Chasing monthly retainer invoices across US, UK, UAE time zones is one of the biggest operational drains for Indian businesses. Auto-billing eliminates it. This guide walks through the exact setup.
What Auto-Billing Does
Instead of sending a monthly invoice and waiting for the client to pay:
- Client enters card details once (takes 2 minutes)
- Playto Pay charges the card automatically on your chosen date each month
- FIRA auto-generated per charge
- INR credited to your Indian bank account same day
- You and client both receive payment confirmation email No invoice. No follow-up. No time-zone friction. Just INR in your account monthly.
Step 1: Log In to Playto Pay Dashboard
KYB must be approved before setting up subscriptions.
Step 2: Create a Subscription Plan
Navigate to: Dashboard → Recurring Billing → Create Plan
Fill in:
- Plan name: "Monthly Retainer — [Client Name]" (or generic: "Monthly Retainer $2,000")
- Amount: e.g., 2000
- Currency: USD / GBP / EUR / AED
- Billing cycle: Monthly
- Billing date: 1st of each month (or any date you agree with client)
- Trial period: Set to 0 unless you offer a free trial Save the plan.
Step 3: Generate the Subscription Link
After saving the plan, Playto Pay generates a subscription link (a URL).
Copy this link. This is what you send to your client.
Step 4: Send to Client
Email template:
Subject: Setting up your monthly payment — [Your Company] retainer
Hi [Client name],
To set up your monthly $2,000 retainer payment, please click the link below and enter your card details. You'll only need to do this once — payments will process automatically on the 1st of each month going forward.
[Subscription link]
You'll receive a receipt each month after payment processes. Let me know if you have any questions.
Client experience: Click link → enter Visa/Mastercard/Amex → confirm. Done. 90 seconds.
Step 5: Confirm Subscription Activation
Once the client completes the card entry, your Playto Pay dashboard shows the subscription as "Active."
You'll see:
- Client name
- Subscription amount and currency
- Next billing date
- Payment history
Step 6: First Charge
On the billing date, Playto Pay automatically charges the client's card.
You receive:
- Dashboard notification: payment processed
- Email confirmation with transaction details
- FIRA auto-generated (download from dashboard)
- INR credited to your Indian bank account daily
Step 7: Handling Failed Charges
If a charge fails (expired card, insufficient funds, bank decline):
- Playto Pay notifies you and the client automatically
- Retry logic applies (typically retries after 24-48 hours)
- Client receives email prompting them to update card details
- Dashboard shows subscription status as "Past Due" Your action: Follow up with client if retry fails after 72 hours. Most clients update their card immediately on notification.
Managing Subscriptions
To pause a subscription: Dashboard → Recurring Billing → [Subscription] → Pause
To cancel: Dashboard → Recurring Billing → [Subscription] → Cancel
To change amount: Cancel existing subscription, create new plan at new amount, send new subscription link to client. (Client re-enters card for new plan.)
FAQ
Can clients cancel auto-billing themselves? No. Clients must contact you to cancel. You cancel the subscription in your Playto Pay dashboard. This protects against accidental cancellations.
What fee applies to auto-billed subscriptions? 4% flat per monthly charge, zero forex markup. Same as standard card payments.
Does FIRA generate automatically for each monthly charge? Yes. FIRA auto-generated per subscription charge. Download from dashboard for each billing period.
Can I set up auto-billing in GBP for UK clients? Yes. Create the subscription plan in GBP. Client enters UK Visa/Mastercard. Charged in GBP monthly. You receive INR at mid-market rate.