Migrate existing recurring payments

Migrate your existing recurring series without an initial transaction.


If you’re undergoing a migration from another acquirer or gateway, you can simplify the process with emerchantpay’s non-referenced recurring payments feature. This allows you to migrate subscription traffic or continue your existing series of recurring payments without an initial transaction.

Submit a request for subsequent recurring payments


  1. Choose the payment type
  2. Select either sale or authorize based on your business requirements.

  3. Specify the recurring type
  4. Mark the transaction as subsequent in the recurring type field.

  5. Include key parameters
  6. In the transaction request, provide the following parameters: credential_on_file_transaction_identifier credential_on_file_settlement_date. For specifics related to certain acquirers, contact Tech Support for detailed information.

  7. Specify the amount and customer details
  8. Specify the amount for the recurring payment. Include essential customer details: card_number, expiration_date, and billing_address.

To initiate a request for subsequent recurring payments, use the parameters outlined in the table below.

Parameter Required Format Description
transaction_type required string(255) The type of transaction, specifying either authorize or sale.
recurring_type required string(255) Specifies recurring type of transaction, “subsequent”.
transaction_id required string(255) A unique transaction ID defined by you.
remote_ip required IPv4 or IPv6 address The IPv4 or IPv6 address of the customer
amount required integer >= 0 The amount (in minor currency units) that transfers to your bank account or debit card. See Currency and Amount Handling for more details.
currency required string(3) The three-letter currency code following ISO 4217 standards associated with the transaction.
card_holder required string(255) The full name of the customer as printed on the credit or debit card.
card_number required 13 to 16 digits The primary account number (PAN) of the credit or debit card, typically comprising 13 to 16 digits.
cvv required 3 to 4 digits A security code found on credit or debit cards, used for verification in card-not-present transactions.
expiration_month required MM The expiration month as stated on the credit or debit card.
expiration_year required YYYY The expiration year as stated on the credit or debit card.
scheme_tokenized required “true” Required when the card_number is DPAN instead of Funding Primary Account Number. See Tokenized e-commerce for more details.
credential_on_file required Refers to the Credential On File (COF) arrangement. See Credential On File (COF) for more details.
credential_on_file_transaction_identifier required string(9-15) Identifier for Credential On File (COF) transactions. Its length must be 15 for Visa cards and between 9 to 12 for Mastercard/Maestro cards. See Credential On File (COF) for more details.
credential_on_file_settlement_date required The settlement date of the transaction. Required for Mastercard/Maestro transactions only. See Credential On File (COF) for more details.
customer_email required e-mail address A valid email address of the customer.
customer_phone required string(32) A valid phone number of the customer.
birth_date required dd-mm-yyyy Required when the Merchant Category Code (MCC) corresponds to Financial Services (e.g., MCC 6012), and the transaction involves either a Visa or Mastercard/Maestro card with a UK-based merchant, UK-based BIN (domestic), and DEBIT card type.
document_id required string(255) Unique identifier representing a document within the system. Required for some countries.

Example request:

<payment_transaction>
    <transaction_type>sale</transaction_type>
    <recurring_type>subsequent</recurring_type>
    <transaction_id>119643250541501c79d8295</transaction_id>
    <remote_ip>245.253.2.12</remote_ip>
    <amount>100</amount>
    <currency>EUR</currency>
    <card_holder>Travis Pastrana</card_holder>
    <card_number>5555555555554444</card_number> 
    <expiration_month>12</expiration_month>
    <expiration_year>2024</expiration_year>
    <credential_on_file_transaction_identifier>MCSQF8SOC</credential_on_file_transaction_identifier>
    <credential_on_file_settlement_date>0107</credential_on_file_settlement_date>  
    <billing_address>
      <first_name>Travis</first_name>
      <last_name>Pastrana</last_name>
      <address1>Muster Str. 12</address1>
      <zip_code>10178</zip_code>
      <city>Los Angeles</city>
      <state>CA</state>
      <country>US</country>
    </billing_address> 
</payment_transaction>

Example of a successful response:

<payment_response>
	<transaction_type>sale</transaction_type>
	<status>approved</status>
	<recurring_type>subsequent</recurring_type>
	<cvv_result_code> </cvv_result_code>
	<authorization_code>197996</authorization_code>
	<retrieval_reference_number>408709000337</retrieval_reference_number>
	<scheme_response_code>00</scheme_response_code>
	<unique_id>56c0661eafa822314c9065e68a0d0c57</unique_id>
	<transaction_id>119643250541501c79d8295</transaction_id>
	<response_code>00</response_code>
	<technical_message>TESTMODE: No real money will be transferred!</technical_message>
	<message>TESTMODE: No real money will be transferred!</message>
	<mode>test</mode>
	<timestamp>2024-03-27T09:23:43Z</timestamp>
	<descriptor>AT_GENESIS_PSP</descriptor>
	<amount>100</amount>
	<currency>EUR</currency>
	<scheme_transaction_identifier>MCS132583</scheme_transaction_identifier>
	<scheme_settlement_date>0107</scheme_settlement_date>
</payment_response>