Pre-requisite#

Ensure you have read the product document before you proceed with this document.

Subscriptions via Links#

In case you do not have a website or app, you can still create and send subscriptions to customers via a link. When the customer opens the link, they are taken to a checkout page hosted by Razorpay where they make the authentication payment. You can also use this feature to create and send custom subscriptions to customers.

Below is a high-level overview of subscriptions via links.

To create a subscriptions link via the Dashboard you need to:

1. Create a plan.
2. Create and send a subscription link.

After collecting the authentication transaction, you can create add-ons, if required.

Terminologies Used#

Plan

A plan is like a reuseable template where you define what should be billed, for what price and when. You can then have multiple customers subscribe to a plan.

For example, you could define a plan for ₹1000 to be charged monthly or another plan for ₹12,000 to be charged yearly. You can define multiple plans and call them Basic, Intermediate, Pro and so on.

Subscription

When a customer subscribes to a plan, it is called a subscription. Subscription defines the date at which the customer wants to subscribe to the plan (start date) and for how long (duration). You can also create subscriptions with a trial period and an upfront amount.

Trial Period

A period where the customer can avail the service or goods you offer without paying for it. The trial period is offered to the customer once they complete the authorization transaction. You can create a fully-customized trial period that does not have to follow the typical 1-week or 1-month trial period.

To create a trial period for your customers, all you need to to do is provide a future start date while creating the subscription.

Upfront Amount

You can charge customers an upfront amount as part of the authentication transaction. If a subscription or a subscription link is created with an upfront amount, the customer is charged an extra amount during the authentication transaction.

An upfront amount can be added to the subscription using the add-ons parameters while creating a subscription.

Add-ons

Add-ons can be charged to your customer during the subscription. Add-ons are typically charged for additional services taken by a customer during the billing cycle.

Authentication Transaction

The authentication transaction is a 3D secure authentication step before recurring payments are charged on your customer's card. It is an approval process from the customer who is subscribing to a plan and also a way to validate the card to which a subscription would be charged on a periodic basis. The authentication transaction is an RBI mandate for all recurring payments in India. There are two ways to obtain an authentication transaction for subscriptions:

• Via your checkout
• Sending the customer a link that would direct them to a Razorpay hosted page to make the payment