The Payment Capture Settings section in WHMCS determines how and when the system charges your customers' payment methods for invoices. Proper configuration ensures timely payment capture and reduces payment failures. Follow these steps to configure payment capture options, including retry attempts, expiry notifications, and card removal.
Step-by-Step Guide to Payment Capture Settings
1. Setting Payment Capture Timing
The Process Days Before Due setting defines how many days before an invoice due date WHMCS should attempt the first payment capture.
- Go to Configuration > System Settings > Automation Settings and find the Payment Capture Settings section.
- Enter the number of days in Process Days Before Due to determine when to attempt the first capture. For example, setting this to 1 will attempt a charge one day before the invoice is due.
Gotcha:
Setting this to 0 will initiate capture attempts on the due date, which may lead to missed payments if customers delay updating payment information.
2. Configuring Payment Retry Options
If the initial payment capture fails, configure WHMCS to retry the payment after specific intervals.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Attempt Only Once | Select this option to stop further payment attempts if the first attempt fails. By default, WHMCS will retry daily until the payment succeeds. |
| Retry Every Week For | Enable this to retry weekly for a set number of weeks if the initial capture fails. For instance, if set to 2 weeks and the first attempt was on the due date, WHMCS will retry weekly until the invoice is paid or the retry period expires. |
Gotcha:
Setting Retry Every Week For to 0 disables weekly retries, causing WHMCS to attempt payment daily instead, which can lead to payment gateway limits.
3. Configuring Credit Card Expiry Notifications
WHMCS can notify customers of upcoming card expirations, allowing them to update details before expiration. Set up expiry notices as follows:
- In CC Expiry Notices Date, enter the day of the month for sending expiration reminders. We recommend a low value, like 1, to provide ample notice.
- For example, entering "1" sends notifications on the first day of the card expiration month, giving customers the month to update their information.
Gotcha:
If this setting is left blank, customers may receive no warning before card expiration, increasing the likelihood of payment failures.
4. Managing Expired Credit Cards
By default, WHMCS removes expired card details automatically. However, you can disable this to retain expired cards for reference or troubleshooting purposes.
- Enable Do Not Remove CC on Expiry to prevent WHMCS from deleting expired cards. With this disabled, expired cards will be removed on the CC Expiry Notices Date.
Gotcha:
Retaining expired cards may expose old data and clutter client records. Review and monitor retained cards regularly for data accuracy.
