> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dodopayments.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# On-Demand Subscriptions
> Integrate on-demand subscriptions by authorizing mandates, creating variable charges, handling webhooks, and implementing safe retry policies.
## Overview
On-demand subscriptions let you authorize a customer's payment method once and then charge variable amounts whenever you need, instead of on a fixed schedule. This feature is available for all accounts—no approval required.
Use this guide to:
* Create an on-demand subscription (authorize a mandate with optional initial price)
* Trigger subsequent charges with custom amounts
* Track outcomes using webhooks
For a general subscription setup, see the [Subscription Integration Guide](/developer-resources/subscription-integration-guide).
## Prerequisites
* Dodo Payments merchant account and API key
* Webhook secret configured and an endpoint to receive events
* A subscription product in your catalog
यह गाइड एक चेकआउट सत्र के माध्यम से ऑन-डिमांड सब्सक्रिप्शन बनाता है (`POST /checkouts`), जो हमेशा एक होस्टेड `checkout_url` लौटाता है। वहाँ ग्राहक को अनुमति देने के लिए पुनर्निर्देशित करें, और सेट करें `return_url` जहां उन्हें बाद में पहुंचना चाहिए।
## How on-demand works
1. You create a subscription with the `on_demand` object to authorize a payment method and optionally collect an initial charge.
2. Later, you create charges against that subscription with custom amounts using the dedicated charge endpoint.
3. You listen to webhooks (e.g., `payment.succeeded`, `payment.failed`) to update your system.
## Create an on-demand subscription
Endpoint: [POST /checkouts](/api-reference/checkout-sessions/create)
Key request fields (body):\
Please find them in [Create Checkout Session](/api-reference/checkout-sessions/create)
### Create an on-demand subscription
```javascript theme={null}
import DodoPayments from 'dodopayments';
const client = new DodoPayments({
bearerToken: process.env.DODO_PAYMENTS_API_KEY,
environment: 'test_mode', // defaults to 'live_mode'
});
async function main() {
const subscription = await client.checkoutSessions.create({
product_cart: [{ product_id: 'pdt_123', quantity: 1 }],
billing_address: { city: 'SF', country: 'US', state: 'CA', street: '1 Market St', zipcode: '94105' },
customer: { customer_id: 'cus_123' },
return_url: 'https://example.com/billing/success',
subscription_data: {
on_demand: {
mandate_only: true // set false to collect an initial charge
// product_price: 1000, // optional: charge $10.00 now if mandate_only is false
// product_currency: 'USD',
// product_description: 'Custom initial charge',
// adaptive_currency_fees_inclusive: false,
}
}
});
console.log(subscription.checkout_url);
}
main().catch(console.error);
```
```python theme={null}
import os
from dodopayments import DodoPayments
client = DodoPayments(
bearer_token=os.environ.get('DODO_PAYMENTS_API_KEY'),
environment="test_mode", # defaults to "live_mode"
)
checkout = client.checkout_sessions.create(
product_cart=[
{"product_id": "pdt_123", "quantity": 1}
],
billing_address={
"city": "SF",
"country": "US",
"state": "CA",
"street": "1 Market St",
"zipcode": "94105",
},
customer={
"customer_id": "cus_123",
},
return_url="https://example.com/billing/success",
subscription_data={
"on_demand":{
"mandate_only": True, # set False to collect an initial charge
# "product_price": 1000, # optional: charge $10.00 now if mandate_only is false
# "product_currency": "USD",
# "product_description": "Custom initial charge",
# "adaptive_currency_fees_inclusive": False,
}
},
)
print(checkout.checkout_url)
```
```go theme={null}
package main
import (
"context"
"fmt"
"os"
"github.com/dodopayments/dodopayments-go"
"github.com/dodopayments/dodopayments-go/option"
)
func main() {
client := dodopayments.NewClient(
option.WithBearerToken(os.Getenv("DODO_PAYMENTS_API_KEY")),
option.WithEnvironmentTestMode(), // defaults to live mode
)
checkout, err := client.CheckoutSessions.New(context.TODO(), dodopayments.CheckoutSessionNewParams{
CheckoutSessionRequest: dodopayments.CheckoutSessionRequestParam{
ProductCart: dodopayments.F([]dodopayments.ProductItemReqParam{
{
ProductID: dodopayments.F("pdt_123"),
Quantity: dodopayments.F(int64(1)),
},
}),
BillingAddress: dodopayments.F(dodopayments.CheckoutSessionBillingAddressParam{
City: dodopayments.F("SF"),
Country: dodopayments.F(dodopayments.CountryCodeUs),
State: dodopayments.F("CA"),
Street: dodopayments.F("1 Market St"),
Zipcode: dodopayments.F("94105"),
}),
Customer: dodopayments.F[dodopayments.CustomerRequestUnionParam](
dodopayments.AttachExistingCustomerParam{
CustomerID: dodopayments.F("cus_123"),
},
),
ReturnURL: dodopayments.F("https://example.com/billing/success"),
SubscriptionData: dodopayments.F(dodopayments.SubscriptionDataParam{
OnDemand: dodopayments.F(dodopayments.OnDemandSubscriptionParam{
MandateOnly: dodopayments.F(true), // set false to collect an initial charge
// ProductPrice: dodopayments.F(int64(1000)), // optional: charge $10.00 now if mandate_only is false
// ProductCurrency: dodopayments.F(dodopayments.CurrencyUsd),
// ProductDescription: dodopayments.F("Custom initial charge"),
}),
}),
},
})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
fmt.Println(checkout.CheckoutURL)
}
```
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST "$DODO_API/checkouts" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $DODO_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"product_cart": [
{
"product_id": "pdt_123",
"quantity": 1
}
],
"customer": {
"customer_id": "cus_123"
},
"billing_address": {
"street": "1 Market St",
"city": "SF",
"state": "CA",
"country": "US",
"zipcode": "94105"
},
"subscription_data": {
"on_demand": {
"mandate_only": true
}
},
"return_url": "https://example.com/billing/success"
}'
```
```json Success theme={null}
{
"session_id": "cks_123",
"checkout_url": "https://test.checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks123"
}
```
## Charge an on-demand subscription
After the mandate is authorized, create charges as needed.
Endpoint: [POST /subscriptions/\{subscription\_id}/charge](/api-reference/subscriptions/create-charge)
Key request fields (body):
Amount to charge (in the smallest currency unit). Example: to charge \$25.00, pass 2500.
Optional currency override for the charge.
Optional description override for this charge.
If true, includes adaptive currency fees within product\_price. If false, fees are added on top.
Additional metadata for the payment. If omitted, the subscription metadata is used.
```javascript theme={null}
import DodoPayments from 'dodopayments';
const client = new DodoPayments({ bearerToken: process.env.DODO_PAYMENTS_API_KEY });
async function chargeNow(subscriptionId) {
const res = await client.subscriptions.charge(subscriptionId, { product_price: 2500 });
console.log(res.payment_id);
}
chargeNow('sub_123').catch(console.error);
```
```python theme={null}
import os
from dodopayments import DodoPayments
client = DodoPayments(bearer_token=os.environ.get('DODO_PAYMENTS_API_KEY'))
response = client.subscriptions.charge(
subscription_id="sub_123",
product_price=2500,
)
print(response.payment_id)
```
```go theme={null}
package main
import (
"context"
"fmt"
"github.com/dodopayments/dodopayments-go"
"github.com/dodopayments/dodopayments-go/option"
)
func main() {
client := dodopayments.NewClient(option.WithBearerToken("YOUR_API_KEY"))
res, err := client.Subscriptions.Charge(context.TODO(), "sub_123", dodopayments.SubscriptionChargeParams{
ProductPrice: dodopayments.F(int64(2500)),
})
if err != nil { panic(err) }
fmt.Println(res.PaymentID)
}
```
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST "$DODO_API/subscriptions/sub_123/charge" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $DODO_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"product_price": 2500,
"product_description": "Extra usage for March"
}'
```
```json Success theme={null}
{ "payment_id": "pay_abc123" }
```
Charging a subscription that is not on-demand may fail. Ensure the subscription has `on_demand: true` in its details before charging.
## Handling failed charges
When a charge against an on-demand subscription fails, you decide what happens next. Unlike scheduled subscriptions — where a failed renewal stops further automatic billing — **on-demand subscriptions remain chargeable after a failure**. You can call the charge endpoint again as part of your own retry logic.
### What happens on failure
The `POST /subscriptions/{subscription_id}/charge` request either returns an error response or completes asynchronously and emits a `payment.failed` webhook with the decline reason.
The subscription may move to the `on_hold` state and emit a `subscription.on_hold` webhook (see [Subscription States → On Hold](/features/subscription#on-hold-state)). This is a signal — not a lock. For on-demand subscriptions, `on_hold` does **not** prevent you from charging again.
For on-demand flows, Dodo does **not** auto-retry. You can call `POST /subscriptions/{subscription_id}/charge` again at any time to retry. Apply the [safe retry policy](#payment-retries) below — use exponential backoff, skip hard declines, and avoid burst patterns — so retries are not flagged by our fraud and risk systems.
यदि पुनः प्रयास विफल हो रहे हैं क्योंकि भुगतान विधि स्वयं टूटी हुई है (जैसे कि कार्ड का समाप्त होना, खाता बंद होना, आदि), तो ग्राहक से नया प्राप्त करने के लिए [`POST /subscriptions/{subscription_id}/update-payment-method`](/api-reference/subscriptions/update-payment-method) का उपयोग करें। सफलता पर, सदस्यता `active` में लौट आती है और `payment.succeeded` के बाद `subscription.active` वेबहुक जारी किए जाते हैं।
**On-demand vs scheduled**: For scheduled subscriptions, Dodo runs its own renewal retries and dunning. For on-demand subscriptions, you own the retry policy because only you know when the next charge should occur (it's driven by your usage events, not a calendar).
### Webhook sequence on a failed on-demand charge
| Order | Event | Meaning |
| ----- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 1 | `payment.failed` | The on-demand charge attempt did not succeed (includes the decline reason) |
| 2 | `subscription.on_hold` | The subscription was placed on hold (informational; does not block further charges) |
| 3\* | `payment.succeeded` | A subsequent charge — either your retry or after a payment method update — succeeded |
| 4\* | `subscription.active` | The subscription returned to `active` after a successful charge |
Events 3 and 4 only fire after a follow-up charge succeeds.
### Retry responsibility
Dodo Payments **does not auto-retry failed on-demand charges**. You own the retry policy. Follow the safe retry guidelines below to avoid being flagged by our fraud detection systems as card testing.
[Subscription Dunning](/features/recovery/subscription-dunning) — the built-in email recovery sequence — is scoped to failed *renewal* payments on scheduled subscriptions and customer-initiated cancellations. It is not designed for on-demand charge failures. Communicate with the customer directly (e.g., transactional email or in-app prompt) when you decide the payment method needs to be updated.
## Payment retries
Our fraud detection system may block aggressive retry patterns (and can flag them as potential card testing). Follow a safe retry policy.
Burst retry patterns can be flagged as fraudulent or suspected card testing by our risk systems and processors. Avoid clustered retries; follow the backoff schedule and time alignment guidance below.
### Principles for safe retry policies
* **Backoff mechanism**: Use exponential backoff between retries.
* **Retry limits**: Cap total retries (3–4 attempts max).
* **Intelligent filtering**: Retry only on retryable failures (e.g., network/issuer errors, insufficient funds); never retry hard declines.
* **Card testing prevention**: Do not retry failures like `DO_NOT_HONOR`, `STOLEN_CARD`, `LOST_CARD`, `PICKUP_CARD`, `FRAUDULENT`, `AUTHENTICATION_FAILURE`.
* **Vary metadata (optional)**: If you maintain your own retry system, differentiate retries via metadata (e.g., `retry_attempt`).
### Suggested retry schedule (subscriptions)
* **1st attempt**: Immediate when you create the charge
* **2nd attempt**: After 3 days
* **3rd attempt**: After 7 more days (10 days total)
* **4th attempt (final)**: After another 7 days (17 days total)
Final step: if still unpaid, mark the subscription as unpaid or cancel it, based on your policy. Notify the customer during the window to update their payment method.
### Avoid burst retries; align to authorization time
* Anchor retries to the original authorization timestamp to avoid "burst" behavior across your portfolio.
* Example: If the customer starts a trial or mandate at 1:10 pm today, schedule follow-up retries at 1:10 pm on subsequent days per your backoff (e.g., +3 days → 1:10 pm, +7 days → 1:10 pm).
* Alternatively, if you store the last successful payment time `T`, schedule the next attempt at `T + X days` to preserve time-of-day alignment.
Time-zone and DST: use a consistent time standard for scheduling and convert for display only to maintain intervals.
### Decline codes you should not retry
* `STOLEN_CARD`
* `DO_NOT_HONOR`
* `FRAUDULENT`
* `PICKUP_CARD`
* `AUTHENTICATION_FAILURE`
* `LOST_CARD`
For a comprehensive list of decline reasons and whether they are user-correctable, see the
[Transaction Failures](/api-reference/transaction-failures) documentation.
Only retry on soft/temporary issues (e.g., `insufficient_funds`, `issuer_unavailable`, `processing_error`, network timeouts). If the same decline repeats, pause further retries.
### Implementation guidelines (no code)
* Use a scheduler/queue that persists precise timestamps; compute next attempt at the exact time-of-day offset (e.g., `T + 3 days` at the same HH:MM).
* Maintain and reference the last successful payment timestamp `T` to compute the next attempt; do not bunch multiple subscriptions at the same instant.
* Always evaluate the last decline reason; stop retries for hard declines in the skip list above.
* Cap concurrent retries per customer and per account to prevent accidental surges.
* Communicate proactively: email/SMS the customer to update their payment method before the next scheduled attempt.
* Use metadata only for observability (e.g., `retry_attempt`); never try to "evade" fraud/risk systems by rotating inconsequential fields.
## Cancellation
On-demand subscriptions follow a different cancellation flow from scheduled subscriptions because there is no fixed billing cycle to anchor an immediate end date.
### Customer portal behavior
When a customer cancels an on-demand subscription from the [Customer Portal](/features/customer-portal), the cancellation is **scheduled for the next billing date** by default. The **Cancel Now** option is intentionally not shown for on-demand subscriptions.
The reason: on-demand subscriptions do not have predictable recurring renewal dates — the next charge time is driven entirely by your usage events. Scheduling cancellation at the next billing date keeps the mandate active until the period boundary so any in-flight usage can still be charged, then ends the subscription cleanly.
After the customer confirms cancellation:
* The subscription stays `active` and remains chargeable via `POST /subscriptions/{id}/charge` until the scheduled cancellation date.
* `cancel_at_next_billing_date` is set to `true` on the subscription.
* A `subscription.cancelled` webhook is emitted when the cancellation takes effect.
If you need to end the subscription immediately (for example, in response to a refund or a support request), cancel it programmatically via the API instead of relying on the customer portal flow.
### Cancel programmatically
You can cancel an on-demand subscription via the API at any time. You control whether the cancellation is immediate or scheduled.
Endpoint: [PATCH /subscriptions/\{subscription\_id}](/api-reference/subscriptions/patch-subscriptions)
Set the subscription `status` to `cancelled` to end it right away. The mandate is revoked and no further charges can be created.
```javascript theme={null}
import DodoPayments from 'dodopayments';
const client = new DodoPayments({ bearerToken: process.env.DODO_PAYMENTS_API_KEY });
await client.subscriptions.update('sub_123', {
status: 'cancelled',
});
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -X PATCH "$DODO_API/subscriptions/sub_123" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $DODO_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{ "status": "cancelled" }'
```
Mirror the customer portal behavior — keep the subscription active until the scheduled cancellation date, then end it.
```javascript theme={null}
import DodoPayments from 'dodopayments';
const client = new DodoPayments({ bearerToken: process.env.DODO_PAYMENTS_API_KEY });
await client.subscriptions.update('sub_123', {
cancel_at_next_billing_date: true,
});
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -X PATCH "$DODO_API/subscriptions/sub_123" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $DODO_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{ "cancel_at_next_billing_date": true }'
```
### Webhooks on cancellation
| Event | When it fires |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `subscription.cancelled` | Subscription is fully cancelled and no longer chargeable |
| `subscription.plan_changed` | `cancel_at_next_billing_date` was toggled (scheduled cancellation set or undone) |
To distinguish on-demand cancellations from scheduled-subscription cancellations in your handler, check the subscription's `on_demand` flag when processing the webhook.
## Track outcomes with webhooks
Implement webhook handling to track the customer journey. See [Implementing Webhooks](/developer-resources/integration-guide#implementing-webhooks).
* **subscription.active**: Mandate authorized and subscription activated
* **subscription.failed**: Creation failed (e.g., mandate failure)
* **subscription.on\_hold**: Subscription placed on hold (e.g., unpaid state)
* **subscription.cancelled**: Subscription fully cancelled (see [Cancellation](#cancellation))
* **payment.succeeded**: Charge succeeded
* **payment.failed**: Charge failed
For on-demand flows, focus on `payment.succeeded` and `payment.failed` to reconcile usage-based charges. When `payment.failed` is followed by `subscription.on_hold`, see [Handling failed charges](#handling-failed-charges) to recover the subscription.
## Testing and next steps
सब्सक्रिप्शन बनाने के लिए अपनी परीक्षण API कुंजी का उपयोग करें, फिर लौटाए गए `checkout_url` को खोलें और अनुमोदन पूरा करें।
एक छोटा सा चार्ज भेजने के लिए चार्ज एन्डपॉइंट को कॉल करें `product_price` (उदा., `100`) और सत्यापित करें कि आपको `payment.succeeded` प्राप्त हो।
एक बार जब आप इवेंट्स और आंतरिक स्थिति अपडेट को सत्यापित कर लेते हैं, तो अपनी लाइव API कुंजी में स्विच करें।
## Troubleshooting
* **422 Invalid Request**: Ensure `on_demand.mandate_only` is provided on creation and `product_price` is provided for charges.
* **Currency errors**: If you override `product_currency`, confirm it's supported for your account and customer.
* **No webhooks received**: Verify your webhook URL and signature secret configuration.