# Introduction to Billing & subscriptions **Collect recurring payments without building your own billing engine - plans, retries, and lifecycle handled for you.** Whether you're launching a SaaS product, a membership service, or a usage-based platform, you get all the components for subscription billing out of the box. ## What is Billing & subscriptions **Billing & subscriptions** is a Revolut Merchant feature that automates recurring payment collection. Instead of building your own recurring billing engine on top of saved payment methods, you define subscription plans, attach customers to those plans, and let Revolut handle payment scheduling, retries, and lifecycle events. ### Key features - [:AddProduct: Subscription plans](# "Define plans with fixed prices, per-seat pricing, usage-based metered billing (flat or tiered per-unit pricing), package-based pricing, or a combination of pricing models") - [:CandlestickChart: Flexible pricing](# "Support for free trials, introductory and promotional pricing phases, instalments, and plans in multiple currencies") - [:Puzzle: No-code setup](# "Create plans and start subscriptions directly from the Revolut Business dashboard. Use hosted payment pages (payment links) to share sign-up pages with customers or embed them on your website") - [:16/Code: API integration](# "Build custom subscription flows using the Revolut Merchant API for full control over the customer experience") - [:Controls: Subscription management](# "Update payment methods, change plans, report and manage usage, cancel subscriptions, and handle failed payments") - [:Binoculars: Lifecycle monitoring](# "Receive webhook events for subscription state changes, track billing cycles and payment states, and reconcile billing activity with reporting tools") ### How it fits your Merchant account Billing & subscriptions builds on your existing Revolut Merchant account. You use the same Merchant API keys, the same payment processing infrastructure, and the same dashboard. If you already accept one-off payments with Revolut, you can add subscription billing without additional onboarding. :::note[Prerequisites] To use Billing & subscriptions, you need an active Revolut Business account with a Merchant account. If you haven't set one up yet, see [Get started](/docs/guides/merchant/get-started). ::: ## Why use Billing & subscriptions Building a recurring billing system from scratch is complex. You need to schedule payments, retry failed charges, save and tokenise payment methods, handle expiring cards, track billing cycles, manage subscription lifecycle states, and reconcile payments - all while staying compliant with payment regulations. Billing & subscriptions handles all of this for you, at no additional cost: - [:CalendarRecurring: Automated payment collection](# "Revolut charges customers automatically on each billing cycle - you don't need to trigger payments or build scheduling logic") - [:Retry: Built-in retry logic](# "When a payment fails, Revolut retries it automatically according to a retry schedule - you don't need to build or maintain retry workflows") - [:Card: Payment method management](# "Revolut securely saves and tokenises customer payment methods, handles card expiries, and lets customers update their details when needed") - [:Workflow: Subscription lifecycle management](# "Revolut tracks subscription states and handles state transitions for you") - [:Fees: No additional cost](# "Billing & subscriptions is included with your Revolut Merchant account at no extra charge - you pay only per successfully processed transaction, the same as one-off payments") - [:CloudStorage: No infrastructure to maintain](# "Revolut hosts and maintains the billing engine, payment processing, and security - you focus on your product, not on billing infrastructure") ## How it works ### Use cases The scenarios below show how businesses use Billing & subscriptions in practice - and the pricing models each one relies on. [//]: # "RESOLVED (industry restrictions), per PO on the PR (2026-09-07): some industries and business models are not supported for merchant accounts - the absolute 'any business, any industry' claim was replaced with a disclaimer linking the Revolut Business help centre page on prohibited and restricted industries." :::note[Industry restrictions] Some industries and business models are not supported for merchant accounts - see [Prohibited and restricted industries and business models](https://help.revolut.com/business/help/merchant-accounts/setting-up-a-merchant-account/prohibited-and-restricted-industries-business-models-for-a-merchant-account/) on the Revolut Business help centre. ::: #### SaaS and API products [!details] - Charge customers a monthly or annual subscription for access to your software product. - Offer tiered plans (for example, Starter, Pro, Enterprise) with different feature sets at each tier. - Bill per-seat for team-based tools where the number of users changes over time. - Apply usage-based metered billing for API platforms, charging based on the number of calls, storage used, or transactions processed. #### Membership and content [!details] - Collect monthly membership fees for gyms, clubs, or associations. - Charge recurring fees for access to premium content, streaming services, or online communities. - Offer free trials to attract new members, then transition to paid plans automatically. #### E-commerce and retail [!details] - Sell subscription boxes or product-of-the-month clubs with recurring delivery and billing. - Offer instalment plans for higher-value products, splitting the cost across multiple payments. - Run promotional pricing for the first few months to incentivise sign-ups, then move to standard pricing. #### Professional services [!details] - Bill clients for ongoing services such as consulting, maintenance, or support retainers. - Charge recurring fees for ongoing legal advice or accounting packages. - Use package-based pricing to bundle multiple services into a single monthly fee. ### Pricing models Billing & subscriptions supports the following pricing models, the building blocks behind the scenarios above. Each model can be used independently or combined within a single plan. [//]: # "PO QUESTION (package pricing) — updated with API evidence, the BE dev's PR comment (2026-09-04), and the PO's PR comment (2026-09-07): tiered is RESOLVED — graduated tiers are supported on usage items (Subscription-Item-Tier: upper_quantity_threshold plus a per-unit amount, mutually exclusive with the flat per-unit price; confirmed in the mall codebase, SubscriptionItemRequest.java:77), so the Tiered row was removed from the table below and folded into the Usage-based description, and the key feature card updated accordingly. REMAINING QUESTION: 'Package / bundle' has no distinct API mechanism — package_size is unit-grouping for sub-minimum pricing, not feature bundling, and a feature bundle is just a flat-priced item, so this model may need removing from the table below, the key feature card above, and subscription-plans.md's model list. NOTE: the PO couldn't see the original question (it was inside this invisible comment) and answered 'Not sure I see the question sorry?' — ask visibly on the PR before acting. House rule unchanged: docs describe the present state only — no temporal clauses. See the matching comment in subscription-plans.md for the full evidence." | Pricing model | Description | |---------------|-------------| | Fixed / flat-rate recurring | Charge a fixed amount at regular intervals (e.g., £9.99/month) | | Per-seat / per-unit | Charge based on the number of units or seats a customer subscribes to (e.g., £5/user/month) | | Usage-based (metered) | Charge based on actual usage reported during the billing period, priced per unit or in volume tiers (e.g., £0.10 per API call) | | Free trials | Offer a trial period before the first payment is collected | | Introductory & promotional phases | Apply discounted or custom pricing for a limited number of billing cycles before transitioning to the standard price | | Instalments | Split a larger charge into multiple recurring payments over a set period | | Multi-currency | Serve customers across regions by creating matching plans in each currency you support | | Package / bundle | Charge a single price for a predefined bundle of features or services (e.g., £29/month for the "Pro" package with 5 features included) | :::tip[Combine pricing models] You can combine multiple pricing models within a single plan - all combined charges are collected at the same time, in the same billing cycle. For example, a plan can charge a fixed base rate plus per-seat pricing, with a free trial for the first 14 days. ::: :::info[Learn more about pricing models] For detailed explanations of each pricing model and how to configure them, see [Subscription plans](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/subscription-plans). ::: ### Subscription lifecycle **Every subscription follows a predictable journey - from sign-up, through recurring billing, to a clearly defined end.** Revolut drives this journey automatically and keeps every subscription in a well-defined status, so you always know who is paying, who needs attention after a failed payment, and when a subscription has ended. Each stage maps to a business moment you can act on - provisioning or revoking access, prompting customers to update their payment details, and reconciling revenue. :::info[Learn more about subscription states] For a detailed explanation of subscription states and transitions, see [Subscription lifecycle](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/subscription-lifecycle). ::: ### Choose your approach Billing & subscriptions offers two ways to get started: a no-code approach using the [Revolut Business dashboard](https://business.revolut.com/merchant/subscriptions), and a full API integration for custom checkout experiences. The right choice depends on your technical resources, customisation needs, and how much control you want over the customer sign-up flow. #### At a glance | | No-code | API integration | |--|---------|-----------------| | **Who it's for** | Businesses that want to start billing quickly without development work | Businesses that need a custom sign-up flow, automated plan management, or integration with an existing platform | | **Setup time** | Minutes - create a plan and share a payment link | Hours to days - build and test the integration | | **Customer sign-up** | Customers sign up via a hosted payment page (payment link) that you share via email, SMS, or any channel, or embed on your website | Customers sign up directly on your website or app through a checkout flow you build and control | | **Plan creation** | Create and manage plans in the Revolut Business dashboard | Create and manage plans programmatically via the Merchant API | | **Subscription management** | Update payment methods, change plans, and cancel subscriptions from the dashboard | Automate subscription management end-to-end via the API | | **Usage reporting** | Not available in the dashboard - usage-based plans require API integration for reporting | Report usage programmatically via the Merchant API | | **Customisation** | Limited to hosted payment page branding (logo, colours, cover image) | Full control over the checkout UI, plan selection, and customer experience | | **Webhooks** | Not available - you monitor subscriptions manually in the dashboard | Receive real-time webhook events for subscription state changes | :::tip[Start with no-code] If you're new to subscription billing, start with the no-code approach to understand the plan and subscription model, then move to the API integration when you need more control. ::: - ![No-code] The no-code approach lets you create subscription plans and start billing customers entirely from the Revolut Business dashboard - no development required. **How it works:** 1. **Create a plan** in the dashboard - define the pricing model, billing interval, currency, and any trial or promotional phases. 2. **Generate a payment link** - Revolut creates a hosted payment page for your plan. The page is branded with your logo and colours. 3. **Share the link** - Send the payment link to customers via email, SMS, or any channel. You can also embed the hosted payment page directly on your website. 4. **Customers sign up** - When a customer opens the link and signs up with their payment details, Revolut creates a subscription and saves their payment method for future automatic charges. 5. **Manage subscriptions** - View active subscriptions, update payment methods, change plans, and cancel subscriptions - all from the dashboard. :::tip[When to choose] - You're getting started with subscription billing and want to launch quickly. - You don't have development resources or need to involve your engineering team. - You run a small number of plans with straightforward pricing. - You want to share subscription sign-up links via email, SMS, or social channels. - You want to embed a subscription sign-up page on a simple website without building a checkout flow. ::: - ![API] The API integration gives you full programmatic control over every aspect of subscription billing - plan creation, customer sign-up, payment collection, usage reporting, subscription management, and lifecycle monitoring. **How it works:** 1. **Create plans** via the Merchant API - define pricing models, billing intervals, currencies, and phases programmatically. 2. **Build a checkout flow** - Integrate subscription sign-up into your website or app. Customers select a plan, enter their payment details, and Revolut creates the subscription. 3. **Collect payments automatically** - Revolut charges the customer's saved payment method on each billing cycle. No manual intervention needed. 4. **Report usage** - For usage-based plans, report customer usage via the API throughout each billing period. 5. **Manage subscriptions** - Update payment methods, change plans, cancel subscriptions, and handle failed payments - all via API calls. 6. **Monitor with webhooks** - Receive real-time webhook events when subscriptions change state, payments succeed or fail, or billing cycles complete. :::tip[When to choose] - You're building a SaaS platform or app with a custom checkout experience. - You need automated plan creation and management (e.g., dynamic pricing). - You offer usage-based (metered) billing and need to report usage programmatically. - You want webhook notifications to trigger backend workflows (e.g., provisioning access, sending emails, updating CRM records). - You need to integrate subscription billing with an existing order management, accounting, or reporting system. ::: :::warning[Considerations] - Requires development resources and API integration work. - You're responsible for building and maintaining the checkout flow and error handling. - You need to handle webhook signature validation and retry logic for failed webhook deliveries. ::: - ![Both] You can create plans and manage some subscriptions from the dashboard while building an API integration for others. For example, you might use the no-code approach for your standard plans shared via payment links, and use the API for a custom sign-up flow on your main product website. **Both approaches operate on the same plans and subscriptions - anything you create in the dashboard is visible via the API, and vice versa.** :::tip[Same infrastructure] Both approaches use the same underlying Revolut payment infrastructure. You can start with no-code and move to the API integration later without migrating your existing subscriptions. ::: ### Guide roadmap This guide is organised into the following steps: #### 1. Understand the core concepts [!step] - [:AddProduct: Subscription plans](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/subscription-plans 'Understand the core concepts: plans, subscriptions, customers, pricing models, and billing cycles') - [:Workflow: Subscription lifecycle](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/subscription-lifecycle 'Learn about subscription states, transitions, and how to handle them') #### 2. Build an integration [!step] - [:DocumentChecked: Introduction to the Subscriptions API](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/api/introduction 'Integration model and choosing your pricing approach') - [:Rocket: Get started](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/api/get-started 'Prerequisites and the universal subscription flow') - [:Repayment: Build a fixed-rate subscription](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/api/fixed 'End-to-end guide for flat-rate plans') - [:PlaneSeat: Build a per-seat subscription](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/api/per-seat 'End-to-end guide for per-seat plans') - [:LimitHigh: Build a usage-based subscription](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/api/usage-based 'End-to-end guide for metered billing') - [:Voucher: Build a subscription with trials and introductory pricing](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/api/trials 'End-to-end guide for trials and promotional phases') - [:Webhook: Track subscriptions with webhooks](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/api/webhooks 'Receive real-time subscription events') ## What's next - [:AddProduct: Subscription plans](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/subscription-plans 'Understand plans, subscriptions, and pricing models') - [:Workflow: Subscription lifecycle](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/subscription-lifecycle 'Learn about subscription states and transitions') - [:CodeRepository: Explore the API path](/docs/guides/merchant/billing-subscriptions/api/introduction 'Learn more about how to intagrate subscriptions via the Merchant API')