Recurring relationships complicate recovery.
WHAT IS AT RISK
Member accounts and access levels Subscription status and renewal dates Payment relationships with the gateway Content access records
WHY RESTORING IS AWKWARD
The gateway holds subscription records independently. Restoring your database to last week does not change what the gateway believes.
You can end up with members paying and having no account, or accounts with no corresponding subscription.
BEFORE RESTORING
Export current member and subscription data Note the gateway's record of active subscriptions
AFTER RESTORING
Reconcile your member list against the gateway's active subscriptions Restore access for anyone whose account was rolled back Contact affected members
WHAT TO BACK UP FREQUENTLY
The database, daily at minimum. New members and subscription changes happen continuously.
THE GATEWAY AS A RECORD
Your payment provider's dashboard is an independent record of who is paying. Use it to rebuild the member list if necessary.
TESTING
A restore test should include verifying that member access still works, not just that the site loads.
