Billing Model

How RevKeen handles subscription billing, invoicing, and payment collection

RevKeen supports flexible billing models from simple one-time charges to complex recurring subscriptions with trials, discounts, and minimum commitments. This guide explains the core concepts you need to understand.

Payment Types

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One-Time Payments

Single charges for products or services. No recurring billing. Ideal for physical goods, consultations, or single-use services.
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Recurring Subscriptions

Automatic billing at regular intervals. RevKeen handles invoicing, payment collection, retries, and lifecycle management.

Billing Intervals

RevKeen supports flexible billing intervals to match any business model:

IntervalCodeExample
DailydayBilled every day
WeeklyweekBilled every 7 days
MonthlymonthBilled same day each month
QuarterlyquarterBilled every 3 months
Semi-Annualhalf_yearBilled every 6 months
AnnualyearBilled once per year
You can multiply intervals using interval_count. For example, interval: month, interval_count: 2 bills every 2 months.

Subscription Lifecycle

RevKeen subscriptions support 10 distinct states to handle every scenario:

StateDescriptionService AccessBilling
pendingCheckout started, awaiting payment❌ No❌ No
trialingFree trial active✅ Yes❌ No
activeSubscription paid and active✅ Yes✅ Yes
past_duePayment failed, in grace period⚠️ Limited🔄 Retrying
pausedTemporarily suspended by customer❌ No❌ No
unpaidAll retries exhausted❌ No❌ No
canceledSubscription terminated❌ No❌ No
expiredNatural end (cancel at period end)❌ No❌ No
incompleteInitial payment processing⚠️ Pending⏳ Waiting
incomplete_expiredInitial payment timed out (24h)❌ No❌ No

Collection Methods

RevKeen supports two ways to collect payments:

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Charge Automatically

Default method. RevKeen automatically charges the card on file when an invoice is due. Best for consumer subscriptions and SaaS.
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Send Invoice

Sends an invoice email to the customer who pays manually. Best for B2B, enterprise clients, or when manual approval is needed.

Invoice Lifecycle

StatusDescriptionEditable
draftInvoice created, can still be edited✅ Yes
openFinalized, sent to customer, awaiting payment❌ No
paidPayment received❌ No
past_duePast due date, payment retrying❌ No
voidedVoided by admin❌ No
uncollectibleBad debt write-off❌ No

Billing Cycle Anchor

By default, subscriptions bill on the anniversary of their start date. You can override this with a billing anchor to align all customers to the same billing date.

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Anniversary Billing

Default. Customer who signs up on the 15th always bills on the 15th. Simple but creates invoices throughout the month.
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Anchor Day Billing

Set an anchor (e.g., 1st of month) so all customers bill on the same day. First period is prorated. Great for accounting simplicity.

Proration

When a customer upgrades or downgrades mid-cycle, RevKeen calculates prorated charges to ensure fair billing:

BehaviorCodeDescription
No ProrationnoneChange plan with no extra charges. New price applies from next period.
Next Invoicenext_invoiceStore proration adjustments, apply as credits/charges on next invoice.
Immediate Invoiceinvoice_immediatelyCreate a proration invoice now and attempt payment immediately.

Proration Example: Upgrade Mid-Month

Old Plan
$100/mo
Paid Jan 1
Credit
+$51.61
16 days unused
New Plan
$200/mo
16 days remaining
Net Due
$51.62
Charged today

Trial Periods

Offer free trials to let customers try before they buy:

1.
Customer Signs Up

Status becomes trialing. No charge.

2.
3 Days Before Trial Ends

RevKeen sends "Trial Ending Soon" email notification.

3.
Trial Ends

If card on file: attempt charge → active or past_due

If no card: → canceled

Always require a payment method during trial signup to maximize conversion. Trials without payment methods have significantly lower conversion rates.

Minimum Commitments

Enforce minimum subscription periods for annual contracts or enterprise deals:

SettingDescription
minimum_commitment_monthsRequired commitment period (e.g., 12 months)
commitment_early_cancel_fee_centsFixed fee for early cancellation, OR charge remaining months
Minimum commitments are displayed clearly at checkout so customers know what they're agreeing to before subscribing.

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