Abonnement
In short
A subscription is a recurring payment made to a provider to gain continuous access to a product or service. It replaces a one-off purchase with a regular fee, such as monthly or yearly.
In plain words
Instead of buying something once, you pay a small amount regularly. This keeps your access active as long as you keep paying. It is common for digital media and physical goods.
A simple example
You pay ten pounds every month to Netflix to watch films. If you stop paying, you can no longer watch their content.
Why it matters
It provides businesses with steady, predictable income. For customers, it allows access to expensive services through smaller, manageable payments.
Easy to mix up
Do not confuse it with a one-time licence, where you pay once to own a specific version of a product forever.