The money side.
WHAT RECURRING BILLING NEEDS
A gateway supporting it Stored payment authorisation Handling for failures
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A PAYMENT FAILS
Cards expire. Accounts have insufficient funds. Banks decline.
That is normal and constant.
WHAT YOUR SYSTEM SHOULD DO
Retry after a period Notify the member Allow them to update payment details easily Suspend access after a stated grace period
THE GRACE PERIOD
Cutting access immediately on one failed payment loses members who would have paid.
A few days, with a notification, recovers many.
WHAT TO TEST
A failed payment, and what the member experiences.
Most people never test this and discover it is broken when it matters.
FOR NIGERIAN GATEWAYS
Confirm recurring billing is supported and how it behaves on failure.
Behaviour varies.
WHAT TO MONITOR
Failed payments weekly. Each is a member about to leave.
