What are recurring payment plans?+
Recurring payment plans allow businesses to automatically collect payments from customers on a scheduled basis. This is ideal for subscriptions, memberships, instalments, and regular service fees. Paytia supports flexible scheduling through agent-assisted telephone calls or secure online forms, with all card data protected by PCI DSS Level 1 compliant tokenisation.
How do I set up recurring payment plans?+
Two ways: through agent-assisted telephone calls where your staff helps customers enrol, or by sending secure online forms that customers complete themselves. Both methods are PCI DSS compliant and include fraud prevention. Setup typically takes just a few minutes per customer. Your agents can configure start dates, frequencies, amounts, and end dates during the call.
What payment frequencies are supported?+
Daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual schedules. You can also set up custom intervals to match specific business needs. The system supports both fixed-term plans (e.g. 12 monthly payments) and ongoing payment plans that continue until cancelled.
What happens if a recurring payment fails?+
The payment gateway retries the payment according to your configured schedule. You receive notifications about failures, and the system sends automated reminders to customers to update their payment information. This maintains payment continuity and reduces manual follow-up. You can configure the number of retry attempts and the interval between them.
Can customers manage their own plans?+
Businesses can use the Paytia API to build setup and adjustment functionality displayed in their own customer portals. This creates a customised self-service experience for managing recurring plans according to your business requirements. Customers can update card details, view upcoming payments, and manage their subscriptions.
How does recurring billing ensure PCI DSS compliance?+
Paytia maintains PCI DSS Level 1 compliance for all recurring processing. Sensitive card data is encrypted and tokenised at the point of capture -- your business never handles raw card data. Tokens are used for all subsequent charges, significantly reducing your PCI compliance scope. Learn more about PCI DSS compliance and what it means for your business.
How do recurring payments integrate with my systems?+
Recurring payments integrate with CRM platforms, accounting software, invoicing systems, and payment gateways through standard API connections and webhooks. This enables automated reconciliation with your financial records, real-time event notifications, and synchronised customer data across all systems.
How do I stop unwanted recurring payments?+
Most systems let you manage and cancel recurring plans directly from your merchant dashboard. As a business, it is important to provide an easy way of cancellation to prevent disputes and maintain customer trust. Agent-assisted payment features can also help customers cancel or adjust recurring plans securely during a phone call.
What is the difference between a one-time payment and a recurring payment?+
A one-time payment is made once for a product or service. Recurring payments occur automatically at set intervals (weekly, monthly, annually). Recurring plans are suitable for subscriptions, memberships, or perpetual services, providing predictable revenue for businesses and convenience for customers. Paytia supports both payment types through the same platform.
How to take recurring payments over the phone?+
Use Paytia's agent-assisted recurring payment setup. Your agent initiates the payment flow during a live call, the customer enters their card details securely using DTMF tones (the agent never hears or sees the card number), and the system tokenises the card for future recurring charges. The entire process is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant.
