themos

Subscriptions Payments

Recurring Revenue Without the Recurring Rejections

Subscription models face extra scrutiny. We find acquirers who understand continuity economics instead of running from them.

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The Challenge

Acquirer resistance to recurring

Many acquirers see recurring billing as high-risk by default. Free trials, continuity programs, and membership models get flat-out rejected or face punitive reserves.

Involuntary churn from declines

Card expirations, insufficient funds, and soft declines silently kill your MRR. Without proper dunning and card updater services, you're bleeding revenue monthly.

Trial abuse and disputes

Free trials attract fraudsters. Trial-to-paid conversions trigger chargebacks. Without the right acquirer, your dispute ratio spirals fast.

Cancellation friction disputes

Customers forget they subscribed, can't find the cancel button, or just hit the bank instead. Subscription disputes are often friendly fraud, but acquirers don't care.

Cross-border recurring failures

International cards decline at higher rates on recurring transactions. Card networks flag unfamiliar recurring patterns. Your global MRR suffers.

Our Approach

Acquirers who get subscriptions

We work with acquirers experienced in continuity and membership models. They understand subscription economics and won't panic at normal churn patterns.

Card updater integration

Connect you with PSPs offering Visa Account Updater and Mastercard ABU. Keep cards current automatically and stop losing subscribers to expired credentials.

Smart retry and dunning

Acquirers with intelligent retry logic - optimal timing, soft decline handling, and dunning flows that recover failed payments without annoying customers.

Chargeback prevention tools

Pre-dispute alerts (Ethoca, Verifi), clear billing descriptors, and customer notification flows. Stop disputes before they become chargebacks.

Trial conversion optimization

PSPs that support trial-to-paid flows properly - pre-auth at trial start, proper notification timing, and compliant conversion practices.

Reserve negotiation

Subscription merchants often face rolling reserves. We help you find acquirers with reasonable terms and negotiate based on your actual risk profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do acquirers flag subscription businesses?

Recurring billing inherently generates more disputes - customers forget, cards expire, and cancellation friction causes chargebacks. Add free trials and acquirers see elevated risk. It's not fair, but it's reality. We find acquirers who price for this instead of running from it.

What's a card updater and why does it matter?

Card updater services (VAU, ABU) automatically refresh expired or replaced card details from the networks. Without it, every card expiration becomes a lost subscriber. It's not glamorous, but it directly impacts your retention metrics.

How do we reduce chargeback rates on subscriptions?

Combination of clear billing descriptors, pre-notification emails before rebills, easy cancellation flows, and pre-dispute alert services. Some acquirers also offer their own dispute deflection tools. We help you build the full stack.

Can we do free trials without getting flagged?

Yes, but you need compliant trial flows - proper disclosure, pre-auth at signup, reminder emails before conversion, easy cancel. Some acquirers specialize in trial-based models. We'll match you with one who won't shut you down after the first dispute.

What if we've already been terminated for chargebacks?

MATCH list is serious but not always permanent. We work with acquirers who will review your case, look at what you've fixed, and potentially onboard you with appropriate monitoring. No guarantees, but options usually exist.

Ready to find the right PSP for your subscriptions business?

Tell us about your business. We'll show you your options.

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