Guides
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
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
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
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
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 RequirementsTo accept recurring payments, you need:
- A dedicated wallet address to act as the subscription owner (spender)
- Backend infrastructure to execute charges securely
- Database to store and manage subscription IDs
- 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
- 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., 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: