Selling Subscription-Based Products/Services
Subscriptions are ideal for memberships, digital services, coaching programs, software subscriptions, recurring deliveries, and any product or service that requires ongoing payments.
Mainstack securely stores the customer's card after the initial payment and automatically processes future renewals until the subscription is cancelled.
Billing frequencies can be configured as:
Monthly
Quarterly
Yearly
How Subscription Billing Works
The customer subscribes to a product or service.
The customer makes the initial payment using their card.
The customer's card is securely saved for recurring billing.
If a trial period is configured, the customer gains access immediately, and recurring billing begins when the trial ends.
Mainstack automatically charges the customer's card based on the subscription frequency.
Billing continues until the customer or merchant cancels the subscription.
Trial Periods
Merchants can choose to offer a trial period before recurring billing starts.
During the trial period:
Customers can access the subscription benefits.
No recurring charges are made until the trial expires.
Automatic billing begins once the trial period ends, provided the subscription has not been cancelled.
Billing Reminders
Mainstack automatically sends reminder emails to customers before every scheduled renewal:
72 hours before the next billing date, and
24 hours before the next billing date
These reminders help customers prepare for upcoming charges and reduce failed payment attempts.
Failed Subscription Payments
A scheduled subscription payment may fail due to:
Insufficient funds
Bank restrictions
Card-related issues
If a renewal payment fails, Mainstack automatically retries the payment up to three (3) times. If all retry attempts are unsuccessful, the renewal payment is marked as Defaulted.
The customer also receives an email notifying them that their subscription payment could not be processed.
Benefits of Subscription-Based Products
Subscription billing provides a seamless experience for both merchants and customers.
For Merchants
Generate predictable recurring revenue.
Automate recurring payment collection.
Offer flexible billing frequencies to suit different business models.
Increase customer retention through ongoing subscriptions.
Reduce manual payment follow-up with automatic reminders and recurring charges.
Offer free or paid trial periods to encourage new subscriptions.
Manage all subscriptions from a single dashboard.
For Customers
Enjoy uninterrupted access to subscribed products or services.
Pay automatically without needing to make manual payments for each renewal.
Receive reminder emails before every scheduled charge.
Benefit from trial periods where offered.
Easily manage their recurring subscriptions.
Managing Subscription-Based Products
The Subscription dashboard provides merchants with visibility into every customer subscription and recurring payment.
From the dashboard, you can:
View the complete history of a customer's subscription, including:
Subscription status
Billing frequency
Trial period information
Previous renewal payments
Upcoming billing dates
Successful payments
Failed payments
Defaulted payments
This provides a complete record of the customer's subscription lifecycle.
Cancel an active subscription when requested by the customer or when necessary.
Once cancelled:
Future recurring charges are stopped.
The customer's subscription will no longer renew automatically.
Note: Cancelling a subscription does not automatically refund payments that have already been collected.Issue refunds for eligible subscription payments directly from the dashboard in accordance with your refund policy.
Adjust the date of an upcoming renewal when required. Rescheduling allows merchants to provide flexibility while maintaining the customer's active subscription.
If a customer completes a renewal payment outside the automatic billing process using another approved payment method, you can manually mark the payment as Paid. This keeps the subscription record accurate and prevents duplicate billing.
Subscription Statuses
A subscription or renewal payment may have one of the following statuses:
Status | Description |
Active | The subscription is active and recurring billing is ongoing. |
Trial | The customer is currently within the trial period |
Scheduled | The next renewal payment has been scheduled. |
Paid | The renewal payment was successfully collected or manually marked as paid. |
Failed | A renewal payment attempt was unsuccessful. |
Defaulted | All three automatic retry attempts failed |
Cancelled | The subscription has been cancelled, and future renewals have stopped. |
Refunded | A collected subscription payment has been refunded. |
Which payment methods are supported?
Subscription-Based Products currently support card payments only.
Can merchants choose how often customers are billed?
Yes. Merchants can configure subscriptions to renew monthly, quarterly, or yearly, depending on the product or service.
Can merchants offer a trial period?
Yes. An optional trial period can be added to a subscription. Customers gain access during the trial, and recurring billing begins when the trial ends.
What happens if a customer's card cannot be charged?
If a scheduled renewal fails due to insufficient funds, bank restrictions, or another card-related issue, Mainstack automatically retries the payment up to three times. If all retry attempts fail, the payment is marked as Defaulted, and the customer is notified by email.
Will customers receive reminders before renewals?
Yes. Customers receive reminder emails 72 hours and 24 hours before every scheduled renewal.
Can merchants manage subscriptions from the dashboard?
Yes. Merchants can view subscription history, cancel subscriptions, refund payments, reschedule upcoming renewals, and manually mark payments as paid from the Subscription dashboard.
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