Recurring payments charge a customer's saved card automatically on each billing cycle — no invoice for the customer to pay by hand. In PCE, recurring payments are configured through the same contract + subscription model as Recurring Billing; the difference is how each cycle is collected.

Auto-charge vs. send an invoice

A recurring plan collects each cycle in one of two ways, set by invoiceMethod on the subscription:

• Auto-charge (recurring payment) — set invoiceMethod to Autopay and point the subscription at a saved cardAccountId. PCE charges the card automatically each cycle. This is the recurring-payments flow.
• Send an invoice — the customer receives an invoice each cycle and pays it themselves. See Invoicing.

Both are the same Recurring Billing request; only invoiceMethod and whether a saved card is attached change.

Set up an auto-charging plan

Create the plan with invoiceMethod: Autopay and a vaulted cardAccountId so each cycle charges the card automatically.

POST /checkout/v3/contractsubscription

{
  "contract": {
    "merchantId": 1000157980,
    "type": "Recurring",
    "interval": "Monthly",
    "frequency": 1,
    "totalAmount": 49.99
  },
  "subscription": {
    "customerId": 10000001524400,
    "cardAccountId": 10000001225823,
    "invoiceMethod": "Autopay",
    "status": "Active",
    "startDate": "2026-02-01"
  }
}

The plan is created via POST /checkout/v3/contractsubscription. For scenarios, the full field reference, statuses, and how to track each cycle, see Recurring Billing.

Track each charge

Each cycle's charge is a payment. Subscribe to PaymentSuccess and PaymentFail to track outcomes, and reconcile with GET /checkout/v3/contract/payment. See Recurring Billing → Track the plan.

See also

• Recurring Billing: the full contract + subscription reference
• Card Vaulting: save the card each cycle charges
• Invoicing: bill each cycle with an invoice instead