Building Loyalty Through Subscriptions

Recurring Payments: What Every Business Should Know. 👇 If your business offers subscriptions or repeat billing, recurring payments are the lifeblood of your cash flow, but getting them right is about more than just charging a card every month. Here’s what you should consider when setting up or scaling recurring payments: ✅ Support for All Major Payment Methods To reduce friction and increase conversions, offer a range of payment options including: ➡️ Cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover ➡️ Direct Debit: A stable, trusted method with strong consumer protection ➡️ Pay by Bank: Increasingly popular for those who prefer instant, account-to-account payments, variable recurring payments remain a work in progress in the retail environment ➡️ Digital Wallets: Apple Pay and others now support recurring billing, ideal for mobile-first customers and at the click of a button 🔄 Ease of Cancellation = Trust Make it easy for customers to cancel. Why? ➡️ Reduces disputes and chargebacks ➡️ Builds long-term brand trust ➡️ Encourages them to return later, rather than churn out frustrated ➡️ Transparency and ease are key to a sustainable recurring model 🔧 Smart Tech Behind the Scenes: Updater Services & Network Tokens Card expirations and replacements used to be a big problem, but now? 🔹 Account updater services (like Visa Account Updater and Mastercard Automatic Billing Updater) automatically update stored card details when a card is replaced or renewed, reducing failed payments and involuntary churn. 🔹 Network tokens take this a step further. They replace card details with a secure, tokenised version that stays valid even when the underlying card changes, offering higher authorisation rates and enhanced security. Together, these innovations keep your billing cycle smooth and your customer experience seamless. 🧠 Why Stability Still Matters Direct debit may feel “old school,” but it remains: ➡️ Exceptionally reliable ➡️ Protected by strong consumer guarantees ➡️ Ideal as a trusted fallback or even primary option in certain markets Combining modern flexibility with stable, regulated solutions is often the smartest approach for long-term success. Recurring payments are not just a billing method, they’re a customer experience. Make it seamless, secure, and adaptable, and your revenue (and reputation) will thank you.

🚨𝗥𝗕𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 - 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗳𝗹𝗶𝘅, 𝗦𝗜𝗣𝘀, 𝗘𝗠𝗜𝘀 & 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼-𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗶𝘁. That “subscription deducted automatically” message? Now, RBI wants YOU to control it better. And this move is much bigger than just OTPs. Because India is slowly becoming: → A recurring-revenue economy → A subscription economy → An auto-pay economy Let’s break it down!👇 (𝗔) 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱? • Easier pause/cancel option for users. • OTP-free auto-payments up to ₹15,000. • Mandatory 24-hour alert before recurring deductions. • Limit extended up to ₹1lakh for SIPs, insurance & CC Bills. This impacts: Netflix, Spotify, EMIs, SIPs, electricity bills, FASTag & more. 𝗥𝗕𝗜 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁. (𝗕) 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀? • India’s subscription economy is exploding. • Failed recurring payments hurt fintechs & platforms. • Auto-pay helps businesses earn predictable revenue. • Customers wanted convenience without surprise deductions. 𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 = 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀. (𝗖) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 This move quietly strengthens below: • Automated investing behaviour • Subscription businesses • Fintech infrastructure • SIP culture Recurring payments create: → Better cash flows → Predictable revenue → Stronger customer retention 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁. (𝗗) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 • People forget subscriptions. • Weak controls can increase fraud risks. • Silent deductions increase overspending. That’s why RBI added: ✅ Easy opt-out ✅ Pre-debit alerts ✅ Stronger customer visibility 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. India is slowly moving from: “𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀” to “𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼-𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.” And the co(s) winning tomorrow, May not just have the best products… They may have the smoothest payment systems.👀 🔁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁, if this helped. 👀 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄, for more finance + business breakdowns. #India #Linkedin #Indian #Finance #Investmentbanking #RBI

This ONE billing change made us an extra $1.1M last year with zero price increases. If you run a subscription focused brand, steal this, implement it, and thank me later. Common subscription brands will spend weeks testing ad creative to lower acquisition costs by $3. But at the same time, subscription infrastructure itself is quietly bleeding revenue every month because nobody has looked at it since launch. This is the full system: Step 1: Convert to subscription without creating doubt → Pre-select subscription on product pages with crystal clear transparency → Show savings in immediately understandable terms → Compare one-time versus subscription side by side → Use social proof about what percentage of your customers subscribe → Make it very clear they can pause, skip, or cancel at any time Step 2: Eliminate checkout drop-offs → Emphasize permanent savings at checkout → Visualize the long-term savings impact → Stress customer control over their subscription → Every drop-off at checkout is a subscriber you already convinced on the product page and lost because the checkout created doubt Step 3: Nail post-purchase onboarding → Send a detailed subscription management welcome email immediately → Provide easy modification access points → Reinforce why subscribing was the right call → The first 48 hours after someone subscribes are where most first-month churn starts Step 4: Prevent churn before it happens → Send pre-billing reminders before renewals so there are no surprises → Enable adjustments without login barriers → Offer pauses instead of immediate cancellations → Keep the cancel button visible and accessible because hiding it destroys trust → Track cancellation reasons so you can improve the experience for the next subscriber Step 5: Long-term subscriber retention → Escalate perks for loyal subscribers → Run personalized win-back flows for churned customers → Test renewal incentives continuously because what works this quarter might not work next quarter All in all - If your average subscriber is worth $50/month and you're running 5,000 active subscriptions, a 10% improvement in retention adds $25K/month in revenue you would have otherwise lost. Over 12 months that's $300K from retention alone. Layer in the conversion rate improvement from pre-selecting subscription plus the checkout optimization and the churn prevention and you see how $1.1M becomes achievable without ever raising the price.

🚀 New fintech tutorial just launched! I built a complete recurring payments engine using Cybersource Gateway APIs — exactly how real subscription platforms do it. The video covers: 💳 Collecting and tokenizing the card 🔐 Authenticating with EMV 3-D Secure ♻️ Running automatic recurring charges every billing cycle ⏱️ Testing renewals instantly using simulated time ❌ Canceling subscriptions while keeping access active until the end of the cycle This is the kind of implementation you would use for: SaaS subscriptions Membership apps Wallet top-ups Premium services Anything that needs automated recurring billing 🎥 Watch the tutorial here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/dsbCQ6Gy If you’re building fintech, payments, or subscription systems, this will save you weeks. #fintech #payments #cybersource #developer #engineering #saas #scriptpapi

💠 Pix Automático for Subscription Businesses: Acquisition Driver, Cost Saver or Churn Nightmare? Pix Automático is one of the most highly anticipated payment solutions by recurring merchants in recent years. After several delays by the Central Bank of Brazil, its official launch is now scheduled for next month: June 16, 2025. The method represents a significant advancement, allowing subscription merchants to offer Pix on a recurring manner, replacing Débito Automático and other cumbersome cash payment methods that don't rely on credit. Lowering costs, instant settlement and acquiring a new base of clients are unchallengeable benefits, however, the user experience, balance availability, and retry mechanics, may have a strong negative impact on conversion metrics, retention and churn. Below some nuances that can profoundly impact your recurring payment flow: ➡️ Scheduled Transactions & Pre-authorization: The user must grant a one-time authorization, through their access device (mobile phone or computer), to allow automatic periodic debits. A key aspect here is that these transactions will be scheduled in the customer's banking app. This means that after the initial consent, the customer will receive a notification and see the upcoming charge in their banking app before it's debited. While this alert serves as a notification, it can also act as a reminder that might prompt users to rethink their subscription. This increased visibility and control, while promoting transparency, introduces a window for potential cancellations if the user isn't fully committed or has forgotten about the service, directly impacting churn. ➡️ Retry mechanism: The system is designed to make up to three collection attempts on alternate days, within a seven-day window after the scheduled payment date. If, after these attempts, the payment still fails due to insufficient funds or other issues, tit cannot be recovered without a manual outreach to the customer to offer alternative payment methods, such as a credit card link or another option. ➡️ Zero credit access: A crucial distinction is that Pix Automático does not top into credit options (unless the specific bank allows otherwise) —it strictly adheres to the available account balance at the time of the charge. For merchants whose main Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are conversion and churn reduction, this can be a significant drawback compared to credit card payments. Despite these considerations, Pix Automático, with its inherent simplicity and low transaction costs, remains a strong option for subscription businesses. It can also potentially bring a new set of consumers to businesses that were not able to purchase before. What are your expectations for Pix Automático? Share your thoughts...  #recurringpayments #PixAutomatico #digitalpayments #userexperience #brazil #pix #SubscriptionEconomy

How just ONE setting in Stripe Billing can crush your payment success rates (and you may not even realize it): When a payment fails, Stripe gives you 3 post-retry options: 1. Cancel the subscription 2. Mark as unpaid 3. Leave it “past-due” We see too many SaaS companies sabotage their payment health and recovery rates by choosing option 3. Why? It feels safe. The customer stays “active,” and maybe… just maybe… one of those retries works. But here’s the problem: ❌ Failed invoices keep piling up ❌ Recovery success rate tanks ❌ Duplicate/carryover invoices distort analytics ❌ Charge attempts continue… and get flagged or blocked ❌ Interchange fees rack up with zero ROI (IC+) The result? Poor retention insights, declining MID health, and higher processing costs. 📉 Your dashboard will show recoveries plummeting over time — not because the product changed, but because of invoice carryover bloat. 👉 Want to avoid this trap? Either cancel the subscription after all attempts fail, or mark it as unpaid so future invoices go to draft (not to your processor). Clean, controlled, and way easier to analyze. 💰 If managed properly and margins permit it, these carryover invoices can be a powerful retention lever. At FlyCode, we automate this so your recovery engine stays optimized to take advantage of this lever without bloating your data. 📊 Payments data ≠ product signals — don’t let false positives drive your strategy. (Attaching Stripe Billing screenshots showing the config and what the compounding carryover issue looks like.) #SaaS #StripeBilling #PaymentFailures #ChurnPrevention #RevenueOptimization #SubscriptionEconomy #CFOInsights #RevOps #FinOps #SaaSTips

I was to design a dynamic seat-based subscription model for an application only to realize that none of the big payment gateways in Nigeria support this with automatic renewals. Here's what I did: A seat-based subscription model is the type used by platforms like GitHub or Jira where you’re billed based on the number of users (or “seats”) you add to your team. The more seats, the more you pay. Global payment gateways like Stripe support this natively, but one of the business requirements was to stick to gateways in Africa. So I had to design it myself. Here’s how I approached it: - Worked with stakeholders to define pricing plans and what each plan offers per user - On subscription, collected the number of users, selected plan, and billing interval from the client - Calculated the total amount, charged the user, and after a successful charge, extracted and stored the authorization details amongst other data securely - Calculated the next billing date based on their interval (monthly or yearly) I then set up cron jobs to: - Check when the next renewal is due - Recalculate the number of seats - Use the saved authorization details to charge again - Update the next billing date If a renewal failed: - Sent emails to inform the user - Generated a one-time payment link for them - Retried a fixed number of times - If all retries failed, auto-cancelled the subscription and notified the user I also built services for: - Cancelling, restarting, upgrading, and downgrading subscriptions - Restricting seat addition based on their active plan It was a bit complex to design and set up manually, but it gave us full control over billing logic and how we manage seats per team. If there’s any payment gateway in Africa that already supports this kind of model, I’d love to know. #softwareengineers #tech #systemdesign

Just watched a SaaS company cut their billing errors by 87% in 3 months. Their secret? They stopped treating billing like back-office busywork. Instead, they turned it into their competitive advantage with AI. Here's what actually moved the needle: → Smart dunning sequences that recovered 40% more failed payments by timing follow-ups based on customer behavior patterns → Usage prediction models that caught billing spikes before customers got surprise invoices (and churned) → Dynamic pricing adjustments based on real-time usage patterns, increasing ARPU by 23% The real game-changer wasn't the automation—it was the insights. They discovered their highest-value customers had completely different usage patterns than they assumed. The bottom line: Companies still doing manual billing aren't just inefficient—they're flying blind on their most valuable customer data. Question: What's one billing insight that would change your pricing strategy if you had it tomorrow?