Introduction

Cashfree enables businesses to automate recurring payment collection from customers. Our system streamlines the payment process while providing flexibility in payment schedules and methods.

What is a Mandate?

A mandate is a contract between you and your customer that allows you to deduct funds from your customer on either a pre-decided frequency or on-demand upto a pre-decided amount.

We support various payment methods that are compliant with RBI regulations. Your customers can pay using Cards, eNACH, UPI autopay, and physical NACH (aka paper-based NACH).

How Subscription works

When integrating with a subscription API, understanding key terms is essential for managing subscriptions, billing, and customer access correctly. Here are the primary terms to know:

Plans

A plan is a structured static construct that defines the terms of a recurring subscription service. Plans typically include key information that determines the billing, features, and usage associated with a subscription.

Example: Netflix Plans - Premium, Basic, Standard, Mobile. Each plan differs and caters for a particular use-case.

Here’s a breakdown of what a plan usually consists of

Plan Parameters

Parameter	Description
Plan Name	Name of the plan. This will be visible to the customer during the mandate authorization process.
Plan Type	There are two types of plans - Periodic, On-Demand. Choose Periodic if you wish to debit a fixed amount from your customers at fixed intervals (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly). Choose On-Demand if the subscriptions do not have a fixed period or a fixed amount.
Maximum Amount	The maximum amount that you can charge your customer for that particular subscription. A mandate is created for your customers for this amount.
Recurring Amount	The amount that will be debited from your customer on a recurring basis.
Charge Customer Once Every	The frequency at which your customers will be charged. Frequency values could range from: (Day(s), Week(s), Month(s), Year(s))
Max. No. Of Debits	The maximum number of times you can debit your customers using this plan. If left blank, the subscription expiry date will be the completion date.
Description	A text that describes the plan.

You can create a new plan either through the dashboard or through the API. To give flexibility for certain usecases, you create a subscription without a plan.

Subscriptions

Represents the relationship between a customer and a plan, indicating that the customer is actively using the service and is being billed on a recurring basis.

Subscription Parameters

Parameter	Description
Customer Details	Customer details such as customer name, email, and phone number. Email & phone number are required for triggering communications via email or SMS to your customers.
Subscription ID	The ID through which the subscription is identified.
Select Plan	Select an existing plan or create a subscription without a plan. In case no pre-defined plan is to be used, all necessary details will have to be given for this subscription.
Subscription Type	Select the Subscription Type - Periodic or On-Demand.
Plan Name	Provide the plan name if you are not selecting an existing plan. This will be visible to the customer during the mandate authorization process.
Maximum Amount	The maximum amount you can charge your customer for this subscription.
Recurring Amount	If the Subscription type is periodic, specify the recurring amount you want to charge your customer as per the agreed payment schedule.
Charge Customer Once Every	The time interval in which you want to charge your customer.
Max. No. of Debits	The maximum number of times you want to charge your customer for this subscription.
First Charge Date	The date on which your customer will be charged for the first time for this subscription. Applicable only for periodic subscriptions.
Subscription Ends	The date on which this subscription ends. It can end on a particular date or will remain active until you or your customer cancels it.
Expiry Date	The last date the customer will be charged for this subscription.
Return URL	The URL to which your customers will be redirected once the subscription is authorized.