Subscriptions
Managing subscriptions on your PayFast Dashboard
Once a subscription is set up on your PayFast account, it will automatically charge your customer according to the frequency and cycles of the subscription. You may manage your subscriptions through your dashboard by editing, canceling or pausing the ...
How do I amend pricing for subscriptions?
To amend pricing for subscriptions on your PayFast Dashboard, do the following: Log in to your PayFast account. Navigate to Transactions > Customer Subscriptions. This will open your client subscriber list. 3. On the Status dropdown, select your ...
What communication is sent to the buyer around their recurring payments?
When the buyer's card is expiring: Your buyer will automatically receive mailers reminding them that their card linked to their recurring billing agreement will expire. Mailers will be sent 1 month before, 2 weeks before and 2 days before the card's ...
Where do you locate shopping carts enabled for recurring billing?
To locate shopping carts enabled for recurring billing, do the following: 1. On the PayFast website, navigate to Integration > Shopping carts. 2. Click on the Recurring Enabled option on the panel on the left side of the screen.
What are the integration options for saved card agreements (tokenization)?
The integrations that make use of saved card agreements (tokenization) for recurring payments are: WHMCS WooCommerce Custom Integration
What are the integration options for subscriptions?
The integration options for subscriptions are as follows: Subscribe now buttons and Subscription payment requests available on the PayFast Dashboard Shopping carts listed under the recurring enabled tab besides WHMCS and WooCommerce: ...
What details can be updated by the buyer for subscriptions and ad hoc agreements?
The buyer is able to update the card and cancel the agreement. Please note: This is only possible if the buyer's wallet is enabled and they have a username and password to be able to login. Should this not be the case, they can contact Support on ...
What information can be updated on subscriptions by the merchant?
The following information can be updated by the merchant: Amount Billing date Frequency i.e daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, biannually, annually Cycles i.e the number of payments for this subscription You also have the ability to PAUSE the ...
Is 3D Secure required for recurring billing?
As with all card payments, full authentication including 3D secure is required when setting up recurring billing. 3D secure is only required for the initial payment in recurring billing setups to authorise the entire card agreement or subscription. ...
Why is the buyer’s name not visible in the cancellation email for a subscription?
The buyer's name needs to be provided to PayFast in order for it to show in the cancellation email. In future, you will need to capture the buyer’s name and post it through to PayFast for the payment. If the buyer’s name is not provided to PayFast, ...
Can a subscription be set up with an initial zero amount 'payment'?
Yes, it can. After which, the recurring amount will kick in for subsequent payments. The recurring amount will not be able to be zero, however, as the zero amount is simply used to tokenize the credit card. Future charges will need to be set at a ...
What happens when I receive the error “Subscriber Out of Funds”?
When a subscription fails (5 attempts, over 5 days), the subscription will be ‘locked’ and you will need to reactivate it on the PayFast backend or via the API pause endpoint. There will be no penalties from PayFast for this and once we stop trying, ...
Can I offer free trials and introductory promotions as part of an ongoing subscription service?
Yes, you can offer your customers a free subscription or promotion for a limited time. You can do this by setting the initial amount of the subscription to zero or less than the subsequent recurrent charge. Important requirements If you offer free ...
How can I test recurring functionality?
You will be able to test recurring payments with the Sandbox facility. For more information on how you can test using the Sandbox please refer to our developer's documentation here.
What platforms support subscriptions?
Our Subscriptions feature is supported by a number of PayFast supported plugins that may be downloaded from our website. To locate a list of platforms that support subscription payments, navigate to our shopping carts page and from the left-hand menu ...
What happens if a payment fails?
Subscriber Out of Funds PayFast will try a number of times to reprocess a payment where the buyer does not have funds on their credit card. On failure, the buyer will be notified, allowing some time for the problem to be resolved. On a complete ...
How do I enable subscription payments with WooCommerce?
PayFast works with the 3rd party WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin to allow you to receive recurring payments. Please note that WooCommerce charges $199 annually for their Subscriptions plugin. Using this setup, your customer enters their card details ...
How do I create a subscription using a Pay Now button?
To create a subscription using a Pay Now Button on your website, do the following: Log in to your PayFast account. Navigate to Settings > Generate “Pay Now” Buttons. Under ‘Text on button’, select ‘Subscribe Now’ from the drop-down list . Customize ...
How do I enable recurring payments on my website?
To enable subscription payments and tokenization on your PayFast Dashboard, do the following: Log in to your PayFast account. Navigate to Settings > Developer Settings. Under Security Passphrase, add your security passphrase and click Save. Adding a ...
How do I create a subscription using a Payment Request?
To set up a subscription easily and quickly without needing a website, you can send a payment request directly to your buyer using their email address by doing the following: Log in to your PayFast account. Navigate to Payment Request > Send Payment ...