# Payment Types

Easypay supports three main payment types to accommodate different business models and use cases.

## Single Payments

Single payments are one-time transactions that will let your customers pay an amount of money to you. Examples may include a purchase of a good or service, or a donation. Every payment method supported by easypay allows single payments.

**Characteristics**:

- One-time payment
- Any supported payment method
- Immediate or scheduled
- Can be created via API or Checkout


**Use Cases**:

- E-commerce purchases
- One-time services
- Donations
- Invoice payments
- Event tickets


**Supported Payment Methods**:

- Credit/Debit Card
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Samsung Pay
- MB WAY
- Multibanco
- Direct Debit
- Virtual IBAN


**How It Works**:

1. Create a single payment via the [Single Payment API](/openapi#tag/Single-Payment) or [Checkout](/openapi#tag/Checkout)
2. Customer completes the payment using their chosen method
3. Receive a webhook notification when payment is completed
4. Query the payment status to confirm


**Learn More**: See the [Single Payment API Reference](/openapi#tag/Single-Payment) for detailed implementation.

## Frequent Payments

Frequent payments are repeatable transactions of varying sums without the client having to enter their payment details again. The original details can be obtained (*tokenized*) through our [Checkout](/openapi#tag/Checkout) solution, but each payment will have to be charged via the [Payments API](/openapi#tag/Overview).

**Characteristics**:

- Repeatable transactions
- Variable amounts
- Tokenized payment details
- Manual capture for each transaction
- Optional min/max value limits


**Use Cases**:

- On-demand services
- Variable billing amounts
- Top-ups or credits
- Pay-as-you-go models
- Variable subscription amounts


**Supported Payment Methods**:

- Credit/Debit Card
- MB WAY
- Multibanco
- Direct Debit
- Virtual IBAN


**Payment Limits**:
It is possible to limit the transferred sums by choosing minimum or maximum values, either to the total sum of the transactions or each individual transaction.

**How It Works**:

1. Create a frequent payment to tokenize payment details
2. Customer authorizes the frequent payment setup
3. Use the frequent payment ID to capture funds when needed
4. Each capture is a separate transaction with its own amount
5. Receive webhook notifications for each capture


**Example Flow**:


```bash
# 1. Create frequent payment to tokenize details
POST /frequent
{
  "method": "cc",
  "customer": { ... },
  "max_captures": 10,
  "capture_max_value": 100.00
}

# 2. Later, capture funds when needed
POST /capture/:id
{
  "value": 45.00
}
```

**Learn More**: See the [Frequent Payment API Reference](/openapi#tag/Frequent-Payment) for detailed implementation.

## Subscription Payments

Subscriptions are periodic payments of the same amount of money, configured through [Checkout](/openapi#tag/Checkout) or our [Payments API](/openapi#tag/Overview).

**Characteristics**:

- Recurring payments
- Fixed amount per cycle
- Automatic charging
- Configurable frequency (daily to every 3 years)
- Optional end date or capture limit
- Retry logic for failed payments
- Fallback payment method support


**Use Cases**:

- Monthly subscriptions (SaaS, streaming, memberships)
- Annual renewals
- Installment plans
- Recurring donations
- Utility bills


**Supported Payment Methods**:

- Credit/Debit Card
- Direct Debit


**Frequency Options**:

| Frequency | Description |
|  --- | --- |
| `1D` | Daily |
| `1W` | Weekly |
| `2W` | Bi-weekly (every 2 weeks) |
| `1M` | Monthly |
| `2M` | Bi-monthly (every 2 months) |
| `3M` | Quarterly (every 3 months) |
| `4M` | Every 4 months |
| `6M` | Semi-annually (every 6 months) |
| `1Y` | Annually |
| `2Y` | Every 2 years |
| `3Y` | Every 3 years |


**Subscription Lifecycle**:

Subscriptions can be:

- **Finite**: Ending on a specific date or after a set number of successful captures
- **Unlimited**: Continuing indefinitely until canceled


**Key Features**:

1. **Automatic Billing**: Payments are automatically processed according to the schedule
2. **Retry Logic**: Configurable number of retries for failed captures
3. **Fallback Payment**: Optional secondary payment method if primary fails
4. **Flexible Management**: Activate, deactivate, or modify subscriptions via API


**Cycle Types**:

- `CAPTURE_NOW` – Immediate payment attempt when the subscription is created
- `RENEWABLE` – Recurring cycles that follow the subscription's defined frequency
- `ONE_TIME_CHARGE` – Single, isolated payment attempt that does not create future cycles


**How It Works**:

1. Create a subscription with frequency and amount
2. Customer authorizes the recurring payment
3. System automatically charges at scheduled intervals
4. Receive webhook notifications for each charge
5. Failed payments are automatically retried (if configured)


**Example**:


```bash
POST /subscription
{
  "frequency": "1M",
  "value": 29.99,
  "method": "cc",
  "customer": { ... },
  "start_time": "2024-01-01",
  "max_captures": 12,  // Optional: 12 months
  "retries": 3,
  "failover": true
}
```

**Learn More**: See the [Subscription Payment API Reference](/openapi#tag/Subscription-Payment) for detailed implementation.

## Choosing the Right Payment Type

| Requirement | Recommended Type |
|  --- | --- |
| One-time purchase | Single |
| Variable recurring amounts | Frequent |
| Fixed recurring amounts | Subscription |
| Customer controls when to pay | Single or Frequent |
| Automatic billing | Subscription |
| Tokenize payment details for later | Frequent or Subscription |
| Need retry logic | Subscription |
| Different amounts each time | Frequent |


## Payment Type Comparison

| Feature | Single | Frequent | Subscription |
|  --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Frequency** | One-time | On-demand | Automatic recurring |
| **Amount** | Fixed | Variable | Fixed |
| **Tokenization** | No | Yes | Yes |
| **Auto-charging** | No | No | Yes |
| **Retry Logic** | No | No | Yes |
| **Fallback Payment** | No | No | Yes |
| **Use Customer Initiates** | Yes | Merchant initiates | Automatic |


## Next Steps

- [Payment Methods](/docs/guides/payment-methods) - Learn about available payment methods
- [Authorizations & Captures](/docs/guides/authorizations-captures) - Understand auth/capture for supported methods
- [Quick Start](/docs/quickstart) - Make your first payment
- [API Reference](/openapi) - Detailed API documentation