Accepting Recurring Payments: Ultimate Guide (+ Best Processors to Use)
Meaghan has provided content and guidance for indie retailers as the editor for a number of retail publications and a speaker at trade shows. She is Fit Small Business’s authority on retail and ecommerce.
Anna’s experience in business and finance led her to work for a US risk mitigation company in Singapore. She has contributed to POS and payments topics in the Retail section across Fit Small Business.
This article is part of a larger series on Payments.
A recurring payment, also referred to as a subscription, recurring billing, or automatic payment, is an electronically processed payment that repeats according to a preset schedule. Businesses often set up recurring payments to collect fees for memberships, subscriptions, lessons, and services. Recurring payments require customers to sign a one-time authorization form.
The easiest way to accept recurring payments is with an all-in-one payment processor or merchant account that handles the payments but also has software to manage the billing process and security features to protect your customers’ information.
The best payment processors for recurring payments are:
- Helcim: Best overall recurring payment platform
- Square: Best for small businesses needing a free POS system
- PayPal: Best invoice and subscription solution for online businesses
- Stripe: Best for online startups managing international or in-app payments
- Wave: Best (and free) recurring invoicing and accounting software for individuals
- Stax Pay by Fattmerchant: Best traditional merchant account for recurring billing
- PaySimple: Best all-in-one platform for managing subscriptions and memberships
How Do Recurring Payments Work?
No matter which processor or invoicing solution you choose to manage recurring payments, the basic steps are the same: customers enroll in a subscription or recurring billing invoice and you bill them at designated intervals. Ideally, you will save the customer’s payment information on file so the charges are automated.
How Much Does It Cost to Accept Recurring Payments?
Recurring payment processing fees are typically a small percentage of the transaction total. Each payment provider sets its credit card processing fees; some tack on monthly account fees. For example, Square charges 3.5% plus 15 cents per recurring payment, so a $100 charge costs $3.65 in fees. With Square, that’s all you’ll pay because Square has no other account fees. In contrast, Stax and PaySimple both charge monthly fees for recurring payments—but both providers have lower per-transaction fees.
You’ll also want to consider other payment processing services or perks that these providers offer. Value-added benefits, such as Square’s free business management suite or PaySimple’s event booking management features, might be the deciding factor.
Costs of Accepting Recurring Payments With Our Recommended Processors
Application | Monthly Fees | Invoice Fees | Card-Not-Present Rate | Card-on-File Rate | ACH Rate | Chargeback Fees | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virtual Terminal | $0 | $0 | 0.2% + 10 cents to 0.5% + 25 cents | 0.2% + 10 cents to 0.5% + 25 cents | 0.5% + 25 cents | $15 Reversible | |
Square Invoice | $0 | $0–$20 | 2.9% + 30 cents | 3.5% + 15 cents | 1% (minimum $1) | $0 | |
Payflow | $0 | $10–$40 | 3.49% + 49 cents | 3.49% + 49 cents | 0.75% capped at $5 (Braintree) | $20 | |
Stripe Billing | $0 | 0.5%–0.8% (recurring) | 2.9% + 30 cents | 2.9% + 30 cents | 0.8% capped at $5 | $15 | |
Wave platform | $0 | $0 | 2.9% + 30 cents | 2.9% + 30 cents | 1% ($1 minimum) | $15 | |
Stax Bill | $199 | $0 | Interchange + 15 cents | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | |
PaySimple Recurring Billing | $69.95 | $5 | 2.49% + 32 cents | 2.49% + 32 cents | 2.5% + 69 cents | $25 |
Who Should Use Recurring Payments
Invoice-based recurring payments are ideal for:
- Service providers: Lawn care, house cleaning, personal training, and childcare can process automatic repeat payments via single or batch invoices.
- Monthly tuition or lesson fees: Fitness clubs, music lesson providers, dance studios, and tutoring businesses can run invoices and automated payments on a monthly basis.
- Subscription services or club sales: Wine-of-the-month clubs and store loyalty programs can use recurring payments to automate monthly club sales or fees.
Online recurring payment solutions are ideal for:
- Subscription box businesses: Subscription box sellers use online websites and marketplaces to sell subscriptions, then automatically run recurring charges for subscribers before shipping scheduled boxes.
- E-learning academies: E-learning businesses make online course content and instruction accessible on an ongoing basis via an online checkout with scheduled recurring payments.
- Membership blogs with restricted content: Informational bloggers can manage access to members-only content using recurring membership payments.
- Online services: Recurring payments are what make all types of online services possible, including software as a service (SaaS), online advertising, gaming products, virtual service providers, and mobile apps.
If you’re selling anything online that auto-renews or requires periodic automatic payments, you’ll need a payment processor that can handle the recurring transactions. The easier you make it for customers to pay you, the better.
How Your Business Benefits From Recurring Payments
There are two huge benefits to setting up a recurring payment model for your business:
- Saves time: Instead of manually setting up invoices or calling customers for payment, automatic billing can save hours of your or your employees’ time every billing cycle.
- Offers predictable revenue: Membership and subscription models offer businesses a more stable revenue stream than ad hoc billing, as it’s easier to predict revenue when you know how much customers will pay in advance.
All the benefits are not just for businesses. Customers enjoy the convenience of a set-it-and-forget-it payment option, which is especially ideal for necessities or services they use consistently and would not want interrupted service on.
7 Best Payment Processors for Recurring Payments
The providers below ranked highly in our evaluation of the best payment processors for recurring payments. Learn more about who each is right for and how to set up recurring payments using that specific solution.
Helcim: Best Overall Solution for Accepting Recurring Payments
Helcim
Overall Score: 4.55
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Volume-based interchange-plus pricing
- Built-in invoicing and recurring billing tools
- Customizable customer portal
What's Missing
- Limited back-office integration
- Not ideal for low-volume merchants
- Reports of poor customer support
Helcim Recurring Payment Features
- Monthly fees: $0
- Recurring billing/invoice fee: $0
- Card-not-present fee and card-on-file: 0.2% + 10 cents to 0.5% + 25 cents
- ACH fee: 0.5% + 25 cents
- NSF/Reject/Return fee: $5
- Chargeback fee: $15 refundable
- Payments accepted: Credit and debit cards, ACH, Apple Pay, and Google Pay
- Multiple invoice types: Estimates, recurring invoices, card-on-file recurring billing, progress-based invoices, and multi-package invoices
- Automated features: Automatic charging based on customer’s stored payment information, payment reminders, and auto card update
Helcim offers a fairly extensive set of tools for businesses of all sizes for a very competitive price that includes recurring billing and subscription management software at no extra cost. You can create customized quotes, set up unlimited subscription plans with customized pricing and add-ons, and track your receivables from your Helcim platform. It also offers a customer portal feature where they can manage their own subscriptions.
For this evaluation, Helcim lands at the top of our list with a score of 4.55 out of 5, making it our new overall choice for processing recurring payments. While Square also offers a free invoicing tool with recurring options, it does not provide subscription management features or a customer-facing portal. Limited back-office tools and customer service issues prevented Helcim from earning a perfect score.
How to Set Up Recurring Payments With Helcim
Helcim provides its users with detailed guidance on how to use the platform, including subscription management. It starts with creating a subscription plan followed by adding a subscriber to a plan either manually or through an invoice.
Creating a Subscription Plan
You can view a list of your recurring subscription plans on your Helcim dashboard. This allows you to update and activate subscriptions that will appear on your website and customer portal. You can also manually add subscribers from here starting by clicking on the specific plan. (Source: Helcim)
A menu will appear on the right-hand side of your screen after clicking on the subscription plan. Choose “Subscribers” and then click on “New Subscriber.” (Source: Helcim)
Review the subscription details before assigning a customer to a plan. (Source: Helcim)
Creating a Recurring Invoice
To add a new subscriber using a recurring invoice, create an invoice by going to the main dashboard, click on Invoicing > Invoices. Click on the “New Invoice” button at the top right-hand corner of your screen. (Source: Helcim)
You are then given options for the type of invoice you want to create. Another drop-down will appear to let you specify the status of the invoice (default status is “Due”). (Source: Helcim)
Next, specify the invoice details and add the customer’s name before clicking on the “Save Changes” button. This will then automatically generate an invoice number. (Source: Helcim)
You can then turn this simple invoice into a recurring invoice. Click on the “Actions” drop-down button and choose “Make Recurring.” (Source: Helcim)
Specify the billing frequency along with the start date and number of payments/cycles and click “Create.”
(Source: Helcim)
This invoice will be sent every time a recurring payment has been made. (Source: Helcim)
Manually Adding a Subscriber
Go to the subscription plan list under Subscription Management and click on a specific plan. This will take you to the subscription plan details. Click on the “New Subscriber” button on the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
(Source: Helcim)
Enter the customer’s name by searching your customer database. Click “Add” and you will be notified that a customer has successfully been enrolled to a new subscription. (Source: Helcim)
An email notification will be sent to the customer, and you should be able to find their name listed under this subscription plan. (Source: Helcim)
In cases where a customer forgets to pay their subscription, you can click on the subscriber name and it will provide you with an option to generate a digital invoice that you can send as a reminder. (Source: Helcim)
Square: Best for Small Businesses Needing Free POS
Square
Overall Score: 4.41
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Free iOS and Android app
- Automated payment reminders
- See when an invoice has been viewed
What's Missing
- High card-on-file processing fees
- ACH only for single payment invoice
- Custom rates available
Square Recurring Payment Features
- Monthly fees: $0
- Invoice monthly fee: $0–$20
- Card-on-file processing fee: 3.5% plus 15 cents per transaction
- Invoice fee: 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction
- ACH processing fee: 1% per transaction, minimum $1
- Chargeback fee: $0
- Payments accepted: Credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Square Pay
- Multiple invoice types: Estimates, recurring invoices, card-on-file recurring billing, progress-based invoices, and multipackage invoices
- Automated features: Reminders for upcoming and overdue payments
Square is a top-rated retail point-of-sale (POS) system that covers every base when it comes to accepting credit cards—including recurring payments. Like everything else with Square, recurring payments are simple to set up and easy to manage long term. It offers affordable pricing (including no chargeback fees), free software for billing, invoicing, virtual terminal, stored payments, and an online store. It also provides a free payment authorization template, which businesses need to have customers sign before implementing recurring payments.
Although Square scored better for this update, averaging 4.41 out of 5, it still lands behind Helcim for a number of reasons. While Square now accepts ACH payments, this is limited to single invoice transactions. That said, Square’s affordable pricing, zero chargeback fees, free software for billing, invoicing, virtual terminal, stored payments, and online store, still makes Square our top choice for small retail businesses that also need a free POS.
How to Set Up Recurring Payments With Square
Square’s PCI-compliant payment system allows your customers to store their credit card information as a card-on-file in Square’s secure payments vault. Customers can enter this information via a link from your emailed invoice, or you can enter this on their behalf using your Square POS system or the virtual terminal in your online dashboard.
Recurring payments are triggered by Square’s invoicing function. When invoices are run—either individually or in a batch—any card-on-file customer payments are automatically charged. Customers are then notified of the payment via email with a “paid” invoice receipt.
Scroll through the images below for more details:
Manage Square invoices and accept recurring payments from the Square POS or Square Invoices mobile app, desktop dashboard, or virtual terminal. (Source: Square)
From the Square Dashboard, select "Invoices" from the menu and go to "Recurring Invoices." Click the "New Recurring Series" button to create a new recurring payment. (Source: Square)
Add your customer’s information by entering their details or selecting from your Customer Directory. For recurring automatic payments, choose the card to charge from your customer’s available card information saved on their directory profile. You can check the button for "Allow Customers to Save their Card" if you want to give your customers the option to sign up for automatic payments. (Source: Square)
Then, specify the recurring payment details: start date, recurrence frequency, and end date, plus any discounts. For recurring invoices, you can also specify sale or service date. (Source: Square)
Once you send an invoice, the customer will receive the invoice in their specified email. (Source: Square)
This window is displayed to the customer if you have checked on the box for "Allow Customer to Save their Card" option. (Source: Square)
Recurring payments can be edited at any time with additional fees, payment terms, and more. (Source: Square)
Customize your reminder strategy with an easy scheduling tool. (Source: Square)
The entire process is quick and requires minimal setup or ongoing management. Being invoice-based, Square’s recurring payments make it easy to process regular payments plus add-on charges as needed. Added fees can be entered as a separate invoice or combined with regular recurring charges—whatever fits the billing need. Visit our step-by-step guide to sending Square invoices for more information.
Read our full Square Payments review
PayPal: Best for Online Businesses
PayPal
Overall Score: 4.04
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Accept PayPal payments
- Accept partial payments
- Convenient mobile app
What's Missing
- Monthly fee for subscriptions
- ACH and card-on-file payments only available through Braintree
- Not the best for multichannel businesses
PayPal Recurring Payment Features
- Monthly fees: $0
- Virtual terminal (Payflow) fee to process invoice and recurring payments: $10–$40/month ($10 plus optional $30 for recurring payment tool)
- Invoicing/recurring payment processing: 3.49% plus 49 cents per transaction
- ACH processing: 0.75% capped at $5
- Chargeback fee: $20
- Payments accepted: PayPal payments, PayPal Credit, Venmo, credit and debit cards, e-wallet payments
- Automated features: Sends reminders and payment notifications and automatically retry failed transactions
PayPal is one of the best ways to accept credit card payments online, and it’s easy to manage online automatic repeat payments via online invoicing, email marketing, and website sales. Its main advantage over Square on recurring payment processing is that PayPal can be used to bill customers for online memberships and subscriptions–a feature which Square lacks. PayPal also has an advantage over Helcim when it comes to giving faster access to your funds with a PayPal balance.
User-friendly invoicing tools, virtual terminal, fast payouts, and the ability to accept PayPal and PayPal Credit payments earned PayPal a much improved 4.04 out of 5 in our evaluation. However, unlike Square, using PayPal’s recurring payments feature will require you to spend at least $10 per month for the service. Also, ACH and card-on-file processing are only available through PayPal’s Braintree, which requires a different account and application.
How to Accept Recurring Payments With PayPal
There are two main ways to accept recurring payments with PayPal: invoices and subscriptions. Either way, the first step to accepting recurring payments is by opening a free PayPal business account. PayPal also provides lower fees for nonprofits, which can be helpful for nonprofits setting up a subscription donation program.
Creating a Subscription in PayPal
When creating a subscription, you’ll need to enter the type of product or service and choose how you want the subscription billing cycle to work—subscribers can pay the same rate each cycle or a variable rate based on the quantity of a product.
You’ll then create a subscription plan description and set pricing and tax settings. You can also choose to add on a setup fee. Then, choose how to bill customers, pick payment frequency, and set free trials. After you’re done setting up the product and pricing information, you can add “Subscribe” buttons to product pages, blog posts, and marketing emails.
Scroll through the images below for more details:
If the option to "Manage subscriptions" does not appear on your PayPal dashboard, you can find it under the "Pay & Get Paid" header in the top menu under "Accept payments." All PayPal business accounts can set up subscriptions, with no application or monthly fee required. (Source: PayPal)
Select the product you want to set up a subscription for. This can be physical products, digital products, or services. If you already have products in your catalog, you can choose from there or add a new product. (Source: PayPal)
Choose how you would like to bill customers. Flat pricing is the most straightforward option, but you can also set up recurring payments that let customers choose the amount of product they need or charge based on how much they use. This can be adjusted at any time. (Source: PayPal)
Before activating the subscription, confirm billing dates, add applicable tax, and choose how to handle outstanding payments. (Source: PayPal)
Setting Up PayPal Recurring Invoices
When you log in to your PayPal dashboard, there should be a link to manage invoices on the homepage.
(Source: PayPal)
After clicking the quick link, navigate over to the tab that says "Recurring Series" to set up a recurring payment. (Source: PayPal)
Choose how frequently the invoice should be sent and the end date. (Source: PayPal)
You can save templates to quickly set up recurring invoices for different products and services. Add the customer information, along with the product, price, and applicable tax. Then you're ready to start the recurring series.
(Source: PayPal)
You can create, send, and manage recurring invoices with a PayPal Business account. From the user dashboard, create a new invoice and select a recurring option under the “Frequency” dropdown. You can create and save contacts, products, and services. Plus, you can add your business logo and information for a more professional look.
After adding recipients and products, choose tether to allow partial payments and tips. Add any relevant notes (like shipping or return information) and attach files, such as work orders or estimates.
Stripe: Best for International & In-app Payments
Stripe
Overall Score: 3.85
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- ACH payments and local currency options
- Sophisticated billing logic
- International, ACH payment, and local currency options
What's Missing
- Takes longer to set up and requires technical skill to maintain
- In-app payment features require coding
- Limited CRM and virtual terminal features
Stripe Recurring Payment Features
- Monthly fee: $0
- Card-not-present processing fee: 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction
- ACH debit payments: 0.8% capped at $5
- Recurring payments: 0.5%–0.8% per transaction
- Chargeback fee: $15
- Payments accepted: Credit and debit cards, e-wallet, ACH, e-check, and over 135 currencies
- Flexible billing logic: Charge per seat, metered pricing based on use, multiple membership options, pricing tiers, flat rate, and flat rate plus overage charges
- Automated features: Payment and past-due reminders, card updater for new numbers and expiry dates, retry failed payments, membership renewals, and prorated billing
Stripe is a leading online payment processing solution and major competitor of PayPal in general. Like PayPal, Stripe delivers excellent recurring payment options for online subscription sales, online blogs, e-learning memberships, and online invoicing. It even supports mobile app-based services that handle in-app subscription services payments. This developer-friendly solution has open-source code and plenty of toolkits and APIs.
Flexibility, combined with an impressive array of language and currency options for international payments, and its plug-and-play solutions that can work with any website earned Stripe a 3.85 out of 5 in our evaluation. It went up in our rankings after getting improved scores for general features with its customer portal function and recurring billing authorization form. However, Stripe remains limited in its CRM tools, not to mention tricky to set up and maintain compared to other solutions on our list, which, in some cases, will require technical skill.
How to Accept Recurring Payments With Stripe
Stripe recurring payments can work with most ecommerce platforms and blog sites. In fact, many online subscription box marketplaces like Cratejoy seamlessly integrate with Stripe as their primary payment solution.
Using Stripe, you can quickly attach subscription payments to most ecommerce platforms using Stripe’s automated integrations. Or, you can create pop-up membership or subscription forms that easily embed in your blog or website pages, and even in emails and online apps.
From your Stripe dashboard, find your customer's profile and click on the "Add subscription" button. (Source: Stripe)
This takes you to the subscription details page where you can add a product. You can also customize Stripe's checkout with discount coupons, taxes, and free trial duration. (Source: Stripe)
Once you have filled in and reviewed all the details, click on "Start Subscriptions." (Source: Stripe)
Your customers can also sign up for recurring payments through your subscription check out page. (Source: Stripe)
You can also set procedures for failed subscription payment attempts. (Source: Stripe)
Like the other online recurring payment solutions on our list, Stripe saves your customer’s payment data in its PCI-compliant virtual vault to ensure security. Plus, Stripe can send e-receipts to notify customers that their automated payment has been successfully processed.
Wave: Best Recurring Invoicing for Individuals
Wave
Overall Score: 3.81
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- No monthly fee; has free invoicing and accounting software
- Low-cost ACH processing
- No additional fees for card-on-file or recurring payment transactions
What's Missing
- No phone support
- Slower, two-day payout time
- Higher fees for American Express transactions
Wave Recurring Payment Features
- Monthly fee: $0
- Credit card processing fee: 2.9% + 30 cents
- American Express processing fee: 3.4% + 30 cents
- ACH / bank payment fee: 1% ($1 minimum)
- Chargeback fee: $15
- Automated features: Payment receipts, past-due reminders, send out recurring invoices, charge clients based on a set schedule, and invoices sync with accounting
- Mobile app: Invoicing and receipt scanning app for iOS and Android
Wave is a free, user-friendly invoicing and accounting software that can also be used to set up recurring invoices and payments. You can switch between card-on-file payments to automatically charge customers and send a receipt based on whatever billing cycle you choose, or opt to send automated invoices that customers can pay manually. All things considered, we can see Wave as a great invoicing tool for individuals as even small businesses could quickly outgrow the limited-feature platform.
Wave’s free invoicing tools and accounting software with reporting for payments, payroll, taxes, cash flow, and more earned it a score of 3.81 out of 5. It tied with Helcim’s score for pricing, only losing points for chargeback fees, and even scored higher in this update in the general features category for providing a neat recurring billing authorization form template. However, it still lost points for its lack of virtual terminal functionality and limited customer support hours.
How to Accept Recurring Payments With Wave
The first step for accepting payments with Wave is to create a free Wave account. Once you’re signed up, you can choose to create individual invoices, or set up a recurring invoice, including options to save your customers’ payment information. There are also options to build payment plans.
From the dashboard, you can see at-a-glance invoices that are past due, outstanding, unsent, or upcoming and when your next payout is. Like Square and PayPal, Wave can also be used to create and send estimates that can then be converted into invoices.
When you log in to Wave, create a recurring invoice from the menu on the top right. (Source: Wave)
Create a new recurring invoice by adding your customer, product, and payment terms. (Source: Wave)
Next, set the payment schedule. (Source: Wave)
You can enter the customer's payment info at this time, or ask them to add it when they receive the invoice. Either way, Wave will send a credit card authorization form for them to consent to ongoing automated payments.
(Source: Wave)
Finally, add the customer's email address and an optional message. (Source: Wave)
Check over the details, approve, and send the invoice to start collecting recurring payments. (Source: Wave)
Stax Pay by Fattmerchant: Best Traditional Merchant Account
Stax Pay by Fattmerchant
Overall Score: 3.71
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Customers can pay invoices via email and SMS text
- Automatically update customers’ expired and changed card numbers
- Wholesale payment processing rates
What's Missing
- High monthly fees
- Not ideal for product-based subscription business
- Not a good fit for small or occasional sales
Stax Pay Recurring Payment Features
- Monthly fee: $99–$199*
- Card-present processing: Interchange plus 8 cents
- Card-not-present processing: Interchange plus 15 cents
- Chargeback fee: Not disclosed
- Payments accepted: Credit and debit cards, ACH and echeck
- Automated features: Automatically charge customer payment information stored on-file according to pre-set schedules, send payment reminders, update expired card information, and sync with QuickBooks accounting
*Requires signing up for the highest subscription plan to access recurring payment features.
Stax Pay by Fattmerchant is different from the other payment processing providers on this list in that it offers subscription-style payment processing services. With it, you pay more upfront, but if you are a high-volume business, you’ll pay less overall per transaction. Note though, that to be able to process recurring payments, you need to subscribe to its highest subscription plan at $199 per month.
Helcim and Stripe cater to similar users, but with Stax Pay you get a better handle on the total you pay for payment processing upfront, and hence, you can predict your expenses more accurately month over month. With other payment processing companies, total processing expenses are less predictable because fees are mostly tied to transaction size.
In our evaluation, Stax Pay by Fattmerchant scored a respectable 3.71 out of 5. It can accept a lot of payment types and has excellent software solutions for managing recurring payments including billing, subscriptions, and invoicing. However, while it ticked all the boxes for payment types, Stax Pay’s steep monthly fees for merchant services and limited customer management tools prevented it from earning a higher score.
How to Accept Recurring Payments With Stax Pay
When setting up an invoice or recurring payment in Stax, you have the option to create a single invoice or a recurring transaction. If you want to set up a recurring payment or invoice, simply navigate to the invoice tab in Fattmerchant’s Stax Pay dashboard. From there, you can create a new invoice, enter the price you want to charge and specify the invoicing or automatic payment frequency schedule for clients with their card on file.
You have the option of sending recurring invoices that customers will need to click to pay or storing payment information on file and automatically charging customers according to the set schedule.
From the dashboard, select the plus button from the upper right-hand corner of the screen and choose "Create Invoice." (Source: Stax Pay)
Enter the amount you are requesting payment for. You can also choose from your catalog item if applicable. For recurring transactions, click the "Set up Schedule" button to detail automatic payments. The button will open a window where you can enter the details and frequency for your recurring payment/invoice. Press "Continue."
(Source: Stax Pay)
For invoices, you can set them up so that your customers have the option to pay by credit card or bank, add a tip, or partially pay the total amount. (Source: Stax Pay)
Choose your customer name on file or add a new customer directly from setting up an invoice. (Source: Stax Pay)
For recurring payments, select a payment method to set up for auto pay. Those creating either invoice and recurring payment will then select "Create as Invoice" to save the template. (Source: Stax Pay)
For those creating a recurring invoice, review and select "Send." You also have the option to email or send the invoice via SMS text message. (Source: Stax Pay)
PaySimple: Best for Memberships
PaySimple
Overall Score: 3.56
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Membership and other automation features
- Customize secure online sign-up forms
- Good customer support
What's Missing
- Tiered (unpredictable) processing fees
- Monthly subscription fee
- Does not accept PayPal payments
PaySimple Recurring Payment Features
- Monthly fees: $69.95
- Recurring payment processing fee: Starting at 2.49% + 32 cents per transaction (rates will vary)
- ACH and echeck processing fee: 0.25% + 69 cents per transaction
- Card on file fee: $5 per month
- Chargeback fee: $25
- Payments accepted: Credit and debit cards, e-wallet payments, ACH, e-check
- Automated features: Automatically charge using stored customer payment information, send payment reminders, and update expired credit card information
PaySimple is more than a payment processor. It’s a full-service platform with particularly strong membership, subscription, order, event, and booking management features, which you won’t find in Helcim and Square except via API or additional paid integrations. With it, you can create your own secure online sign-up forms, set up unique customer portals, and build a standalone membership site. Like most of our top picks, PaySimple lets you accept both one-time and recurring payments, and manage it all within PaySimple’s tidy package.
One significant difference of PaySimple from the rest of the providers in our list is that it follows a tiered pricing model, which means the transaction rates you pay will vary based on the transaction and customer payment type. In general, we recommend businesses opt for merchant services with a flat-rate or interchange-plus pricing model. However, PaySimple’s subscription and membership features make it a viable option for this particular use case.
That said, PaySimple earned a 3.56 out of 5 for recurring payment services and completing our roundup. Other than Stax Pay, PaySimple is the only other provider in our list that charges a monthly fee for maintaining an account (PayPal’s monthly fee is for the use of its recurring billing features) and gained a perfect score for recurring payment types. However, it did not fare well in the pricing and expert evaluation categories for reasons mentioned above.
How to Accept Recurring Payments With PaySimple
Recurring payments is a built-in feature of PaySimple’s online sales platform. With PaySimple, you get an array of online tools that let you accept and manage all sorts of customer registrations, memberships, and subscriptions. It also provides robust booking management tools, complete with prepayments and deposits.
Recurring payments can be initiated by your customer via online forms on your PaySimple registration or membership website. Or, you can create them yourself in the PaySimple dashboard on a customer’s behalf using the Manage Recurring Payments tab.
PaySimple’s software makes it easy to set up custom recurring payments. (Source: PaySimple)
Use recurring payments to offer a flexible term payment plan for your customers. (Source: PaySimple)
Specify the first and last billing date, the number of occurrences, and any applicable taxes on your recurring payments. (Source: PaySimple)
PaySimple gives you a dashboard to monitor your scheduled recurring payments. (Source: PaySimple)
In the PaySimple dashboard, you can set up repeat billing schedules, manually process or refund payments, and manually initiate or cancel subscriber accounts. PaySimple will even prorate monthly billing amounts automatically.
How We Evaluated Recurring Payment Processors
The best recurring payment processor for you will really depend on the size of your business, the type of products or services you sell, and whether they require invoicing, subscriptions, memberships, or something in between.
However, we evaluated recurring payment processors based on general pricing (including transaction fees and overall pricing transparency), the types of recurring payments they can handle, and general features like customer support and payout times. Plus, we considered the overall value each system offers, how easy it is to use, customer reviews, and our personal experience interacting with the product and customer support teams.
Click through the tabs below for our detailed evaluation criteria.
20%
Pricing & Contract Terms
30%
Recurring Payment Types
30%
General Features
20%
Expert Score
20% of Overall Score
We prioritized payment processors that don’t require monthly minimums, contracts, and monthly fees. We also awarded points to solutions that have no or minimal chargeback fees, which can be especially important for subscription and membership-based businesses.
Square performed the best here, earning a perfect score because of its lack of monthly, cancellation, and chargeback fees. Helcim, Wave, and Stripe tied in second only losing points for chargeback fees. PayPal came in third with 4 out of 5 points while Stax Pay trailed behind. PaySimple earned the lowest score because of its tiered pricing model.
30% of Overall Score
While all the solutions on our list process recurring invoices, we award extra points to ones that offer low-cost ACH processing (which can greatly reduce business expenses), card-on-file payments (which guarantee on-time payments), and virtual terminals (which are helpful for accepting payments over the phone).
Stax Pay, Helcim, and PaySimple all earned a perfect score here. Square fell slightly behind, as it can only accept ACH payments through invoicing. Stripe also was slightly behind, as its virtual terminal solution is meant to be used only in case of emergency. Wave came in third because it does not offer a virtual terminal. PayPal came in last here because recurring ACH payments and card-on-file transactions are only available through its Braintree solution.
30% of Overall Score
Cash flow is important to small businesses, so we awarded points to solutions with same- or next-day payouts. We also prioritized 24/7 phone support and tools and gave extra points for those that offer customer portal features on top of being able to manage customer accounts. Recurring card-on-file payments also require customers to sign a payment authorization form, so we looked at whether each processor offers a template or has this feature included.
Only Helcim scored above 4 in this section. Square earned a 3.75 out of 5 for general features with CRM tools and payment authorization forms. Except for Stax Pay, all companies have limited-hour phone support, and while none of these solutions offer free same-day payouts, we gave extra points for PayPal’s ability to give immediate access to funds with PayPal balance. However, all except for Stripe can offer free next-day payouts in certain scenarios.
20% of Overall Score
In general, payment processors should offer transparent, predictable pricing. We considered any standout features and the overall value each system offers for its price. Finally, we took general account stability, ease of use, and user reviews into account.
All companies performed well here, with the exception of PaySimple, which earned a 2.75 because of its complicated and opaque pricing structure. Wave also only earned a 3.56 in this area because its feature set is rather basic, though the company is regularly adding new tools, so this evaluation may change.
*Percentages of overall score
Bottom Line
Based on our evaluation, we recommend Helcim as the best overall recurring payment processor for most small businesses. Affordability and flexibility are the key reasons Helcim tops our list for the best recurring invoice payment provider. A free Helcim account includes card-on-file payments, invoicing software with automation tools, a sleek customer portal, and a mobile app to accept payments online or in person.
How Do Recurring Payments Work?
No matter which processor or invoicing solution you choose to manage recurring payments, the basic steps are the same: Customers enroll in a subscription or recurring billing invoice, and you bill them at designated intervals. Ideally, you will save the customer’s payment information on file so that the charges are automated.
How Your Business Benefits from Recurring Payments
There are two huge benefits to setting up a recurring payment model for your business:
- Saves time: Instead of manually setting up invoices or calling customers for payment, automatic billing can save hours of your or your employees’ time every billing cycle.
- Offers predictable revenue: Membership and subscription models offer businesses a more stable revenue stream than ad-hoc billing, as it’s easier to predict revenue when you know how much customers will pay in advance.
All the benefits are not just for businesses. Customers enjoy the convenience of a set-it-and-forget-it payment option, which is especially ideal for necessities or services they use consistently and would not want interrupted service on.
