And, with the ability to customize the start date, you control when the billing cycle begins, providing flexibility for both you and your clients.

How it works

When setting up a subscription, the initial payment is processed immediately. Future payments are charged according to the frequency and cycle settings in your form. You’ll receive a token with the first payment — store it securely for managing the subscription.

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Your signature MUST include a passphrase for Subscriptions.

Subscription Form Fields

Field	Required	Description
`subscription_type=1`	✅	Sets the payment type to subscription
`billing_date`	⛔	Start date for the subscription (defaults to current date)
`recurring_amount`	⛔	Future recurring amount (defaults to `amount`)
`frequency`	✅	Billing frequency (1 = Daily, 2 = Weekly, etc.)
`cycles`	✅	Number of billing cycles (0 for indefinite)
`subscription_notify_email`	⛔	Email merchant before trial ends or amount increases
`subscription_notify_webhook`	⛔	Send webhook to notify of changes
`subscription_notify_buyer`	⛔	Notify the buyer via email

Sample Input Fields

<input type="hidden" name="subscription_type" value="1">
<input type="hidden" name="billing_date" value="2025-09-01">
<input type="hidden" name="recurring_amount" value="200.00">
<input type="hidden" name="frequency" value="3">
<input type="hidden" name="cycles" value="12">
<input type="hidden" name="subscription_notify_email" value="true">
<input type="hidden" name="subscription_notify_webhook" value="true">
<input type="hidden" name="subscription_notify_buyer" value="true">

Webhook Example

The following is a sample webhook payload for a subscription trial:

{
  "type": "subscription.free-trial",
  "token": "dc0521d3-55fe-269b-fa00-b647310d760f",
  "initial_amount": 0,
  "amount": 10000,
  "next_run": "2025-09-30",
  "frequency": "3",
  "item_name": "Monthly Hosting",
  "item_description": "Standard web hosting package",
  "name_first": "John",
  "name_last": "Doe",
  "email_address": "john@example.com"
}

Attribute	Type	Required	Description
`type`	string	✅	The type of webhook being sent. One of `subscription.free-trial`, `subscription.promo`, or `subscription.update`.
`token`	string	✅	The unique ID on PayFast that represents the subscription.
`initial_amount`	integer	✅	The initial amount payable during the free trial or promotion period, in cents (ZAR).
`amount`	integer	✅	The subscription amount, in cents (ZAR).
`next_run`	YYYY-MM-DD	⛔	The next run date for the subscription.
`frequency`	integer (1 char)	⛔	The cycle period: `1` - Daily, `2` - Weekly, `3` - Monthly, `4` - Quarterly, `5` - Biannually, `6` - Annual.
`item_name`	string (max 100)	⛔	The name of the item being charged for, or the order number if multiple items.
`item_description`	string (max 255)	⛔	The description of the item being charged for, or the order description if multiple items.
`name_first`	string (max 100)	⛔	The customer’s first name.
`name_last`	string (max 100)	⛔	The customer’s last name.
`email_address`	string (max 100)	⛔	The customer’s email address.