Recurring Card Payments - RCP

Recurring Card Payments with GladstonePay

Subscriptions have become everyday with almost 90% of British people subscribing to at least one

Operators have a choice with GladstonePay to other both traditional Direct Debit and Recurring Card Payments (via continuous payment authority) for their membership collections. RCP (or CPA) is an authorisation provided by the customer that permits the operator to take payments from them by either debit or credit card, just think Netflix, Amazon Prime and Transport for London for automatic Oyster top-ups.

These payments will remain in force until the customer cancels the arrangement by contacting the operator. They can be set up online, in centre or over the phone the difference is the customer provides their debit or credit card details (rather than their bank details, which would normally be used to set up a Direct Debit).  RCP provides businesses with regular sales opportunities and predictable cash flow. They  are particularly good for:

• Universities with overseas students, where Direct Debit is not suitable if their account is not with a UK bank.
• The 'Wallet' functionality allows members to register multiple cards, ideal for families with teenagers or simply choosing which account to make a payment from at any one time.

RCP Helps Contain Attrition

If a member decides to cancel their subscription unlike Direct Debit where the payment just stops right with their bank.  A customer with an RCP payment in place will need to contact the centre to end their contract. It gives your membership team a final chance to reconnect with the customer such as, offering an 'off-peak' or 'streaming only' membership to help manage attrition. 

Reasons why RCP can be a better choice than Direct Debits

• Failed or returned direct debits cost your customers money.  Banks impose punitive charges if there are insufficient funds available in your customers' accounts.  Recurring card payment requests are simply declined if the card holder has insufficient funds.  Neither the card holder or your business incur any charges.
• Card holders typically have more than one card.  If a recurring card payment request fails, card holders can be asked to use an alternative card.  This process is fully automated. 
• Bank account holders can reclaim funds paid by direct debit for the life of the mandate.  If someone pays for 5 years they can simply ask their bank to return all of the money they have paid. This liability is limited to 120 days using recurring card payments. 
• A Recurring card payments can be set up easily electronically, DD paperwork can be a challenge.