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Recurring payments and automated billing for every business model
Authorize.net's Automated Recurring Billing (ARB) tool lets you set up recurring payments for customers on any schedule—weekly, monthly, quarterly, or custom. Accept recurring payments by credit card, eCheck, and other payment methods with no manual re-entry and no extra monthly fee.
Automated Recurring Billing (ARB)—recover revenue and get paid on time, every time
Missed payments and manual billing follow-ups cost small businesses more than just time. They cost revenue. Authorize.net's ARB tool eliminates these problems by automating your entire recurring billing cycle, reducing time spent chasing down payments, and creating more predictable cash flow. No developer work or additional monthly fee is required to get started.
Set up subscriptions, membership payments, installment plans, retainers and more with ARB
Authorize.net's recurring billing tools are built for more than just subscription businesses. Whether you're billing clients on retainer, collecting recurring membership payments, running installment plans, or managing repeat customers who prefer automated billing, ARB handles it from a single account, with no manual entry required at each billing cycle.
Secure customer data storage built into every recurring payment
Every recurring payment processed through Authorize.net is backed by the Customer Information Manager (CIM), a secure vault that stores customer billing, payment, and shipping details on Authorize.net's PCI-DSS-compliant servers. Customers can save multiple payment methods and shipping addresses for faster repeat billing. Merchants can process transactions across channels from the same stored profile. Sensitive card data never touches your servers.
Common use cases
Membership and clubs
Collect recurring monthly payments from members automatically—no invoicing, no manual follow-up, and no missed renewals.
Professional services
Bill clients on retainer with automated weekly, monthly, or custom billing cycles. Set it once; collect consistently. Great for accountants and bookkeepers, legal professionals, marketing agencies, IT service providers, and consultants.
Installment plans
Split large purchases into manageable recurring payments—ideal for contractors, tutors, healthcare providers, and service businesses.
Nonprofits and donations
Set up recurring donation billing so supporters can give on a schedule that works for them, increasing donor retention automatically.
What's included with Authorize.net's recurring payment tool
| Feature | |
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Accept recurring credit card payments with easy subscription payment processingSet up payments and subscriptions quickly with simple subscription payment processing tools that let you accept recurring credit card payments, with no development, coding, or customization required. |
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Create custom billing schedules for recurring paymentsCreate any billing schedule—weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, or custom intervals. |
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Accept recurring payments from any included payment methodAccept recurring payments via credit cards, eChecks, and more from a single account. |
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Let customers try before their subscription beginsOffer free or paid trial periods before the first billing cycle begins. |
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Transaction monitoringMonitor every recurring payment and transaction status from your merchant interface dashboard. |
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Recurring billing integrationIntegrate ARB directly into your website or platform via API for a fully custom experience. |
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How to set up recurring payments with Authorize.net
For businesses with existing platforms, the ARB API lets you integrate recurring billing directly into your website or app.
Setting up recurring payments with Authorize.net takes three easy steps:
Create a billing plan in your merchant interface
Add your customer's payment details and set the schedule
ARB generates and submits each transaction automatically from this point forward
Trusted by thousands of businesses for recurring payments and automated billing
Thousands of businesses use Automated Recurring Billing to collect recurring monthly payments without lifting a finger. With 24/7 support, 99.9% uptime, and secure PCI-DSS-compliant data storage, Authorize.net is the automated billing solution small businesses trust to collect consistently and grow predictably.
Frequently asked questions about recurring payments
Log into your Authorize.net merchant interface, navigate to the Automated Recurring Billing (ARB) section, create a billing plan with your chosen schedule and amount, and add your customer's payment details. ARB will automatically generate and submit each transaction on the schedule you set. No development work is required to get started.
Authorize.net's ARB tool supports weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual billing cycles, as well as custom intervals. You can also set a specific start date and define how many billing cycles the plan runs before expiring.
Authorize.net's recurring billing accepts credit cards and eChecks (ACH bank account payments). Customers can store multiple payment methods on file, and you can update or change the payment method for any active billing plan from your merchant interface.
No. Automated Recurring Billing (ARB) is included with every Authorize.net plan at no additional monthly cost. Standard per-transaction fees apply to each recurring payment processed.
When a recurring payment fails (due to an expired card or insufficient funds) Authorize.net flags the transaction in your merchant interface so you can follow up or update the customer's payment details. Pairing ARB with Account Updater automatically refreshes stored card details in the background, reducing failed recurring payments before they happen.
Yes. All customer payment and billing data is stored on Authorize.net's PCI-DSS-compliant servers through the Customer Information Manager (CIM). Card data is never stored on your own servers, significantly reducing your PCI compliance burden.
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