Recurring Payments: Emails to Your Payer

If you are using self-managed recurring payments, you need to make sure that you're communicating the steps and statuses of recurring payments to your payers, which means you have to send emails to your payers. If you are using Flywire-managed recurring payments, Flywire handles all emails for you.

Which information has to be included in the emails?

A recurring payment has a mode which defines its characteristics. Depending on the mode some emails or parts of their content might not be needed, for example there is no "last payment date" for an ongoing subscription.

The mode of a payment depends on three factors:

  • Frequency: Are the intervals for the payment regular or irregular?

  • Purchase: Is it one single purchase or are new goods/services purchased? 

  • Delivery: Are the goods/services delivered once or in multiple deliveries?

Available modes

There is no fallback default value for mode. You need to provide a mode for each request.
Mode Frequency Purchase Delivery

installment

regular or irregular intervals

Single purchase of goods or services

Single delivery (can be in advance, at any time during the plan, or at the end)

subscription

Regular intervals

Multiple purchases (for new or renewed goods or services)

Multiple and regular deliveries

unscheduled

No pre-agreed intervals

Multiple purchases (for new or renewed goods or services)

Multiple deliveries at no pre-agreed intervals

How do I get the correct address for sending the emails?

You'll receive the payer's email address in the postMessage of the event listener, see The postMessage of the Event Listener for more details.

Make sure you use the email address you got via the postMessage for the emails to your payer. Even if you already have an email address in your system, your payer might have updated the email address in the UI Form.

Emails for Self-Managed Recurring Payments

Mandatory Emails

These emails are mandatory because of legal and compliance reasons (due to card scheme or direct debit scheme rules).

  • Delivery of PDF mandate
  • Initial sign up
  • Payment pre-notification
  • Charge successful
  • Charge failed

Subject: Your {direct_debit_schema) Mandate

 

Hi {name},

Please find attached a copy of your {direct_debit_schema) PDF mandate.

 

Thank you!

Attachments: PDF mandate
Sent for payment method

Direct Debit
Mandatory? yes
Description An email with the PDF mandate attached. It informs the payer that they have agreed to let Flywire charge their bank account according to the direct debit scheme.
Sent when?

The email is sent immediately after a payer fills out the direct debit form and confirms the mandate.

For EFT Canada, you have to send this email yourself.

For SEPA, ACH, and BACS you don't have to manage this email. The email is automatically sent by Flywire (for SEPA and ACH) or Finastra (for BACS),

The mandate PDF for EFT Canada is called PAD (Pre-Authorized Debit Agreement). It is a PDF that always has the same format and content, but you need to provide the current date.

Process for delivering the mandate (PAD) for EFT Canada:

  1. Download the PAD PDF from Flywire.

    You can download the Flywire PAD here: Download PAD PDF

  2. Insert the correct date (when the payer agreed to EDT Canada direct debit) into the Flywire PAD PDF.

  3. Send it to your payer as an email attachment. The email needs to contain the following information:

    • Total number of scheduled payments

    • Total payment amount

    • First payment date

    • Last payment date

    • Flywire PAD (as an attachment)

Subject: Your recurring payments are active!

 

Hi {name},

You have successfully signed up for {number_of_payments} payments in the amount of {total_amount}.

 

Here is the summary of your recurring payments:

  • Total number of scheduled payments: {number_of_payments}

  • Total payment amount: {total_amount}

  • First payment date: {date}

  • Last payment date: {date}

In case there is a surcharge for the payment:

A surcharge of {surcharge_percentage} will be applied to each payment.

What’s next?

Your next payment is due on {date}.

 

Thank you!
Sent for payment method

Direct Debit

Cards
Mandatory? yes
Description

The email must include:

  • Total number of scheduled payments

  • Total payment amount

  • First payment date

  • Last payment date

  • If there is a surcharge, you must include the percentage of the surcharge that will be applied to all payments.
Sent when?

Must be sent within 2 business days after the payer agreed to the recurring payments.

You don't need to send this email for EFT Canada direct debit, since you already include this information in the "Delivery of mandate PDF" email.

Subject: Your next recurring payment is due soon

 

Hi {name},

Heads up!

In case there is no surcharge for the payment:

Your next recurring payment of {amount_in_your_billing_currency} will be charged on {date}.

 

In case there is a surcharge for the payment:

Your next recurring payment will be charged on {date}.

Payment amount:{amount_in_your_billing_currency}

Surcharge: {surcharge_percentage}

Total amount: {total_amount}

 

Thank you!
Sent for payment method

Direct Debit

Cards
Mandatory? yes
Description

The goal of this email is to guarantee that the payer is notified of the date and amount of the upcoming payment and be prepared to have those funds collected from their bank account.

The email must include:

  • The payment date

  • The payment amount

  • If there is a surcharge, you must include the initial payment amount, the percentage of the surcharge and the total amount to pay including the surcharge
Sent when?

For cards:

You must sent the email 7 days before the payment will be charged.

For direct debit:

The email is sent 3 business days before the payment is charged.

This email is only necessary for SEPA and BACS. The email is automatically sent by Flywire (for SEPA) or Finastra (for BACS),

Subject: You made a payment for your plan

 

Hi {name},

You have successfully made a payment in the amount of {amount}.

You have completed {number_of_payments_paid} recurring payments totaling {total_amount_paid}. You have {number_of_payments_left} recurring payments left.

What’s next?

Your next payment is scheduled for {next_payment_date}.

 

Thank you!
Sent for payment method

Direct Debit

Cards
Mandatory?

yes
Description

An email informing the payer that a payment has been made. Ideally, it also inform the payer how many payments are left and how much has been paid so far in total.
Sent when? Sent when a payment has been charged successfully.

Subject: Attention required: your recurring payment was unsuccessful

 

Hi {name},

We attempted to charge your card for your recurring payment, however, the transaction was unsuccessful.

What’s next?

We will try to charge again tomorrow. Please ensure to have sufficient funds.

 

Thank you!
Sent for payment method

Direct Debit

Cards
Mandatory? yes
Description An email informing the payer of an unsuccessful charge and what the next steps are.
Sent when? Sent when a payment charge failed, for example because of insufficient funds or an expired card.

Optional (but highly recommended) Emails

  • Plan cancelled by payer
  • Plan cancelled by you
  • Plan completed

Subject: Your future recurring payments have been cancelled

 

Hi {name},

Your recurring payments have been cancelled on {date}.

 

Thank you!
Sent for payment method

Direct Debit

Cards
Mandatory? optional (but highly recommended)
Description An email informing the payer that they successfully cancelled their recurring payments.
Sent when? Sent when a payer cancels their recurring payments.

Subject: Your recurring payments have been cancelled

 

Hi {name},

Your recurring payments have been cancelled due to {reason}. (for example unsuccessful attempts to charge the card).

 

Total amount paid: {total_amount_paid}

Remaining balance unpaid: {total_amount_left}

 

Thank you!
Sent for payment method

Direct Debit

Cards
Mandatory? optional (but highly recommended)
Description An email informing the payer that you cancelled the recurring payments.
Sent when?

Sent when you cancelled the recurring payments.

 

Subject: Great news! Your recurring payments are complete

 

Hi {name},

Congratulations! All of your recurring payments are complete.

 

Here is the summary of your recurring payments:

Total Number of payments: {number_of_payments}

Total payment amount: {total_amount}

 

Thank you!
Sent for payment method

Direct Debit

Cards
Mandatory? optional (but highly recommended)
Description An email informing the payer that all recurring payments for a plan have been completed.
Sent when? Sent when the recurring payments are completed.