Overview

This guide shows you how to use the Verification Endpoints to reverify card details already stored in Recurly prior to resuming or reactivating a subscription. We’ll also illustrate how to integrate Recurly.js for secure tokenization where required.

Prerequisites & limitations

Familiarity with Recurly’s API and basic REST concepts including:
- Verify without CVV: Verify an account's credit card billing info
- Verify with CVV: Verify an account's credit card billing cvv
Completed the Quickstart Guide and 3DS integration guide
Conditional usage of Recurly.js depending on your supported gateway:
- Cybersource and WorldPay gateways require use of Recurly.js to complete this integration guide

Definition

Stored Billing Information refers to card data stored in Recurly's systems and referenced via API by sending in an account code, or specify a billing ID when using Recurly Wallet.

PSD2 refers to the EU mandate for SCA, or Strong Customer Authentication, and is applicable to EU merchants mostly. Read more about PSD2 in our compliance documentation for 3DS, SCA, and PSD2.

Reactivating a cancelled Subscription is referring to the API path in Recurly APIs where a customer's cancelled subscription is reactivated and resumes renewal billing again. You can view documentation on reactivating a cancelled subscription via API in our developer hub.

Resuming a paused Subscription is referring to the API path in Recurly APIs where a customer's paused subscription is resumed and starts billing again. You can view documentation on resuming a paused subscription via API in our developer hub.

3DS prior to Reactivating or Resuming a Subscription

Step 1: Submit a Verification Request via API

When a customer who has a paused subscription requests that subscription is resumed, prior to resuming that subscription, use the API to request billing info verification using an account code, or a billing info ID if using Recurly Wallet, that is attached to that subscription.

You can do this in one of two ways depending on your preference:

With CVV: Verify an account's credit card billing cvv
Without CVV: Verify an account's credit card billing information

Once you've done this, if 3DS challenge is required, you will receive a three_d_secure_action_token_id as documented in the 3DS integration guide. From here, follow the flows outlined in the 3DS integration guide to complete 3DS for re-verification.

Use Recurly.js to submit the 3DS action token and resubmit the verification using the action result token. Once you have a successful re-verification transaction response from the gateway, you may move on to Step 2.

Note: If you are using Cybersource or WorldPay, you will want to start this process with Recurly.js and pass in the billing info ID or account code to Recurly.js and pass in a token_id to one of the above two endpoints. This is because Cybersource and WorldPay require a data collector to capture consumer information for 3DS to function properly on those platforms.

For Cybersource and WorldPay, you'll need to configure your risk options to include a billingInfoId.
If passing the CVV, tokenizing the cvv element will also be required.

See more detailed information for supporting known billing infos in Recurly.js in our development hub.

Handling Re-verification and 3DS Authentication Failures

Consumers can fail SCA for a multitude of reasons including cancelling out of the challenge window, browsers blocking pop-up modals, account takeover / fraudulent attempts, and more. You may offer consumers multiple chances to resume their subscription as per your own business needs. It is recommended to request new billing information after a few attempts to reverify existing billing information.

Step 2: Resume or Reactivate the Subscription

Resuming a Paused Subscription: If successful, you can resume the paused subscription by implementing the Resume Subscription endpoint and reference the subscription ID in your path.

Read more about subscription lifecycles in our dedicated Subscription lifecycle documentation.

Reactivating a Cancelled Subscription If successful, you can reactivate the cancelled subscription by implementing the Reactivate Subscription endpoint and reference the subscription ID in your path.

Read more about subscription lifecycles in our dedicated Subscription lifecycle documentation.

Step 3: Verify and finish

After a successful verification and resume/reactivation, you can confirm the details via the Recurly Admin UI or by calling Recurly’s API to list your new account, subscription, or invoice.

Next steps

Now that you can reverify billing information and manage paused or cancelled subscriptions, explore the Subscription Management guide to learn additional methods to modify subscriptions after the initial purchase.