Need clarification on the auto-bill process

I would like to start by saying I am very impressed with Invoice Ninja. I remember when Invoice Ninja was first released and … wow… the improvements are amazing.

We would like to start switching over to Invoice Ninja but need a bit of clarification on how auto-bills work. We do not want to start moving customers to the new platform and finding out we mis-understood how automatic billing works.

Can someone please confirm this is how Invoice Ninja processes auto-bills?

  • Create client.
  • Create recurring invoice. We assume checking the box labeled “Auto Bill” offers auto-bill ability to the customer.
  • System sends customer new invoice when cron job runs. You can tell this is a recurring invoice because the invoice begins with a “R”.
  • Customer clicks link to pay invoice.

From this point how do we get the system to automatically bill the card when the invoice is generated?

We are assuming the customer is required to open the first recurring invoice at least once and pay the invoice. The system will not automatically bill the customer’s card on file (assuming they paid a previous invoice) without manually paying the invoice at least once.

The customer seems to have a couple of options available. Which options will cause the card to be automatically billed when future invoices are generated?

1 - Is the customer required to click PAY NOW -> CREDIT CARD and enter their details for the new recurring invoice?
2 - If the customer has a card on file then should they just click PAY -> USE CARD ON FILE? Will this assign the card to the recurring bill?
3 - Is the customer required to open the invoice and click PAY for every invoice?

I want to make sure I am not mis-understanding how the auto-bill feature.

Thank you for your help!

Additional detail: Our Stripe configuration for token billing is “Opt In”.

Thanks for the kind words!

Assuming your client chooses to store their credit card…

  • If ‘auto-bill’ is checked when the second recurring invoice is generated the card on file is charged and the client is sent a ‘Thanks for the payment’ email.
  • If ‘auto-bill’ is unchecked when the client clicks ‘Pay Now’ for their second invoice they can choose to either pay with their card on file or use a different card.