What’s a mandate
A mandate is a contract between you and your customer that authorizes you to debit funds from your customer’s account either at a pre-decided frequency or on-demand, up to a pre-decided maximum amount. Cashfree supports various payment methods that are compliant with RBI regulations. Your customers can pay using:- Cards (both Indian and international)
- eNACH
- UPI Autopay
- Physical NACH (paper-based NACH)
Types of subscriptions
Cashfree supports two types of subscriptions based on how you want to charge your customers:Periodic subscriptions
Debit a fixed amount from your customers at fixed intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly). Ideal for:
- Monthly or annual membership fees
- Regular service charges
- Recurring product deliveries
On-demand subscriptions
Debit variable amounts at any time. Ideal for:
- Utility bills where the amount changes each cycle
- Usage-based billing
- Variable payment schedules
Plans
A plan is a template that defines the terms of a recurring subscription service. Plans include key information that determines the billing structure for a subscription.Example: Netflix Plans such as Premium, Basic, Standard, and Mobile. Each plan caters to a specific use case with different features and pricing.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Plan Name | Name of the plan visible to customers during mandate authorisation. |
| Plan Type | Periodic for fixed amounts at fixed intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) or On-Demand for variable amounts and timing. |
| Currency | Currency for maximum and recurring amounts. See supported currencies. |
| Maximum Amount | Maximum amount you can charge for this subscription. Mandate is created for this amount. |
| Recurring Amount | Amount debited from customer on a recurring basis. |
| Charge Customer Once Every | Billing frequency: days, weeks, months, or years. |
| Max. No. Of Debits | Maximum number of debits allowed. If blank, subscription expiry date applies. |
| Description | Plan description text. |
Subscriptions
A subscription 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.| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Customer Details | Customer details such as customer name, email, and phone number. Email and 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 aren’t selecting an existing plan. This will be visible to the customer during the mandate authorization process. |
| Currency | Currency in which the maximum amount and recurring amount is to be charged. For list of support currencies, see here |
| 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 Address | The web address to which your customers will be redirected once the subscription is authorized. |