> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.okapay.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Automate Recurring Billing with Okapay Subscriptions

> Automate recurring revenue with Okapay subscriptions. Create billing plans, manage subscriber lifecycles, and reduce churn with smart dunning.

Okapay subscriptions let you charge customers on a recurring schedule — weekly, monthly, or annually — without any manual billing work. Once a subscriber signs up, Okapay handles every subsequent charge, retries failed payments automatically, and gives you real-time visibility into your recurring revenue.

## Subscription billing models

Choose the billing model that fits your business. Okapay supports all major recurring pricing structures out of the box.

> [card] Flat-Rate
>
> Charge a fixed amount every billing cycle — the simplest model for most SaaS and membership products. Every subscriber pays the same price regardless of usage.

> [card] Usage-Based
>
> Bill customers based on what they actually consume each cycle — ideal for API calls, seats activated, or data processed. Meters reset each billing period.

> [card] Tiered Pricing
>
> Apply different rates at different volume thresholds. For example, the first 100 units at $0.10 each, the next 400 at $0.08, and everything above 500 at \$0.05.

> [card] Per-Seat
>
> Charge per user, licence, or active account. Perfect for team tools where the cost scales with the number of people using the product.

## Creating a subscription plan

**1. Open Subscriptions in the dashboard**

Log in to [dashboard.okapay.net](https://dashboard.okapay.net/) and select **Subscriptions** from the sidebar.

**2. Create a new plan**

Click **New Plan** and configure:

* **Plan name** — visible to subscribers at checkout
* **Billing cycle** — weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual
* **Amount and currency** — the recurring charge per cycle
* **Trial period** — optional free trial before billing begins
* **Billing model** — flat-rate, usage-based, tiered, or per-seat

**3. Share the subscribe link or integrate via API**

Copy the hosted subscribe link to share directly, or use the API to embed the subscription sign-up flow in your own application.

**4. Subscribers bill automatically**

Okapay charges each subscriber on their renewal date and updates their status in real time. You receive a dashboard notification and transaction record for every successful charge.

## Managing subscribers

From the Subscriptions dashboard you can take the following actions on any active subscriber:

* **Upgrade or downgrade plan** — move a subscriber to a different plan with automatic proration applied
* **Apply proration** — credit or charge the difference when changing plans mid-cycle
* **Pause subscription** — temporarily suspend billing without cancelling the subscription
* **Cancel at end of period** — keep access active until the current period expires, then stop billing
* **Cancel immediately** — terminate the subscription and stop billing right away
* **View billing history** — see every invoice, charge, and refund for each subscriber

## Smart dunning & recovery

Failed payments are one of the biggest drivers of involuntary churn. Okapay's smart dunning engine minimises that loss automatically.

* **Optimised retry logic** — Okapay retries failed charges at intervals calibrated to maximise recovery without annoying the customer
* **Card update reminders** — automated emails prompt subscribers to update expired or replaced card details before a charge fails
* **Escalation rules** — configure how many retry attempts to make before downgrading or cancelling an account
* **Recovery rate** — Okapay's dunning engine achieves a **99.4% dunning success rate** for merchants with active retry rules enabled

## Subscription analytics

Track your recurring revenue health directly from the dashboard. The following metrics are available in real time:

* **MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)** and **ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue)**
* **LTV (Customer Lifetime Value)** by plan and cohort
* **Churn rate** — monthly and rolling averages
* **Active subscriber cohorts** — retention curves from sign-up date
* **Financial reporting** — exportable breakdowns for accounting and forecasting

> [!NOTE]
>
> Create and manage all subscription plans and subscriber records through the dashboard with no code required. To programmatically manage subscriptions, use the checkout sessions API to handle subscriber sign-up flows — see [Accept Payments](https://docs.okapay.net/accept-payments.md) for endpoint details.


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