How do card subscriptions work in South Africa?

Card subscriptions let you charge your members' cards automatically on a recurring basis. In South Africa this runs through PayStack, Octiv's card processor - so PayStack must be enabled on your account before any member can be billed by card. PayStack charges 2.9% + R1 (excl. VAT) per transaction; see What fees will Paystack take? for the full breakdown.

1. Enable PayStack
Turn PayStack on and add your payout bank details before setting anything else up:

Settings >> Payment Gateways >> PayStack >> Enable >> add banking information >> Submit.

For the full activation walkthrough, see How do I set up and manage Paystack?

2. Create a billing cycle package
A member can only be charged on a recurring cycle once they are on a package built with a billing cycle - it is the package that determines how often (and when) they are billed. In short:

Settings >> Packages >> Package Management >> Create New >> fill in the package details >> add a billing frequency and billing interval (e.g. every 28 days / 4 weeks) >> Submit.

New members who sign up via the sign-up widget are billed on the day they join and then again according to the package's billing frequency and interval. For the detailed steps and options, see How do I set up card subscription (billing cycle) packages?

3. Track your subscriptions and card statuses
Once PayStack is active, two tools appear under Accounts to manage recurring payments:

Accounts >> Subscriptions - manage your card subscriptions. Members appear on the day of the month they signed up, each with a card status:

• Inactive - the member has not yet added their card details, so no payment can be taken.
• Active - the member's card is saved and will be charged automatically once the billing date is reached.

If a scheduled charge returns unpaid (for example the member had not added a card yet, or their card was declined), you can charge it again from the Subscriptions page: find that subscription and click Actions >> Retry Card. The Retry Card action only appears on subscriptions that returned unpaid. When a charge succeeds, the payment status changes from Pending to Paid.

Accounts >> Settlements - track your PayStack payouts and the fees deducted. A successful payment pays out to your bank 2 working days after a successful payment. See Where do I see my payouts from PayStack?

4. Move existing members onto card subscriptions
You can switch members who are already on your system onto a card subscription, either individually or in bulk. Doing this in the wrong order can create an accidental prorated charge, so follow the safe sequence in How do I move existing members onto card subscriptions without extra charges?

In short: change the member's payment type to Card Subscription (Members >> Manage >> select the member >> Billing >> Payment Type, or tick several members and use Bulk >> Change Payment Type). Updating their billing details sends the member an onboarding email prompting them to add their card. If you are also assigning a new billing cycle package, add an end date to their current package that aligns with the new package's start date, then add the billing cycle package - the member is billed first on the new package's start date and on the package's cycle thereafter.

Placing a subscription member on hold
If you put a billing cycle member on hold, their payments stop and their next billing date becomes the day they are released from hold (or the day the package starts again). See What happens if I place a billing cycle member on hold?