Keeping a reader's card on file and charging it each year is the easiest renewal there is. Nobody has to find a chequebook, and nobody has to remember anything.
That's also why it needs care. The reader agreed to it once, possibly years ago, and you're relying on that agreement every time you take the money. If the wording was vague, or the reader doesn't remember agreeing, you've got a complaint or a refund on your hands, and from January it could cost you more than that.
What a continuous payment authority is
A continuous payment authority, or CPA, is the formal name for a recurring card payment. The FCA's consumer guidance says it lets a business "charge your payment card on a recurring basis without getting your permission each time".
It isn't a Direct Debit. A Direct Debit is an instruction to the reader's bank, with its own scheme rules, which we covered in Direct Debit for subscription publishers. A CPA is an agreement between you and the reader, using their card details, usually held by your payment provider.
What the reader needs to agree to
Your payment provider will have requirements of its own, so start there. Stripe's guidance on saving card details is a useful example of the kind of thing to expect, even if you use someone else. It says your terms should cover:
- the reader's agreement that you can take a payment or series of payments;
- the expected timing and frequency;
- how the amount is worked out;
- your cancellation policy.
It also says to collect explicit consent, use the saved card only for the purpose in your terms, and keep a record of the agreement.
That second point catches people out. A card saved for an annual subscription to one title isn't a general licence to charge for anything else. If a reader moves to a different title or adds a bundle, get a fresh agreement.
The first payment matters too. Stripe notes that strong customer authentication rules mean you should authenticate the customer up front if you plan to charge them again later. If you skip that, the reader's bank may decline future payments.
Wording that does the job
Leave nothing for the reader to work out. Something like this, sitting right next to the order button, covers the basics:
Your subscription to Plant Engineer costs £96 a year (£8 a month). It renews automatically on 14 March each year and we'll charge the card you give us today, unless you cancel first. We'll remind you before each renewal, and you can cancel at any time in your account.
The title and prices there are made up, and it's an illustration, not legal advice. Your own version needs to fit your offer and your terms, and from January the required information goes further (more on that below). The point is the shape: what they pay, how often, when, on what card, and how to stop.
Then make the button say what it does. "Subscribe and pay" works. "Continue" doesn't.
Readers can stop the payments without you
This surprises some publishers. A reader doesn't have to come to you first. Under regulation 67 of the Payment Services Regulations 2017, they can withdraw consent to a series of payments at any time, and later payments aren't treated as authorised.
The FCA says the card issuer must stop the payments once asked, even if the reader hasn't contacted the business. The request has to reach them "by the end of the business day before" the next payment is due. Anything taken after that has to be refunded by the issuer. Citizens Advice tells consumers the issuer can't insist they ask the company first.
Three practical points follow.
Stopping a payment isn't the same as ending the subscription. A reader who stops the card may still have a contract with you, or may think they've left. You may not get a tidy notice either way. All you may see is a refused payment. So don't assume a failed renewal means they've gone, and don't assume they meant to stay. Ask them.
A refused payment needs a person, or at least a process. Cards expire and get replaced. Some providers can update lost or expired cards automatically, so check what yours does. For the rest, run a short follow-up series, as you would for a failed Direct Debit, with an easy way to enter a new card.
Make leaving through you the easy option. If your cancellation route is a hassle, the bank is the easy way out, and you'll hear about it last.
What changes on 1 January 2027
The new rules cover auto-renewing subscriptions for consumers, so company-paid subscriptions are out. They apply to contracts entered into on or after 1 January 2027. The regulations still need Parliament's approval, and the government's guidance is a draft. Our guide to the 2027 subscription rules has the full picture, but four points bear directly on card renewals.
The key information goes in the sign-up journey. The draft guidance says readers should be able to read it during the purchase, without clicking a link elsewhere. That includes the payment amounts, the frequency and how to end the subscription.
The last step must acknowledge payment. It has to involve an express acknowledgement that the reader will be obliged to pay. If it doesn't, they aren't bound by the contract.
Annual renewals get two reminders. Saying "we'll remind you" at sign-up becomes a promise you have to keep on time. Our example reminder wording shows one way to lay it out.
Watch when you take the money. A term making the reader liable for a renewal payment before the day the contract renews has no effect. If you charge annual cards two weeks before expiry, look at that now. The draft guidance does say you can let a reader choose a payment date, as long as it falls after liability has arisen.
What to record
If a reader says "I never agreed to that", you need more than a shrug. For every card subscriber, keep:
- the wording they saw and the terms version in force;
- the date, the offer and how they signed up (web, phone, post);
- the payment provider's reference for the stored card;
- every renewal charge, with the amount and outcome;
- every reminder sent, with the date;
- any cancellation, with the date and who it came from.
Keep old versions of your sign-up pages too. A screenshot and a date can settle an argument that would otherwise take a week of emails.
Phone orders need the same discipline. Have a script, make sure it covers the renewal terms, and follow up in writing. The draft guidance expects the full information on a durable medium, such as an email, before any goods go out.
Where we fit in
Our circulation and subscriptions bureau takes card and Direct Debit payments for publishers, keeps them reconciled against the subscriptions they paid for, and runs renewals and notices. If you're running this yourself, the free subscription rules checklist is a good place to start.
If you'd like a second opinion on your sign-up wording or renewal process before January, get in touch.
Rob Sherwood is Managing Director of Adept Data Services. He has spent his career in subscriptions and circulation, at WDIS, Optima and CDS Global before founding Adept.