Accept Recurring Payments

Enable subscription-based revenue models with automatic USDC payments

Transform Your Business with Recurring Revenue

Base Subscriptions enable you to build predictable, recurring revenue streams by accepting automatic USDC payments. Whether you’re running a SaaS platform, content subscription service, or any business model requiring regular payments, Base Subscriptions provide a seamless solution with no merchant fees.

Key Benefits for Your Business:

• Predictable Revenue – Build stable, recurring income streams
• Reduced Friction – One-time approval for ongoing payments
• Global Reach – Accept payments from anyone with a crypto wallet
• Instant Settlement – Receive funds immediately, no waiting periods
• Zero Fees – Keep 100% of your subscription revenue

What You Can Build

SaaS Platforms

Monthly or annual subscriptions for software services with predictable billing cycles.

Content Subscriptions

Premium content access, newsletters, or media platforms with recurring payments.

Membership Services

Exclusive communities, clubs, or professional networks with periodic dues.

Usage-Based Services

Pay-as-you-go models with monthly caps, perfect for APIs or cloud services.

How It Works

Base Subscriptions leverage spend permissions – a powerful onchain primitive that allows users to grant revocable spending rights to applications. Here’s the complete flow:

1. User Approves Subscription

   Your customer grants your application permission to charge their wallet up to a specified amount each billing period. This is a one-time approval that remains active until cancelled.

2. Automatic Periodic Charging

   Your backend service charges the subscription when payment is due, without requiring any user interaction. You can charge up to the approved amount per period.

3. Smart Period Management

   The spending limit automatically resets at the start of each new period. If you don’t charge the full amount in one period, it doesn’t roll over.

4. User Maintains Control

   Customers can view and cancel their subscriptions anytime through their wallet, ensuring transparency and trust.

Key Capabilities

Flexible Billing Periods

Support any billing cycle that fits your business model:

• Daily subscriptions for short-term services
• Weekly for regular deliveries or services
• Monthly for standard SaaS subscriptions
• Annual for discounted long-term commitments
• Custom periods (e.g., 14 days, 90 days) for unique models

Partial and Usage-Based Charging

Charge any amount up to the permitted limit:

• Fixed recurring amounts for predictable billing
• Variable usage-based charges within a cap
• Tiered pricing with different charge amounts
• Prorated charges for mid-cycle changes

Subscription Management

Full control over the subscription lifecycle:

• Real-time status checking to verify active subscriptions
• Remaining charge amount for the current period
• Next period start date for planning
• Cancellation detection for immediate updates

Enterprise-Ready Features

Built for production use cases:

• No transaction fees or platform cuts
• Instant settlement in USDC stablecoin
• Testnet support for development and testing
• Detailed transaction history for accounting
• Programmatic access via SDK

Implementation Requirements

Security Requirements

To accept recurring payments, you need:

1. A dedicated wallet address to act as the subscription owner (spender)
2. Backend infrastructure to execute charges securely
3. Database to store and manage subscription IDs
4. Never expose private keys in client-side code

Technical Architecture

A complete subscription implementation requires both client and server components:

Client-Side (Frontend):

• User interface for subscription creation
• Create wallet requests and handle user responses

Server-Side (Backend):

• Wallet for executing charges
• Scheduled jobs for periodic billing
• Database for subscription tracking
• Handlers for status updates
• Retry logic for failed charges

Real-World Use Cases

SaaS Subscription Example

A project management tool charging $29.99/month:

1. Customer Signs Up

   User selects plan and approves the subscription through your app’s interface.

2. Instant Access

   Grant immediate access to premium features upon subscription confirmation.

3. Automatic Billing

   Your backend charges the subscription on the same day each month.

4. Continuous Service

   As long as charges succeed, the user maintains uninterrupted access.

Usage-Based API Service

An AI API service with pay-as-you-go pricing capped at $100/month:

1. Set Usage Cap

   User approves a $100 monthly spending limit for your service.

2. Track Usage

   Your system tracks API calls and calculates costs in real-time.

3. Charge Actual Usage

   At month’s end, charge only what was used (e.g., $47.23 of the$100 limit).

4. Reset Next Period

   The $100 limit automatically resets for the next month.

Getting Started

1. Review the Implementation Guide

   Visit the Subscriptions Overview for complete code examples and implementation details.

2. Set Up Your Infrastructure

   Prepare your backend wallet, database, and charging infrastructure.

3. Test on Base Sepolia

   Develop and test your integration using the Base Sepolia testnet with shorter billing periods.

4. Launch on Mainnet

   Deploy to production and start accepting real USDC payments.

Quick Start Resources:

• Complete Implementation Examples
• API Reference Documentation
• Testing Guide

Next Steps

Implementation Guide

Complete code examples and technical implementation details

API Reference

Detailed documentation for all subscription functions

One-Time Payments

Learn about accepting single USDC payments

Spend Permissions

Deep dive into the underlying permission system