade to during the Offer lifecycle.

These available product tiers:

* Define the allowed product tier changes within the Offer
* Support upgrade and downgrade journeys
* Have associated delta prices
* Are used to recalculate consumer billing after a product tier change

<Info>
  Available product tiers do not replace the tier included in the Offer. They define the other tiers the consumer is allowed to move to later.
</Info>

## What's next?

<Card title="Build an Offer" icon="pen-to-square" href="/create-an-offer" cta="Build an offer" arrow="true">
  Learn how to create an Offer using products, availability, and plan setup.
</Card>

<Card title="Plan Types" icon="cubes" href="/offer-plan-types" cta="View plan types" arrow="true">
  Understand the four ways a reseller can configure the plan for an Offer.
</Card>

<Card title="Plan configuration" icon="tag" href="/plan-configuration" cta="Configure plans" arrow="true">
  Learn how start triggers, phases, durations, and renewal frequency work together.
</Card>