Account

The Account page is where logged-in members can view their membership information and manage their subscription (if they are a paid member). In Crimson, this page is designed to be “smart” — it shows different content depending on whether the visitor is:

• Not logged in

• Logged in as a free member

• Logged in as a paid member

This document explains how it works, how to set it up, and what to expect.

Account page in Crimson

What the Account page is

In Ghost, “membership” is the system that lets readers create an account, sign in, and (optionally) pay for a subscription.

In Crimson, the Account page is the place where members can:

• See their member details (name/email and access level)

• If paid: see their active subscription plan details and manage billing/cancellation

• If free: see an upgrade section with membership pricing so they can upgrade

---

How the Account page is set up in Crimson

Crimson includes an Account template and a route for it.

The URL for the Account page

The theme route maps the Account page to: /account/

This is not something you create as a regular Ghost “Page” in the editor. It’s a theme template route, meaning the theme provides the layout automatically.

What you need to do

To make the Account page function correctly, you mainly need to ensure:

1. Membership is enabled in Ghost

2. (If you offer paid plans) Stripe is connected and tiers are set up

3. Your site’s navigation (optional) links to so members can find it /account/

4. You have uploaded routes.yaml file.

Read more on how to Upload routes.yaml file

---

What members see on the Account page

A) Visitor is not logged in

If someone visits /account/ while not logged in, Crimson will not show a blank account page. Instead, it redirects them to Sign in.

What happens next depends on your theme setting use_portal_links (explained below).

B) Visitor is logged in as a Free member

Free members will see:

1. My Account heading

2. Member details

   • Name (if available)

   • Email

   • Access level (shown as Free)

3. An Upgrade your plan section

   • This section displays membership pricing so the free member can upgrade to a paid plan.

Account Page for FREE members

In other words, the Account page becomes a gentle “control panel + upgrade screen” for free members.

C) Visitor is logged in as a Paid member

Paid members will see:

1. My Account heading

2. Member details

3. Plan / subscription details, such as:

   • Plan type / tier name

   • Price and billing interval (monthly/yearly)

   • Subscription status (active, cancelled, etc.)

   • Start date

   • Renewal date (or expiry date if cancelling at period end)

   • Masked card info (last 4 digits)

They also typically get controls for:

• Edit Billing Info

• Cancel subscription (or continue subscription if previously cancelled)

This turns the Account page into a true membership management area.

Account Page for Paid Members

---

Member details section

The “Member details” area is meant to reassure users that they are logged in and show their access level clearly.

Member Details Section

Typical fields shown

• Name (if the member has one)

• Email (the email used for membership login)

• Access

  • Free member → shown as “Free plan”

  • Paid member → shown as “Premium plan” (or similar wording)

---

Subscription/Plan details section

If a member has an active paid subscription, the Account page shows plan information so they can understand what they’re paying for and manage it.

Plan details section

Common items shown and what they mean

• Plan Type: the tier or plan name they subscribed to

• Price: amount + billing interval (month/year)

• Status: usually “active”, but may show other states depending on Ghost/Stripe

• Started on: when the subscription began

• Renews on / Expires on

  • If the member has scheduled cancellation, it may show an expiry date instead of renewal

• Card used: shows only last 4 digits (safe to display)

Billing management buttons

• Edit Billing Info

  • Sends the member into Ghost’s billing management flow (typically managed by Ghost + Stripe)

• Cancel subscription

  • Lets the member cancel according to Ghost’s cancellation rules (often “cancel at end of billing period”)

---

Upgrade experience

If the logged-in member is free, Crimson shows pricing cards directly on the Account page under an “Upgrade your plan” section.

Upgrade section for FREE members

What this does

• It saves the member from hunting for your Membership page again.

• It creates a clear “you’re logged in, here are your upgrade options” flow.

Where pricing comes from

Pricing is based on your Ghost membership tiers, configured in:

• Ghost Admin → Settings → Membership → Tiers

If you haven’t created tiers (or haven’t connected Stripe for paid tiers), the upgrade section won’t work as expected.

---

Behavior based on use_portal_links

Crimson has a theme setting: use_portal_links

More details in Site-wide Settings

This affects what happens when someone needs to sign in.

If use_portal_links is enabled

• Visiting /account/ while logged out will open/trigger Ghost Portal sign-in flow (Portal is Ghost’s built-in membership modal UI).

If use_portal_links is disabled

• Visiting /account/ while logged out will redirect the user to the site’s Sign in page at /signin/

---

Troubleshooting

/account/ shows a 404 error

Most common causes

• Your active theme routes don’t include the /account/ route.

• You uploaded the theme but didn’t apply the correct routes configuration.

Fix

1. Ensure you are using Crimson as the active theme.

2. Confirm your routes include /account/.

3. Save/reload routes in Ghost Admin if you manage routes there.

Account page keeps redirecting me to sign in (even after I signed in)

Most common causes

• You are not actually logged in (session expired, cookie blocked, etc.).

• Browser privacy settings or extensions are blocking cookies/scripts needed for membership.

Fix

1. Try in an incognito/private window (with extensions disabled)

2. Ensure cookies are allowed for your site

3. Sign in again from /signin/ (or Portal) and then revisit /account/

Paid member can’t see their plan details

Most common causes

• The member is logged in, but does not have an active paid subscription.

• Stripe connection or tier setup is incomplete.

Fix

1. In Ghost Admin, open the member record and confirm they are marked as a paid member with an active subscription

2. Confirm Stripe is connected (Settings → Membership)

3. Confirm paid tiers exist and are configured correctly

“Edit Billing Info” / “Cancel subscription” doesn’t work

Most common causes

• Stripe is not connected (required for paid subscription management).

• Portal scripts are being blocked (if your flow uses Portal).

Fix

1. Verify Stripe connection in Ghost Admin

2. Disable ad/script blockers and test again

3. Test in a different browser

Free members don’t see upgrade pricing

Most common causes

• No tiers exist in Ghost (or only free tier exists).

• Membership is disabled in Ghost.

Fix

1. Enable Membership in Ghost Admin

2. Create at least one paid tier (and connect Stripe if needed)

---

Quick checklist

• Membership enabled in Ghost

• (If paid) Stripe connected + at least one paid tier created

• /account/ route available on the site

• set use_portal_links according to your preferred sign-in experience

• Member is actually logged in (for account details to show)