---
title: "Recurring Payments / Subscriptions | SpotOn Virtual Terminal"
canonical: "https://help.spoton.com/space/SK/961052981/Recurring%20Payments%20%2F%20Subscriptions%20%7C%20SpotOn%20Virtual%20Terminal"
format: markdown
---
Recurring payment plans in SpotOn Virtual Terminal make it easy to manage subscriptions and memberships — set it up once, and your customers are automatically charged on your schedule.

**Quick Links**

> Macro (toc)

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## Navigation 

1. Log in to the SpotOn Dashboard (<u>[dashboard.spoton.com](http://dashboard.spoton.com/)</u>)
2. In the left navigation, select **Virtual Terminal** > **Recurring **

![image-20260905-190617.png](media://9b1d35cc-e28d-4c3e-93bf-e8be5cb73571)

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## Managing Recurring Plans

### Create a Recurring Plan

1. Click **Create Plan** in the upper right.
2. Enter the plan **Name** and **Amount**
3. **Frequency**
  - **Repeat Every** (more common) — Fixed charge, not prorated, not refundable if the customer cancels before the end of the subscription plan *(e.g., monthly gym membership, quarterly subscription box)*
  - **On Day** — Prorated charge based on start date *(e.g., retainer billed on the 1st of each month)*
4. Configure your schedule and click **Save Plan**

**Tip:** **Repeat Every vs. On Day:** Use "Repeat Every" when the charge is the same regardless of when the customer starts. Use "On Day" when you want the first charge adjusted based on how much of the billing cycle remains.

### Deactivate a Recurring Plan

Deactivating a plan **blocks new subscribers from being added**, but does **not** cancel existing active subscriptions. Those will continue until individually canceled.

1. Select the plan
2. Click **More Actions** in the upper right corner → **Deactivate Plan**.
3. Confirm by clicking **Deactivate Plan** in the sidebar  
A banner will appear at the top of the plan details confirming the deactivation. Any active subscriptions within the plan will remain active until canceled individually.

### Delete a Recurring Plan

A plan can **only be deleted if it has 0 subscribers**. Plans with active subscribers must be deactivated first. Deleted plans **cannot be recovered**.

1. Select the plan *(must show 0 active/scheduled subscribers)*.
2. Click **More Actions** in the upper right corner → **Delete Plan**
3. Confirm by clicking **Delete Plan** in the sidebar

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## Managing Subscribers

### Add / Enroll a Subscriber

Once a plan is created, you can enroll clients and begin billing.

1. Navigate to the recurring plan and click **Add Subscriber**.
2. Click **Bill To** to search for an existing customer, or click **Create New Customer Account**
3. Enter payment details (or select a card on file), then click **Continue **
4. **Set Schedule **
  - **Start Date**
  - **End Date:** Until Cancelled, After X payments, or On Date
5. Click **Continue**, review the subscription summary, then click **Create Subscription**

**Note:** **Proration:** If the plan uses "On Day" frequency and the start date is mid-cycle, the first charge will be prorated automatically. For example, a $100/month plan starting on the 15th will charge ~$50 for the first cycle.

### Cancel a Customer's Subscription

1. Open the recurring plan and select the client's subscription from the subscriber list.
2. Click **Cancel Subscription** in the bottom right.
3. Confirm the cancellation in the side panel   
*(The subscription cancels immediately, and an automated email notification is sent to the customer)*

### Understanding Subscription Statuses

The Subscription Details page shows the full history and status of an individual customer's subscription. Subscription statuses include:

- **Scheduled**: The subscription has been created, but billing has not yet started. Scheduled subscriptions are still considered active in the totals.
- **Active**: The subscription has started (at least one charge attempt), and the end date has not passed.
- **Expired**: The subscription has reached its end date or payment count
- **Canceled**: The subscription has been manually canceled

This page includes the subscriber details, the subscription status, and payment history.

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## Failed Payments & Troubleshooting

- **Failed Payment Lifecycle**: The system will retry failed transactions once per day for 2 additional days following the scheduled date.
- **Action Steps for Failed Transactions**: Bulk recharging is not available for failed subscriptions; each failed transaction must be reviewed and resolved individually.

1. Check the **Failed Recurring Transactions Report** located at the top of the **Recurring** plans page, or view the individual client’s subscription details.
2. Go to **Virtual Terminal** > **Transactions** to locate any transaction records associated with the card or subscription.