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Recurring via the Virtual Terminal | Plans and Subscriptions

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Table of Contents

 

Overview

Recurring payments are automated transactions that allow businesses to charge customers at regular intervals, such as weekly, monthly, or annually. This system is commonly used for services like streaming platforms, membership sites, and subscription-based products but they're not limited to those examples. The recurring service only processes the 'Sale' transaction type. It does not support authorization-only or credit transactions.

This article will guide you through setting up plans, adding subscriptions, and managing recurring payments efficiently. We’ll provide step-by-step instructions to help you streamline your billing process, improve cash flow, and enhance customer retention.

Visit our Subscriptions Reports article for more information on our recurring reporting tool.

Prerequisites

The merchant will need to have the "Access Recurring Installment" permission.

Navigating to Recurring

In the Merchant Portal, on the left side panel, click on "Recurring" ; or from the homepage under Services → Add Subscription.

Plans and Subscriptions

To effectively implement recurring payments, it’s essential to understand its two key components: Plans and Subscriptions.

Subscriptions store customer details, including name, payment information, and address. While adding a customer’s information, you can create a customized subscription for them without requiring a predefined plan.

Plans define scheduling details such as duration, frequency, and cost. They can be assigned to multiple customers, and any changes made to a plan will apply to all customers using it.

Adding a Subscription

Recurring supports both Credit Card and Electronic Check payments. To get started:

  1. Navigate to Recurring → Click 'Add Subscription'.
  2. Select the payment method if multiple options are available on the account.
  3. Enter the required details, including Credit Card Information, Customer Information, and any additional necessary fields. 
  4. Choose a processor (if applicable). If multiple processors are available, you can select a specific one for the subscription. Otherwise, leave it blank, and the system will route payments based on your processor settings.
  5. Click "Continue".
  6. You may select an existing Plan and save your changes or use the 'Click Here' link to create a new Billing Plan. If you create a new Billing Plan, then continue with the rest of the steps.
  7. Enter the charge amount for the customer each time.
  8. Set how often you want to charge the customer (choose one):
    • Charge the customer every ___ days.
    • Charge the customer on day ___ of every ___ month(s). 
  9. Set how many times you wish to charge the customer (choose one):
    • Charge until canceled. (The customer will be charged on a recurring basis until the subscription is manually deleted by the merchant.)
    • Charge the customer ___ times. (Choose how many successful payments you want to collect. Failed payments don’t count and will be retried on the next scheduled date unless you update it manually. For example, if you set 5 payments of $10, the customer will be charged until 5 go through — for a total of $50.)
  10. Choose the date you want to start charging the customer on.
    • Note: If you do not want to debit the customer before the scheduled billing date, it is recommended to align the start date with the intended billing frequency. This ensures that no unintended charges occur. 
  11. If you want to save this plan for future use and add it to your plan options, check the box and provide:
  •  
      • A Plan Name / Description
      • A Plan ID (for use with QuickClick and API)
      • Click Save.

If the subscription has successfully been saved, a message will appear that reads "Your Recurring/Installment Transaction has been Successfully Added".

How to Edit a Subscription

If a merchant needs to make edits, such as changing the plan, adding or removing information, pausing a subscription, or unpausing it, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Recurring → 'List Subscriptions'.
  2. Search for the subscription.
  3. Click on the subscription (customer) you want to edit.
  4. Make the necessary changes.
  5. Click Save to apply the updates.

Learn more about pausing subscriptions here: Pausing Subscriptions

How to Delete a Subscription

Note: Once a customer is deleted, this action cannot be undone.

To delete a subscription:

  1. Navigate to Recurring → 'List Subscriptions'.
  2. Search for the subscription.
  3. Click on the subscription (customer name) you want to delete.
  4. Click the Delete button at the very top.

Adding a Plan

Plans can be used for multiple customers. If you make any future adjustments to the plan then all the customers using it will be affected. To add a plan:

  1. Navigate to Recurring → 'Add Plan'.
  2. Enter the charge amount for the customer each time.
  3. Set how often you want to charge the customer:
    • Charge the customer every ___ days.
    • Charge the customer on day ___ of every ___ month(s).
  4. Set how many times you wish to charge the customer:
    • Charge until canceled.
    • Charge the customer ___ times.
  5. Choose the date you want to start charging the customer on.
  6. If you want to save this plan for future use and add it to your plan options, check the box and provide:
    • A Plan Name / Description
    • A Plan ID (for use with QuickClick and API)
    • Then, click Save.

If the plan has successfully saved, a message will appear that reads "Your Plan has been Successfully Saved".

How to Edit a Plan

The merchant may need to adjust the cost, duration, or frequency of a plan. Before making any changes they should check how many customers are currently using the plan, as any modifications will affect them.

To edit a plan:

  1. Go to Recurring → 'List Plans'.
  2. Click on the plan you want to modify.
  3. Make the necessary changes.
  4. Click Save to apply the updates.

How to Delete a Plan

Note: Once a plan is deleted, this action cannot be undone. Please ensure no customers are using the plan before proceeding. 

To delete a plan:

  1. Navigate to Recurring → 'List Plans'.
  2. Click on the name of the plan you want to delete.
  3. Click the 'Delete' button at the top.

Where can I see how many customers are using a Plan?

To check how many customers are currently using a plan:

  1. Navigate to Recurring → List Plans.
  2. Click on the plan name.
  3. A banner at the top of the plan details page will display one of the following messages:
    • "This plan is not used by any customers."
    • "This plan is used by X customer(s). All customers using this plan will be affected by your changes."

Additional Features for Recurring

Subscription Options

When creating a subscription, merchants may see additional options if the services are enabled on their account.

  • Customer Vault - When adding customer details for a subscription, merchants can check the box labeled “Add to Customer Vault” to save customer information for future use.
  • Level III Advantage - Merchants can enter Level III data when creating or editing subscriptions.
  • Merchant Defined Fields - Merchants can enter their custom-defined fields during subscription creation or edits.
  • Automatic Card Updater - Merchants can select “Skip this card when using Automatic Card Updater” to exclude the card from being submitted for automatic updates

Recurring-Compatible Services

These services also support recurring functionality:

  • Webhooks for Recurring- You can find the full list of events here: Recurring Events

  • Batch Upload - Merchants can create and upload recurring subscriptions and plans in bulk.

  • Recurring in iProcess - iProcess supports recurring subscription management. Merchants can View, Edit, Add, and Delete recurring credit card subscriptions from the app.

Emailed Reports

The merchant can sign up to 'Receive Recurring Reports'. Users will receive an emailed summary report of all successful Recurring transactions processed that day and will individually list the declined and errored ones.

Assigning a Processor to a Subscription

Assigning via Virtual Terminal

  • A processor can be manually selected from a dropdown menu when creating or editing a subscription.
  • If no processor is selected, the subscription won’t be tied to a specific processor.
  • Even if there’s only one MID, the processor dropdown will still appear if a processor was previously assigned.
  • If the assigned MID/processor is disabled or deleted, the system will:
    • Create a gateway error: “Invalid Processor” on the recurring attempt.
    • Show a warning box in the subscription details, prompting the merchant to select a new processor or use the default processor.

User Permissions & Subscription Association

Associated User

  • The subscription is tied to the user who created it, whether via:
    • Virtual Terminal
    • API (defaults to Main User if a security key is used)
    • Batch upload
  • This Associated User’s permissions control which processors the subscription can access.

Changing the Associated User

  • The only way to change the Associated User is by deleting the original user.
  • Subscriptions are inherited by the user who deletes the account.
  • If the new user lacks access to the assigned processor, the subscription will fail with a REFID error.

Example Scenario:

  • User B creates a subscription assigned to Processor 3.
  • User B is deleted; subscription moves to User A.
  • User A does not have access to Processor 3 → Subscription fails and REFID error is generated.

Transaction Routing & ATRI Considerations

  • If no processor is assigned, transaction routing settings will determine processor selection.
  • Merchant Defined Fields (MDFs) on subscriptions may activate the ATRI routing logic.
  • Processor assignment overrides any transaction routing rules.

Processor Availability & Error Handling

If an assigned processor becomes unavailable, the subscription will:

    • Fail to run.
    • Generate a REFID error code.

For example, if you receive the following error in the email response for the recurring report: ("Invalid processor" REFID:123456789), it means there's an issue with the processor assigned to the individual subscription. The processor may have been deactivated. To resolve this, edit the subscription and assign a new active processor.

Update Subscription Warning / Pop-Up

  • If a processor tied to a subscription is deleted/disabled in the Partner Portal:
    • A pop-up warning will appear next time the merchant views that subscription.
    • The merchant must:
      • Select a new processor from the dropdown, or
      • Choose “Use Default” to proceed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I send a customer a receipt? The 'Send Receipt' option can be added during subscription creation or after a subscription has been added. Follow the "How to Edit a Subscription" instructions and look for the checkbox labeled 'Send receipt email' .Be sure to save your changes.

Can I pause subscriptions and continue them later when the customer is ready? Yes, you can pause either all subscriptions or individual ones. Follow the "How to Edit a Subscription" instructions, then select the checkbox labeled “Subscription is paused.”

Can I skip cards I don’t want to be automatically updated when using Automatic Card Updater (ACU)? Yes, you can check the box labeled “Skip this card when using Automatic Card Updater” if you do not want ACU to update a card.

Does the system re-run a subscription after it failed? No, the system does not automatically retry the failed payment. Instead, the subscription will attempt to process the payment again on the next scheduled charge date. For example, if the subscription is set to run every 30 days, the next payment attempt will occur 30 days after the failed attempt.

If you want to collect the missed payment sooner, you must manually update the subscription by setting the next charge date to an earlier date. Once the payment is successfully collected, the subscription will return to its regular billing schedule.

Does Surcharging work with recurring transactions? Surcharging is not supported on recurring transactions.

Can the merchant store the CVV number when they are creating a subscription?

It is against Visa Regulations to store the credit card’s CVV number. You will notice when you are creating a subscription, there is not a field to add the CVV number just like the customer vault.

Under processing services, if the processor is configured as ‘CVV is required on Initial Transaction’, the merchant will have to process a successful transaction and pass the CVV number and then create a subscription for that credit card.

If the processor setting is configured as ‘Always Require CVV’, they will have issues processing transactions using the recurring service since the CVV is not being passed.

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