Refacturation récurrente
Les capacités de refacturation récurrente de Cardflo garantissent des revenus constants pour les modèles d'abonnement. Nous gérons les complexités liées aux tentatives de paiement répétées, aux mises à jour de cartes et à la récupération des refus.
Ce système est conçu pour minimiser les frictions de paiement et maximiser la valeur à long terme de vos abonnés.
- Catégorie
- Abonnements
- Capacités
- 10
- Disponible sur
- Tous les plans
L'aperçu
Recurring rebilling involves the automated processing of subsequent transactions based on a pre-authorised mandate between a merchant and a customer. This mechanism sits within the merchant service provider layer of the payments stack, utilising Merchant Initiated Transactions (MIT) to execute scheduled captures.
Effective rebilling requires a robust framework to manage the lifecycle of a subscription, including the initial authorisation, subsequent settlement cycles, and the inevitable card lifecycle events that cause friction.
By synchronising with card scheme account updaters and employing specific decline recovery strategies, merchants can maintain continuity without requiring manual customer intervention for every billing cycle.
The process relies on secure tokenisation to store sensitive cardholder data, ensuring compliance with PCI DSS standards while allowing the PSP to submitt authorisation requests to the acquirer at defined intervals.
This infrastructure is essential for subscription-based businesses seeking to minimise involuntary churn and stabilise cash flow.
Comment ça marche
Initial mandate and tokenisation
The process begins when a customer completes a Customer Initiated Transaction (CIT) through 3DS verification. The payment gateway generates a secure token that replaces the primary account number.
This token, along with a mandate ID, allows the merchant to initiate future rebilling attempts without re-collecting sensitive payment details from the cardholder.
Scheduled authorisation request
On the predefined billing date, the system sends an authorisation request to the acquirer using the stored token. This request must be flagged as an MIT to inform the issuer that the cardholder is not present.
The transaction includes the original authorisation reference to comply with scheme requirements for recurring payments.
Automated card updates
Prior to the scheduled rebilling, the system queries card scheme databases for changes in credit or debit card statuses. If a card has expired or been replaced due to loss, the Account Updater service retrieves the new details.
This ensures the rebilling attempt uses current credentials, reducing soft declines.
Intelligent retry logic
If an authorisation fails due to temporary reasons like insufficient funds, the system executes a retry strategy. These attempts are timed to coincide with typical cycles of liquidity, such as common paydays.
Each attempt is tracked to ensure the merchant stays within the limits permitted by card schemes for retries.
Pourquoi c'est important
Control of involuntary churn
A significant portion of subscription cancellations results from payment failures rather than active customer choice. Issues such as expired cards, technical timeouts, or temporary credit limits cause service interruptions.
A structured rebilling framework identifies the specific decline reason and applies the appropriate recovery tactic, such as dunning or card updates, which helps maintain the customer relationship without needing a new acquisition cycle.
Operational efficiency and settlement
Manual billing processes are prone to errors and do not scale with business growth. Automating the rebilling cycle ensures that settlement occurs promptly and that revenue is recognised in the correct accounting period.
By using standardised identifiers for recurring transactions, merchants also benefit from more predictable processing costs and reduced manual overhead in managing accounts receivable and payment reconciliation.
Cas d'usage
SaaS and digital services
Software companies use rebilling to manage monthly or annual licence fees. The system handles tier upgrades or downgrades by adjusting the rebilling amount for the next cycle without requiring the user to re-input payment information.
Subscription box physical goods
Retailers shipping monthly products rely on rebilling to ensure funds are secured before dispatch. Integrated inventory systems trigger the rebilling request to align with shipping schedules and logistical lead times.
Professional membership organisations
Associations use recurring payments to automate annual dues. The system manages the renewal notices and uses account updater services to prevent membership lapses caused by card expiry over long billing intervals.
Media and content streaming
High-volume streaming platforms require low-friction rebilling to maintain service continuity. Intelligent retry logic is vital here to handle the high volume of transactions and minimise interruptions for global user bases.
En chiffres
This is a typical industry range for merchants who implement automated card updaters and intelligent retry logic compared to those with basic billing.
General industry data suggests that a majority of expired or replaced cards can be successfully updated through scheme services, assuming the issuer participates.
Standard recovery rates for soft declines when using staggered retry attempts over a 14-day cycle, varying by industry and customer demographic.
Termes associés
Talk to our team about a live rollout on your acquiring stack.
What you get with Refacturation récurrente
- Plans de refacturation configurables pour différents niveaux d'abonnement.
- Services automatisés de mise à jour de carte pour des renouvellements fluides.
- Logique de relance intelligente pour les paiements récurrents échoués.
- Gestion du dunning avec communications client personnalisables.
- Rapports consolidés sur les revenus récurrents et l'attrition.
- Prise en charge de plusieurs méthodes de paiement pour la refacturation.
- Compliance with PSD2 and SCA requirements for the initial customer authorisation mandate.
- Configurable billing cycles to support weekly, monthly, quarterly, or bespoke subscription intervals.
- Automatic adjustment of rebilling amounts to accommodate discounts, taxes, or tiered pricing changes.
- Standardised transaction flagging to ensure correct processing by issuers and reduced refusal rates.
A short scoping call, then a written plan for your MIDs.
Questions about Refacturation récurrente
Que se passe-t-il si un paiement récurrent est refusé ?
Si un paiement récurrent est refusé, Cardflo lance une séquence de relance intelligente basée sur des règles configurables. Nous déclenchons également des communications de dunning au client, l'invitant à mettre à jour ses informations de paiement, garantissant ainsi plusieurs opportunités de recouvrement réussi.
Cardflo peut-il gérer différents cycles de facturation pour les abonnements ?
Oui, Cardflo prend en charge des cycles de facturation flexibles, y compris les abonnements hebdomadaires, mensuels, trimestriels ou annuels. Notre système permet aux commerçants de définir et de gérer différentes fréquences de refacturation, s'adaptant à divers modèles d'abonnement et préférences client.
Comment Cardflo assure-t-il la conformité PCI pour les détails de carte stockés ?
Cardflo maintient la conformité PCI DSS en tokenisant et en stockant en toute sécurité les données sensibles des titulaires de carte.
Cela réduit votre charge de conformité tout en garantissant que la refacturation récurrente peut avoir lieu sans avoir à ressaisir les détails de la carte pour chaque transaction, améliorant ainsi la sécurité et la commodité.
What happens when a customer's card expires in a subscription model?
When a card expires, the rebilling attempt will result in a decline code specifically indicating an expired card. To prevent this, merchants use Account Updater services provided by the card networks.
These services allow the PSP or gateway to query the network for the new card number or expiry date linked to the original account.
The system then updates the stored token with the new details, allowing the next rebilling cycle to proceed without the customer needing to update their account manually.
Can rebilling amounts be changed without a new mandate?
Yes, if the initial mandate and terms of service allow for variable amounts, a merchant can adjust the rebilling figure. However, the transaction must still be flagged correctly as a recurring MIT.
Significant increases in the amount may sometimes trigger an issuer's fraud filters, so it is best practice to notify the customer in advance of the price change to reduce the risk of a retrieval request or a chargeback for a disputed amount.
What is dunning management and how does it relate to rebilling?
Dunning is the process of methodically communicating with customers to recover declined payments. In a rebilling context, dunning starts immediately after a soft decline.
The system may send an automated email or SMS informing the customer of the failure and providing a link to update their payment method.
This coordinated approach between retry logic and customer communication is the primary way to reduce involuntary churn and ensure the subscription remains active.
Prêt à accélérer ?
Parlez-nous de votre activité. Nous vous mettrons en relation avec les bons partenaires acquéreurs et la bonne route, généralement en moins d'une semaine.