As a vendor, you have the option to update active installments and subscriptions of your customers. This option allows you to make price changes or reactivate paused payments. In this article, you will also learn how to re-initiate a charge for a failed installment payment via credit card.
How to update an installment / a subscription
Log in to your account and go to "Transactions".
Now scroll down to the bottom. There you will find the order in your transaction list, click on the order ID, this will take you to the order overview. You can also search for the order by using the search field and entering the order ID/customer name/invoice number.
Now click on "Update payment plan". You can now enter the price for the next installment(s).
Note that you cannot change the number of installments. Also the payment interval (weekly, monthly) remains unchanged.
Afterwards, your customer will receive an automated email to confirm the changes.
IMPORTANT! The customer must confirm the changes within 10 days. Without the customer's confirmation, the payment plan will not be updated.
FAQ Installment payment/ reactivate subscription
How often can I update the payment plan?
As a vendor, you can update the payment plan at any time. The new amount must not be less than €2.00 and must not be the same as the old amount.
When does the new payment plan start?
The new payment plan starts with the new billing cycle. Example: On 01.05. a payment was posted with a value of 30,00 €. On 15.05 the vendor adjusts the current payment plan with a new amount. On 01.06, 40.00 € is debited.
What happens if the new payment plan is not confirmed by the customer?
The new payment plan will be sent to your customer by email. If there is no confirmation of the new payment plan within 10 days, the payment plan will not be updated.
Triggering a new charge in the event of a failed installment payment (for credit card payment)
In the dynamic world of e-commerce, payment problems can occasionally arise. As a vendor at CopeCart, you have specific steps at your disposal to ensure that your customers receive outstanding service.
Please note that this option only applies to credit card payments.
Here is a step-by-step guide:
Smooth retries by CopeCart: After a failed first charge attempt, a new attempt to make the credit card payment is automatically started within 7 days. This process is repeated a total of two times, each time at an interval of 7 days. In total, there are 3 attempts to collect the installment from the customer. No manual intervention on your part is necessary at this stage - CopeCart takes care of the automatic debit attempts. CopeCart informs the customer by e-mail about the failed debit. This email also contains a link that allows the customer to update the payment details. This ensures that the installment can be successfully debited again.
Customized communication after the third failure: Customized communication after the third failure: If the payment is not successful after the automatic attempts, you as a vendor take action. You have the opportunity to contact the customer to address the problem. Here you can clarify why the debit attempts were unsuccessful (for example, an underfunded account may be the cause) and the next steps can be initiated.
Active renewal of the payment plan: After the third unsuccessful debit attempt, another option is available to you. You can initiate a 4th and final debit attempt. To do this, click on "Renew payment plan". This step will initiate a fourth and final debit attempt. This step is done manually by you.
It is important here that you have not yet transferred this case to Inkasso.
To renew the payment plan, find the order in question in your transactions (how to do that is described in detail here).
Go to the details of the order by clicking on the blue order ID.
Then click on "Renew payment plan".
FAQ in case of failed installment payment via credit card
As a vendor, will I be informed if a payment could not be made?
Of course! You will always be notified about important promotions. Simply enter your e-mail address in your product under "Notifications", where you can find the item "Outstanding rates", among other things. You can find more information about the notification function and step-by-step instructions here.
Can I also initiate the new debit with another payment method?
If an installment payment was completed via SEPA and the payment was not successful, it is currently not possible to attempt a new debit. Instead, the order in question will be displayed in your collections tab. In this situation, you have the option to forward the order to our collection partner.
You can find out everything else about debt collection at CopeCart here.
For further questions, please feel free to contact our support team.
Best regards
Your CopeCart Team