This article is about Continuous Authority, also known as Recurring Payments or Recurring Billing. We’ll explain what you need to do to set this up and how it works. You’ll also find links to other helpful resources.
Before you read this article you should be familiar with
- Introduction to Payment Service Providers
- Methods of Payment
- Performing a Sale
- Card Wallets in Spektrix
What is Continuous Authority?
Continuous Authority is a type of recurring payment set up by an organisation on behalf of a Customer. The organisation seeks authorisation from the Customer to take recurring payments from their credit or debit card.
Unlike a direct debit or standing order, Continuous Authority is set up between the Customer and the organisation.
Each Payment Service Provider refers to Continuous Authority using different terms:
- Spektrix Payments: Recurring Payments
- Opayo: Continuous Authority
- Worldpay: Recurring Payments (also known as FuturePay)
- Authorize.net: Automated Recurring Billing
- Moneris: Recurring Billing
How does Continuous Authority work in Spektrix?
Continuous Authority works in combination with Card Wallets in Spektrix. When a Customer saves a card in their Wallet, this can be used for future payments without having to re-enter the card details each time.
Setting up Continuous Authority lets you charge a Customer’s card without having to enter the CVC/CVV/CV2 each time. For example, when automatically renewing a Membership or Performing a Sale.
TIP: When performing a Sale using a stored card, you must obtain the Customer’s permission to use that stored card.
How to set up Continuous Authority
Contact your Merchant/Acquiring Bank to ask them for an additional Merchant Number (also known as a Merchant ID or MID) for Continuous Authority (also known as Recurring Payments/Recurring Billing).
Once you have your Merchant Number for Continuous Authority, contact Support to activate the Card Wallets feature if you haven’t already done so. You’ll need to use Card Wallets to store a Customer’s card to take payments using Continuous Authority.
Then, you’ll need to contact your Payment Service Provider. The process for setting up Continuous Authority differs depending on your Payment Service Provider.
Read the section below depending on your Payment Service Provider.
Spektrix Payments
Spektrix Payments combines your Merchant/Acquiring Bank, Payment Service Provider and Payment Gateway. This means our Support Team can add Continuous Authority to your system straightaway. No additional Merchant Numbers (also known as Sales Channels) are needed.
Opayo
Once your Merchant Bank has given you your Merchant Number. you’ll need to complete a form and send it to our Support Team who will forward it to Opayo.
When Opayo has confirmed your new Merchant Number has been added, our Support Team will add the Continuous Authority payment service to your system. It will be ready to use immediately.
Sometimes your Merchant Bank will let you use an existing Merchant Number for Continuous Authority. Complete the form in Adding a new Merchant Number.
TIP: Our Support Team will manage the whole process for you as Spektrix holds the relationship with Opayo
Read Adding or Changing Merchant Numbers for use with Opayo for more information.
Worldpay, Authorise.Net and Moneris
To set up Continuous Authority with Worldpay, Authorise.Net and Moneris, you will need to:
- Request your Merchant Number from your Merchant Bank.
- Contact your Payment Service Provider and ask them to set up Continuous Authority/Recurring Payments/Recurring Billing.
- Once they have confirmed this has been added, contact our Support Team.
Our team will add the Continuous Authority payment service to your system. It will be ready to use immediately.
How to take a Card Payment using Continuous Authority
When performing a Sale, you can use a Stored Card held in the wallet of a Customer’s Record. If you have set up Continuous Authority, you won’t need to enter a CVC/CVV/CV2 code from the Customer’s card.
Read Performing a Sale using Continuous Authority for more information.
Continuous Authority and Auto Renewable Memberships
Once you’ve set up Continuous Authority/Recurring Payments, you can use Card Wallets to automatically charge the card.
For example, when an Auto Renewable Membership is due to expire, it’ll renew automatically. The payment for the renewal will be automatically taken from the Stored Card.
Read Auto Renewable Memberships for more information.
This article should give you the information you need to understand Continuous Authority. To learn more about Payments, visit the Manage Payments section of the Support Centre.