Limitations

• Out-of-the-box tax previews are supported on Checkout. Tax previews are not available for Avalara or Vertex

Definition

Key benefits

Key details

Checkout sessions

When a customer accesses your Checkout, they enter a Checkout session — a dynamically scoped experience that encompasses the visual design, cart parameters, and contents. The session adapts in real time as the customer makes changes, such as modifying quantities or switching currency.

A Checkout session is composed of three core components: Checkout Styles, Hostnames, and Configurations.

Checkout styles

Checkout Styles define the visual theme of your Checkout. You can create multiple styles that reflect your brand identity, including your logo and brand colors. A default starter style is available for immediate use.

Checkout hostnames

Hostnames control which domains your Checkout is served from, keeping customers within your online ecosystem. A default hostname is ready out of the box at YOUR_SITE_SUBDOMAIN.recurlycheckout.com, or you can set up a custom hostname.

Checkout configurations

Checkout Configurations act as blueprints that determine the structure of your Checkout session — including cart contents and available currencies. You start with one default configuration and can create additional ones as needed.

Directing customers to Checkout

Choose how customers enter a checkout session based on your use case:

• Default hostname — Direct customers to https://YOUR_SITE_SUBDOMAIN.recurlycheckout.com. The session automatically uses the Checkout Configuration associated with that URL.
• Custom hostname — Direct customers to https://YOUR_CHECKOUT_HOSTNAME for a more branded experience. The session uses the Checkout Configuration assigned to that domain.
• Specific configuration — For targeted promotions or customer segments, use https://YOUR_CHECKOUT_HOSTNAME/c/YOUR_CHECKOUT_CONFIGURATION_ID to route customers to a precise checkout configuration.

Localization and payment methods

Checkout automatically detects the customer's location and adjusts the language and recommended payment method accordingly.

Payment methods available based on customer location:

• Cards — Credit and debit
• Direct Debits — ACH, SEPA, BECS, Bacs
• Wallets — Apple Pay, Amazon Pay V1, Amazon Pay V2

Checkout also detects the device type and adjusts the layout automatically for the optimal display.

Configure Checkout

To access Checkout configuration, navigate to Configuration → Checkout in the Recurly Admin UI.

The configuration page has three main areas: Hostnames, Configurations, and Styles. You can mix and match these to create different checkout experiences for different customer segments, promotions, or product lines.

Hostname

Hostnames specify where customers complete their purchases. Recurly supports two hostname types.

Recurly-hosted domain

The default hostname, set up automatically. Your Checkout is available at YOUR_SITE_SUBDOMAIN.recurlycheckout.com out of the box.

Custom Checkout domain

A custom domain lets you run Checkout on your own domain. Setup requires DNS configuration outside of Recurly. There is no limit to the number of hostnames on production sites; sandbox sites support up to five.

To create a new hostname, select Create new Hostname.

Requirements to use a custom domain:

• You must own the domain
• You must be able to manage the DNS settings for the domain

Before saving a custom hostname in Recurly, configure a CNAME record with your DNS provider pointing to the appropriate Recurly value for your data center:

For guidance on setting a CNAME record, see your DNS provider's documentation: Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy.

Once you enter the hostname and exit the field, Recurly validates the CNAME entry automatically. A valid entry shows a confirmation message; an invalid entry shows an error. You can still save a hostname that fails validation, but Checkout will not function until the DNS is correct.

Recurly provisions an SSL certificate for your custom domain automatically. Provisioning typically completes within 30 minutes but may take several hours. The hostname displays a yellow status dot while the certificate is pending; it turns green once provisioning is complete. You'll also receive an email notification when it's ready.

Hostname settings:

• Access — Enabled by default. Set to disabled to discontinue access to that specific hostname.
• Default Checkout Configuration — Defaults to the standard configuration. Can be updated to any existing configuration.

Configurations

Configurations define the products available at checkout and control additional checkout behaviors. A starter configuration is enabled by default. There is no limit to the number of configurations you can create.

The name and description fields are for internal use — use them to identify what products or segments the configuration targets.

Appearance and behaviors

Choose a style to apply to this configuration (one style per configuration). Additional behavior settings:

• Cancellation URL — Adds a back button to Checkout that redirects users to this URL if they exit without purchasing.
• Finish URL — Adds a link at the bottom of the order confirmation page, directing customers to this URL after purchase.
• Confirmation URL — Redirects customers to this URL after a completed purchase. If left blank, the standard Recurly confirmation page is shown.
• Accept coupons — Adds an optional coupon/gift card field to the Order Summary. Coupons must be configured in Recurly's coupon settings.
• Accept shipping address — Adds required shipping address fields to the checkout form.
• Treat multiple subscriptions as choices — When the configuration includes more than one subscription, this setting lets customers choose one rather than purchasing all.
• Display subscription details and require acceptance of recurring charges — Displays a detailed summary of recurring charges and requires customers to select "Agree & Continue" before entering billing information.
• Additional fields — Company name, Phone number, and VAT number / Tax identifier can each be enabled as optional fields.

Agreements

Agreement URLs let you surface self-service resources to subscribers directly from the checkout confirmation experience. If you use a custom account management site, provide its URL here; otherwise, Recurly's Hosted Account Management page generates a unique URL per account automatically.

• Account Management URL — Adds a link in checkout confirmation emails so customers can view and manage their account.
• Support URL — Displays a support link on the Checkout page.
• Privacy Policy URL — Displays a Privacy Policy link on the Checkout page.
• Terms of Service URL — Adds a Terms of Service link at the bottom of Checkout; customers must accept it to complete a purchase.

Cart

Currencies

Select which currencies are available in this configuration.

• Only plans that match the selected currencies appear in the Add Subscription dropdown
• Your default site currency is added automatically; if all currencies are removed, it falls back to the site default
• Setting a single currency locks the display currency for customers, preventing cross-currency price comparison

Products

Configure the plans, add-ons, and one-time purchases available in this checkout configuration.

• Add one or more subscription plans. Multiple subscriptions can be bundled together, or presented as choices when Treat multiple subscriptions as choices is enabled
• Set quantities for each plan and optionally allow customers to edit the quantity at checkout
• Plans with add-ons can have those add-ons configured for sale at sign-up — specify quantities or allow customer editing. Add-ons can be plan-based or item-based
• Add one-time purchases from the item catalog, either alongside a subscription or as standalone products

Styles

Styles control the visual appearance of your Checkout pages. To get started, select Edit on the starter style, or select New style to create your own.

• Brand color — Select a color in Hex, RGB, or HSL format, or use the browser color picker. This updates interactive elements including links and buttons.
• Logo — Displays in the Checkout header. Maximum file size is 256 KB; the logo scales automatically based on the device viewport.
• Icon — Displays as the browser favicon.
• One style can be applied per configuration. Enable as many styles as needed to match each configuration.

Preview Checkout

The Checkout preview lets you verify how a configuration looks in real time before customers see it.

Analytics

Checkout includes a built-in analytics dashboard for tracking cart conversion, subscriber acquisition, and product performance.

Checkout vs. Hosted Payment Pages

The table below outlines the capabilities available in Checkout that were not available on Hosted Payment Pages (HPP).

FAQs