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Recurring Billing User Guide

This section describes how to use this guide and where to find further information.
Audience and Purpose
This guide is written for merchants who use the upgraded or new Recurring Billing service that is available through the Business Center and the REST API.
Conventions
This statement appear in this document:
IMPORTANT
An
Important
 statement contains information essential to successfully completing a task or learning a concept.
Related Documentation
Visit the
Cybersource
 documentation hub to find additional technical documentation.
Customer Support
For support information about any service, visit the Support Center:

Recent Revisions to This Document

25.09.01

This revision contains only editorial changes and no technical updates.

25.06.01

Updated information about the amount of time allowed between subscription payments in these sections:

25.05.01

Updated the graphic in this section:

24.09.01

This revision contains only editorial changes and no technical updates.

24.08.01

Added dashboards for Recurring Billing subscriptions. See View Subscription Dashboards.

24.02

This revision contains only editorial changes and no technical updates.

24.04.01

Initial release.

Introduction to Recurring Billing

This guide explains how to use the Recurring Billing service in the
Business Center
.
The Recurring Billing service enables you to create and manage payment plans and subscriptions for recurring payment schedules. It automates the storage and handling of your customer’s payment information and personal data within secure Visa data centers in compliance with credentials-on-file (COF) best practices. Storage risks and the PCI DSS scope are reduced through the use of
the
Token Management Service
 (
TMS
)
.
Cybersource
 Recurring Billing consists of these three elements:
  • Plan:
     Stores the billing schedule.
  • Subscription:
     Combines the token and plan and defines the subscription start date, name, and description.
  • Token:
     Stores customer billing, shipping, and payment details.
Recurring Billing is available using the REST API. For information about REST, see the
Cybersource
 Hello world sandbox at the Developer Center.
For information on Recurring Billing for developers, see the
Recurring Billing Developer Guide
.

Manage Plans

You can search plans using these filters:
  • Plan code
  • Plan name
  • Plan status
Only plans with an
ACTIVE
 status can be attached to a subscription.

Creating a Plan

A plan consists of this information:
  • Plan code: Generated by the Recurring Billing service (default) or assigned by the merchant.
  • Plan name
  • Plan description
  • Plan ID: Generated by the Recurring Billing service.
  • Billing amount
  • Currency: Assigned when the plan is created.
  • Billing period: The length and calendar unit of the billing frequency, which cannot exceed a 12 month period.
  • Billing cycle options: Indefinite or a defined billing end period.
  • Set-up fee: 0.00 if not included when the plan is created.
Follow these steps to create a plan:
  2. On the left navigation panel, click
    Recurring Billing
    .
  3. Click
    Manage Plans
    . The Manage Plans page appears.
  4. Click
    Add New Plan
    . The Create Plan page appears.
  5. Enter this information:
    1. Plan code: generated automatically when not assigned by the merchant.
    2. Plan name
    3. Plan description (optional)
    4. Billing amount
    5. Currency
    6. Billing period length
    7. Billing period unit
  6. Select the billing cycle by choosing one of these options:
    • Bill indefinitely.
    • Define billing period end and enter the plan period length. The plan period unit defaults to the same length as the billing period length.
  7. Enter the set-up fee (optional).
  8. Click
    Save as Draft
     or
    Submit
    . The Manage Plans page appears.

Viewing a Plan

You can search for any plan based on the plan code, plan name, or plan status. You can activate, deactivate, or delete the plan on the View Plan page.
Follow these steps to view or change the status of a plan:
  2. On the left navigation panel, click
    Recurring Billing
    .
  3. Click
    Manage Plans
    . The Manage Plans page appears.
  4. To search for plans, click
    Add a Filter
    , and then select
    Plan Code
    ,
    Plan Name
    , or
    Plan Status
    .
  5. Enter the exact plan code, name, or status, and press
    Enter
    . Matching search results display in the list.
  6. To view the details for a plan, click the plan code. The Plan Details page appears.
  7. To change the status of the plan, choose one of these options:
    • Click
      Activate Plan
      . You can activate a plan that has a
      DRAFT
       or
      INACTIVE
       status.
    • Click
      Deactivate Plan
      .
    • Click
      Delete Plan
      . You can delete a plan that has a
      DRAFT
       status or that has an
      ACTIVE
       or
      INACTIVE
       status and has never been assigned to any subscriptions.

Editing a Plan

This information can be edited:
  • Plan code
  • Plan name
  • Plan description
  • Billing amount
  • Set-up fee
  • Subscription update: change the plan for all new and existing or only new subscriptions.
Follow these steps to edit a plan:
  2. On the left navigation panel, click
    Recurring Billing
    .
  3. Click
    Manage Plans
    . The Manage Plans page appears.
  4. Click the plan code. The Plan Details page appears.
  5. Click
    Edit
    . The Edit Plan Page appears.
  6. Make changes to the plan.
  7. Under Plan Change - Subscription Update, select
    New Subscriptions Only
     or
    All (New and Existing)
    .
  8. Click
    Save
    . The Plan Details page appears.

Manage Subscriptions

You can manage subscriptions in
Manage Subscriptions
 and
Token Management
.

Figure:

Subscription Flow
A subscription always has one of these statuses:
Pending
The first payment is scheduled, or the subscription is in transition to another state.
Active
The subscription is currently in use. It is set with a payment instrument, and a payment is scheduled at a pre-determined frequency that you agreed upon with your customer.
Delinquent
A scheduled payment was declined.
The system automatically retries the payment a number of times. If the payment succeeds, the system automatically moves the subscription back to the
active
 state. Otherwise, if the automated retry logic fails to obtain a successful payment, the system automatically moves the subscription to the
suspended
 state.
Suspended
The automated retry logic failed to obtain successful payment, or you have explicitly suspended the subscription. In order to resume a suspended subscription for the next billing cycle, choose one of these options:
  • Collect a different payment method from your customer and then reactivate the subscription.
  • Cancel the subscription and create a new subscription for your customer.
Cancelled
You have explicitly cancelled the subscription and it cannot be reactivated. You might cancel an active or pending subscription when you and the customer agree to end the subscription. You might choose to cancel a delinquent subscription rather than wait for the automatic retry logic to proceed. You might cancel a suspended subscription if the customer does not have an acceptable alternate payment method.
IMPORTANT
You cannot cancel a subscription within 10 minutes before or after a payment begins processing.
Completed
All scheduled payments were made. This is the state of a subscription that ends with all scheduled payments successfully completed. This state applies to subscriptions set up with a scheduled end date.
IMPORTANT
You cannot reactivate a completed subscription.
IMPORTANT
For information about managing subscriptions from the
Token Management
 area in the
Business Center
, see Manage Subscriptions in Token Management.

Managing Subscriptions

When you manage subscriptions from the
Manage Subscriptions
 area in the
Business Center
, you can search for them using these filters:
  • Subscription code
  • First name
  • Last name
  • Plan name
  • Subscription status

Creating a Subscription

Create subscriptions with an existing plan. Only plans with an
ACTIVE
 status can be attached to a subscription.
You can add a differential fee to a subscription using the
Surcharge Amount
 and
Surcharge Description
 fields when you create a subscription. The surcharge amount is added to the billing amount when the recurring payment is processed. Before including a surcharge in your subscription, refer to your local regulations for compliance on surcharging customers, and confirm that your processor supports surcharges.
  2. On the left navigation panel, click
    Token Management
    .
  3. Click
    Tokens
    . The Token List page appears.
  4. Click the token ID for which you want to create a subscription.
  5. Click
    Create Subscription
    . The Create Subscription page appears.
  6. Under Subscription Information, enter this information:
    • Subscription code: generated by the Recurring Billing service (default) or assigned by the merchant
    • Subscription name
    • Start date (payment processing time starts at 2:00 a.m. in your time zone.)
  7. Under Plan Options, select an existing active plan or
    New One Time Plan
    .
    The customer's payment and billing information appear.
  8. Under Billing Details, enter or edit this information:
    • Billing amount
    • Currency
    • Billing period length
    • Billing period unit
    • Set-up fee (optional)
    IMPORTANT
    The interval between subscription payments cannot exceed 12 months.
  9. Edit or enter the billing cycle by choosing one of these options:
    • Bill indefinitely.
    • Define billing period end and enter the plan period length. The plan period unit defaults to the same length as the billing period length.
  10. Under Differential Fee, enter this information:
    • Surcharge amount
    • Surcharge description
  11. Click
    Submit
    . The Token Management Customer Details page appears.
  12. Click the
    Subscriptions
     tab and view the new subscription in the subscriptions list.

Creating a Subscription with an Existing Customer Token

Create a subscription with an existing plan and an existing customer token. Only plans with an
ACTIVE
 status can be attached to a subscription.
  2. On the left navigation panel, choose
    Recurring Billing >
    Manage Subscriptions
    .
  3. Click
    Manage Subscriptions
    . The Manage Subscriptions page appears.
  4. Click
    Create Subscription
    .
  5. Select
    Existing Customer
    . The Create Subscription page appears.
  6. Enter the customer first and last name, and then click
    Search
    .
  7. Find the customer in the results and click
    Select
    . The payment and shipping address details are pre-populated. The Subscription Details panel appears.
  8. Enter these subscription details:
    • Subscription name
    • Start date (payment processing time starts at 2:00 a.m. in your time zone.)
    • Subscription code
  9. Select a subscription billing plan, and then click
    Apply
    . The billing details appear.
  10. Click
    Change
     to edit these billing details:
    • Billing amount
    • Billing cycles
    • Set-up fee
  11. Click
    Create Now
    , and then click
    Yes, create
     to create the new subscription with the new customer token.
  12. Click the
    Subscriptions
     tab and view the new subscription in the subscriptions list.

Creating a Subscription with a New Customer Token

Create a subscription with a new customer token. Only plans with an
ACTIVE
 status can be attached to a subscription.
  2. On the left navigation panel, choose
    Recurring Billing >
    Manage Subscriptions
    .
  3. Click
    Manage Subscriptions
    . The Manage Subscriptions page appears.
  4. Click
    Create Subscription
    .
  5. Select
    New Customer
    , and then click
    Continue
    . The Create Subscription page appears.
  6. Enter customer details.
  7. Add merchant-defined data fields, if necessary.
  8. Click
    Continue
    . The Payment Details panel appears.
  9. Select the payment method, and then click
    Apply
    .
  10. Enter these card details:
    • Card type
    • Card number
    • Expiration date
    • Currency
  11. Enter these billing address details:
    • First name
    • Last name
    • Company (optional)
    • Country
    • Address
    • Apartment, suite, floor, building, etc. (optional)
    • City
    • State/province
    • Postal code
    • Email
    • Phone (optional)
  12. Click
    Continue
    . The Shipping Address Details panel appears.
  13. Click
    Yes
     to edit shipping address details.
  14. Click
    Continue
    .
  15. Enter these subscription details:
    • Subscription name
    • Start date (payment processing time starts at 2:00 a.m. in your time zone.)
    • Subscription code
  16. Select a subscription billing plan, and then click
    Apply
    . The billing details appear.
  17. Click
    Change
     to edit these billing details:
    • Billing amount
    • Billing cycles
    • Set-up fee
  18. Click
    Create Now
    , and then click
    Yes, create
     to create the new subscription with the new customer token.
  19. Click the
    Subscriptions
     tab and view the new subscription in the subscriptions list.

Creating a Follow-On Subscription from an Existing Transaction

Create a subscription using payment data from a previous transaction. This method eliminates the need to create a new customer token or search for an existing one.
You can use an existing plan that is
ACTIVE
 status or use a one-time plan to set up the subscription.
You can add a differential fee to a subscription using the surcharge amount and surcharge description fields when you create a subscription. You add the surcharge amount to the billing amount when you process the recurring payment.
IMPORTANT
Before including a surcharge in your subscription, refer to your local regulations for compliance on surcharging customers, and confirm that your processor supports surcharges.
  2. On the left navigation panel, click
    Transaction Management
    .
  3. Click
    Transactions
    . The Transactions List page appears.
  4. Search for a successful transaction from the past using filters.
  5. Click the request ID of a transaction from which you want to create a subscription. The Transaction Details page appears.
  6. Click
    Actions
     in the top right corner and select
    Create Subscription
    . The Create Subscription page appears.
    IMPORTANT
    The
    Action
     button appears only when the transaction is successful.
  7. The system populates the customer, payments, and shipping address details with the transaction data.
  8. Scroll down to
    Subscription Details
    .
  9. Under
    Subscription Details
    , enter this information:
    • Subscription name
    • Start date (payment processing time starts at 2:00 a.m. in your time zone)
    • Subscription code (generated by the default Recurring Billing service or assigned by the merchant)
  10. Choose a subscription billing plan. You can choose an existing active plan or create a new one-time plan.
  11. Click
    Apply
    .
  12. If you selected a new one-time plan, you must complete these billing details:
    • Currency
    • Billing amount
    • Billing frequency. Choose one of the predefined options or click
      Custom
       to create your own. Enter the billing period length (number) and billing period unit. The interval between subscription payments cannot exceed 12 months.
    • Billing cycle options (a bill indefinitely subscription continues without a defined end date until it is manually cancelled by the merchant).
    • Number of billing cycles (enter a number in the billing cycles field).
  13. (Optional) Enter a set-up fee, which is an amount that is added to the first payment.
  14. (Optional) Enter a differential fee:
    • Enter the surcharge amount. Click
      Calculate
       to automatically calculate an amount.
    • Enter the surcharge description.
  15. Click
    Create Now
    . The Subscription Details page appears.

Viewing a Subscription in Recurring Billing

You can view subscription details, including payment history and the next scheduled payment. Use these filters to search for subscriptions:
  • Subscription code
  • First name
  • Last name
  • Plan name
  • Subscription status
Follow these steps to view a subscription:
  2. On the left navigation panel, choose
    Recurring Billing >
    Manage Subscriptions
    . The Manage Subscriptions page appears.
  3. To search for subscriptions, click
    Add a Filter
    , and choose one of the filter options.
  4. Enter the exact information. Search results appear in the list.
  5. To view the details for a subscription, click the subscription code. The Subscription Details page appears.

Editing a Subscription in Recurring Billing

You can add a differential fee to a subscription using the
Surcharge Amount
 and
Surcharge Description
 fields when you create a subscription. The surcharge amount is added to the billing amount when the recurring payment is processed. Before including a surcharge in your subscription, refer to your local regulations for compliance on surcharging customers, and confirm that your processor supports surcharges.
Information you can edit:
  • Subscription code
  • Subscription name
  • Plan option
  • Billing amount
Follow these steps to edit a subscription:
  2. On the left navigation panel, choose
    Recurring Billing >
    Manage Subscriptions
    . The Manage Subscriptions page appears.
  3. Find the subscription and click the subscription code. The Subscription Details page appears.
  4. Click
    Edit
    . The Edit Subscription page appears.
  5. To change the status of the subscription, click
    Suspend Subscription
     or
    Cancel Subscription
    .
  6. To edit the subscription, click
    Edit
    .
  7. Make changes.
  8. Click
    Update
    . The Subscription Details page appears.

Manage Subscriptions in
Token Management

When you manage subscriptions from the
Token Management
 area in the
Business Center
, you can search tokens using these filters:
  • Date Range
  • Card Expiration
  • Email
  • Card Number
  • Token ID
  • Zip/Postal Code
  • Last Name
  • First Name
  • Merchant Defined
  • Account Number
  • Payment Account Reference
IMPORTANT
Due to mandates from the Reserve Bank of India, Indian merchants cannot store personal account numbers (PANs). Use network tokens instead.
For more information on network tokens, see the Network Tokenization section of the
Token Management Service
 Developer Guide
.

Creating a Customer Token

The token represents customer-related information including details for a payment card or electronic check, billing address, shipping address, and merchant-defined data.
  2. On the left navigation pane, click
    Token Management
    .
  3. Click
    Customers
    . The Customers page appears.
  4. Click
    Create token
    . The Create Customer page opens.
  5. Under Customer Details, enter:
    1. Reference: a name for the customer token.
    2. Email: email address for the customer.
    3. Description: description of the customer token.
  6. Under Payment Information, enter:
    1. Currency.
    2. Payment Type.
    3. Account Information for the selected payment type.
  7. Enter the billing information for the customer.
  8. Enter the shipping information for the customer. If it is the same as billing information, check the
    Same as Billing Information
     box.
  9. (Optional) Enter any merchant-defined data fields.
  10. Click
    Save
    .

Viewing a Subscription in Token Management

You can view subscription details, including payment history and the next scheduled payment. Use these filters to search for subscriptions:
  • Subscription code
  • First name
  • Last name
  • Plan name
  • Subscription status
Follow these steps to view a subscription in Token Management:
  2. On the left navigation panel, click
    Token Management
    .
  3. Click
    Tokens
    . The Token List page appears.
  4. To view the details for a subscription, click the token ID. The Subscription Details page appears.

Editing a Subscription in Token Management

You can add a differential fee to a subscription using the
Surcharge Amount
 and
Surcharge Description
 fields when you create a subscription. The surcharge amount is added to the billing amount when the recurring payment is processed. Before including a surcharge in your subscription, refer to your local regulations for compliance on surcharging customers, and confirm that your processor supports surcharges.
Information you can edit:
  • Subscription code
  • Subscription name
  • Plan option
  • Billing amount
Follow these steps to edit a subscription in Token Management:
  2. On the left navigation panel, click
    Token Management
    .
  3. Click
    Tokens
    . The Token List page appears.
  4. Check the box for the token ID. The Token Details page appears.
  5. Click the
    Subscriptions
     tab.
  6. Click the subscription code. The Subscription Details page appears.
  7. Click
    Edit
    . The Edit Subscription page appears.
  8. To change the status of the subscription, click
    Suspend Subscription
     or
    Cancel Subscription
    .
  9. To edit the subscription, click
    Edit
    .
  10. Make changes.
  11. Click
    Update
    . The Subscription Details page appears.

VISA Platform Connect: Specifications and Conditions for Resellers/Partners

The following are specifications and conditions that apply to a Reseller/Partner enabling its merchants through
Cybersource for
Visa Platform Connect
 (“VPC”) processing
. Failure to meet any of the specifications and conditions below is subject to the liability provisions and indemnification obligations under Reseller/Partner’s contract with Visa/Cybersource.
  1. Before boarding merchants for payment processing on a VPC acquirer’s connection, Reseller/Partner and the VPC acquirer must have a contract or other legal agreement that permits Reseller/Partner to enable its merchants to process payments with the acquirer through the dedicated VPC connection and/or traditional connection with such VPC acquirer.
  2. Reseller/Partner is responsible for boarding and enabling its merchants in accordance with the terms of the contract or other legal agreement with the relevant VPC acquirer.
  3. Reseller/Partner acknowledges and agrees that all considerations and fees associated with chargebacks, interchange downgrades, settlement issues, funding delays, and other processing related activities are strictly between Reseller and the relevant VPC acquirer.
  4. Reseller/Partner acknowledges and agrees that the relevant VPC acquirer is responsible for payment processing issues, including but not limited to, transaction declines by network/issuer, decline rates, and interchange qualification, as may be agreed to or outlined in the contract or other legal agreement between Reseller/Partner and such VPC acquirer.
DISCLAIMER: NEITHER VISA NOR CYBERSOURCE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS BY THE
Visa Platform Connect
 ACQUIRER IN PROCESSING TRANSACTIONS. NEITHER VISA NOR CYBERSOURCE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR RESELLER/PARTNER BOARDING MERCHANTS OR ENABLING MERCHANT PROCESSING IN VIOLATION OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS IMPOSED BY THE RELEVANT
Visa Platform Connect
 ACQUIRER.

View Subscription Dashboards

This section covers the dashboards for Recurring Billing subscriptions. You can search for subscriptions and view subscription performance dashboards. Performance dashboards are provided for subscription revenue (today, monthly, or projected) and for subscription status (new, active, or canceled).

Create a Plan

Create a plan to define the billing schedule, which includes the amount, frequency, and billing cycles for a subscription. The interval between subscription payments cannot exceed 12 months.
IMPORTANT
You can create one-time plans when you create the subscription.
When you create a plan, the system assigns an ID to the plan. Use the plan ID to request these services:
  • Create a subscription
  • Retrieve a plan
  • Amend a plan
  • Activate a plan
  • Deactivate a plan
  • Delete a plan
Assigning a Plan Code
When you create a standard plan, you can choose to supply a plan code that relates to your business and is used for reference to the plan. This code can be numeric or alphanumeric with dash (-) and dot (.) characters, and up to 10 characters long.
If no plan code is assigned, the system automatically assigns a system-generated value.