Subscriptions – SwiftPay

Set up recurring payments and collect installments automatically from your customers

Subscriptions enable you to collect multiple payments from the same customer over time. Perfect for memberships, insurance premiums, installment plans, and any service requiring recurring or scheduled payments.

What are Subscriptions?

The Subscriptions feature allows you to:

Create recurring subscriptions with fixed amounts charged on a regular schedule (weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly)
Set up manual installment plans with custom payment schedules and varying amounts
Automatically collect payments on scheduled due dates when customers add their payment card
Send automatic payment reminders via email and messaging apps (like Viber)
Track subscription status and payment history for each customer
Share a subscription portal link where customers can view their subscriptions and add payment methods

Getting Started

Enabling Subscriptions

Contact your SwiftPay account manager to enable the Subscriptions feature for your merchant account. Once enabled, you'll see Subscriptions in your Merchant Portal menu.

Creating a Subscription

To create a new subscription:

Click Subscriptions in the left menu
Click Create New
Fill in the basic information
Choose your payment setup type
Activate the subscription or save as draft

Step 1: Basic Information

Enter the following details about your subscription and customer:

Product Name (required)

This is what the customer sees in the payment portal
Example: "Gold Membership", "Life Insurance Premium"

Reference Number (required)

A unique identifier for this subscription
No spaces allowed

Customer Information

Full Name (required)
Email Address (required) - For payment notifications and portal access
Phone Number (optional) - For messaging app reminders

Step 2: Payment Setup

Choose how you want to structure the payments:

Option A: Recurring Schedule

Best for subscriptions with the same amount charged regularly (like monthly memberships).

Billing Amount (required)

The amount charged each billing cycle

Billing Frequency (required)

Weekly
Bi-weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
Yearly

Start Date (required)

Can be today or a future date

End Date (required)

Choose "Until canceled" for ongoing subscriptions
Or select a specific end date

The system will display a summary showing your billing schedule, dates, and first billing details.

Option B: Manual Setup

Best for installment plans with custom amounts or irregular payment schedules (like insurance premiums).

Creating Installments

For each installment, enter:

Name (required) - Description of the installment (e.g., "Installment 1 of 12", "January Payment")
Amount (required)
Due Date (required) - When this installment should be paid

Adding More Installments

Click Add Installment to add another row
You can drag and drop rows to reorder installments
Due dates must be in consecutive order

Importing Installments from CSV

Click Import from File
Download the sample CSV template
Fill in your installment data with these columns:
- installment_name
- installment_amount
- installment_due_date (format: YYYY-MM-DD)
Upload your completed CSV file

The system will display a summary showing total installments, payment period, average payment, and total amount.

Step 3: Activation

Before activating, you'll see a notice that the system will send email reminders and an invitation with a payment portal link to your customer.

Action Options:

Save as Draft - Saves the subscription without activating it; you can edit it later
Activate Subscription - Activates the subscription immediately and sends the invitation email to your customer

Managing Subscriptions

Viewing Your Subscriptions

The Subscriptions page has three tabs:

Active - Currently running subscriptions Drafts - Subscriptions you've created but not yet activated Closed - Completed or manually closed subscriptions

Understanding Subscription Status

Active subscriptions can show different statuses:

Payments on schedule (green) - All payments are up to date; shows next payment date
Overdue (orange) - One or more payments are past due and unpaid
Failed (red) - Payment attempts failed; shows reason like "Card declined", "Card expired", or "Payment failed"

Draft subscriptions show:

Draft (gray) - Not yet activated; can still be edited

Closed subscriptions show:

Completed (green) - All installments were paid successfully
Closed (gray) - Manually closed by you; may have unpaid installments

Subscription Details

Click on any subscription to view:

For Manual Subscriptions:

Progress bar showing amount paid vs. total amount
Complete installment schedule with status for each installment
Customer details and payment method

For Recurring Subscriptions:

Installment history (past and current payments only)
Next scheduled payment (if on track)
Customer details and payment method

Installment Statuses

Each installment can have one of these statuses:

Paid (green) - Payment received on or before due date
Paid late (green) - Payment received after due date
Overdue (orange) - Past due date, unpaid, subscription still active
Failed (red) - Automatic payment failed after all retry attempts
Pending (gray) - Future installment not yet due
Scheduled (gray) - Next upcoming payment for recurring subscriptions

For paid installments, you'll see a View → button that shows the transaction details.

Editing Draft Subscriptions

To edit a draft subscription:

Go to the Drafts tab
Click on the draft subscription
Make your changes
Click Update Draft to save changes, or Activate Subscription to activate it

Closing a Subscription

To close an active subscription:

Click on the subscription
Click Close Subscription
Confirm the action

Important:

Closed subscriptions cannot be reopened
Any unpaid installments will be ignored
The customer will NOT receive a notification
The subscription moves to the Closed tab

Customer Payment Portal

How Customers Access Their Subscriptions

When you activate a subscription, your customer receives an email invitation with a link to their payment portal.

Customers can also access the portal through the Subscription Portal link found in your Configuration page.

Customer Portal Process

Email Verification
- Customer enters their email address
- System sends an OTP (one-time password) code
- Customer enters the OTP to verify
View Subscription
- Customer sees their subscription details
- Product name, amount, and payment schedule
- Current payment status
Payment Options Without Payment Card:
- Customer can pay installments manually using the Pay Now button
- Can select multiple consecutive installments to pay at once
- Payment is processed through the standard Payment Gateway
With Payment Card Added:
- System automatically charges the card on each due date
- Customer cannot make manual payments
- If payment fails, system retries every 3 days (maximum 3 attempts)

Adding Automatic Payments

Customers can add a payment card for automatic payments:

Click Add Payment Card in their portal
Enter card details (card number, expiry date, CVV, cardholder name)
Submit the information

Once a card is added:

Future payments are charged automatically on due dates
Manual payment options are removed
If multiple payments are overdue, the system charges them starting with the oldest

Important Notes for Customers

Customers can only add one card per subscription
Customers cannot cancel their own subscriptions (they must contact you)
If payments fail 3 times, the subscription shows as "Overdue" and requires attention

Configuration & Reminders

Accessing Configuration

From the Subscriptions page, click the Configuration button.

Configuration Tabs

Tab 1: Global Configuration

Payment Portal Link - Copy and share this link with customers so they can access their subscriptions
Reports Generation - Toggle on to generate daily reminder reports

Tab 2: Reminders

Configure which reminders are sent via Email and messaging apps.

Reminder Types

The system can send 8 types of reminders organized into four categories:

Plan Lifecycle Reminders

Subscription Ready - Sent when you activate a subscription; includes link to payment portal
All Payments Completed - Sent when all installments are paid

Payment Reminders (for customers without card)

Before Due Date - Sent 14 days and 7 days before due date
On Due Date - Sent on the due date if payment not yet received
After Due Date (Overdue) - Sent every 3 days after due date

Payment Confirmations

Payment Received - Sent after each successful payment

Card / Autopay Reminders

Card Added Successfully - Sent when customer adds a payment card
Automatic Payment Failed - Sent when automatic payment fails; system retries every 3 days

You can enable or disable Email and messaging app reminders for each type.

Daily Reminder Reports

If you enable reports generation in Configuration, the system generates a daily CSV report containing all reminders sent that day across all active subscriptions.

Access your reports in the Reports section of your Merchant Portal.

Search and Filtering

Searching Subscriptions

Use the search bar on any tab to find subscriptions by:

Product name
Reference number
Customer full name
Customer email address

Viewing Details

The subscription list shows:

Subscription - Icon indicating type (recurring or manual), product name, and customer name
Reference number - Your unique identifier
Payment Method - Card details if added, or "No card added"
Amount
- Manual: Amount paid / Total amount (e.g., ₱27,120.00 / ₱34,037.09)
- Recurring: Amount per frequency (e.g., ₱1,000.00 / month)
Status - Current subscription status with color coding

Best Practices

Use clear product names - Choose descriptive names that customers will easily recognize in their email and payment portal.

Set realistic due dates - Consider processing times and customer payment habits when scheduling installments.

Monitor overdue payments - Check your Active subscriptions regularly and follow up with customers who have overdue payments.

Test before going live - Use Test Mode to create sample subscriptions and verify your setup before adding real customers.

Keep customer information updated - Ensure email addresses and phone numbers are current for reminders to reach customers.

Communicate with customers - Let customers know when you're setting up a subscription for them and what to expect.

Use automatic payments when possible - Encourage customers to add payment cards for automatic payments to reduce overdue situations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can customers cancel their own subscriptions?

No. Customers cannot cancel subscriptions themselves. They need to contact you, and you can close the subscription through the Merchant Portal.

What happens when an automatic payment fails?

The system automatically retries the payment every 3 days, with a maximum of 3 attempts. The customer receives a notification each time payment fails. After 3 failed attempts, the subscription shows as "Overdue" and requires attention.

Can I edit an active subscription?

Not in the current version. To make changes, you would need to close the existing subscription and create a new one.

Can customers pay multiple installments at once?

Yes, but only if they haven't added a payment card for automatic payments. In the payment portal, they can select multiple consecutive installments and pay them together in one transaction.

What happens if I close a subscription with unpaid installments?

The unpaid installments are ignored when you close a subscription. The customer does not receive a notification about the closure. The subscription moves to your Closed tab and cannot be reopened.

Can I have multiple subscriptions for the same customer?

Yes, there is no limit on subscriptions per customer email. Each subscription is tracked separately.

What payment methods are supported for automatic payments?

Customers can add Visa, Mastercard, or JCB credit/debit cards for automatic payments.

How do I share the subscription portal with customers?

When you activate a subscription, the customer automatically receives an email with their portal link. You can also copy your general Subscription Portal link from the Configuration page and share it on your website or in communications.

Do reminders work in Test Mode?

Email and messaging app reminders are currently disabled in Test Mode. Use Test Mode to test subscription creation, payment processing, and customer portal access.

Need Help?

If you have questions about Subscriptions or need assistance:

Chat with us - Use the help widget in your Merchant Portal
Email support - Contact our support team
Contact your account manager - For feature requests or account-specific questions