

Taking payment for Subscriptions  - lakeeffect

We want to be able to offer paid subscription accounts on our site for advanced features.  Any recommendations on what services to use to collect payments?  
On a quick overview Amazon seemed incredibly expensive while something like Google checkout didn't seem to offer recurring payments.  
What are the hidden gems you are using to facilitate these transfers?<p>Also, we are using Django.
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lpgauth
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200920>
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79066>
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41303>
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=125097>
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=116503>
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33505>
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=73736> ...

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bprater
Man, wouldn't it rock for Y!Hack to have a resource section?!

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breily
<http://ask.searchyc.com/>
<http://www.gabrielweinberg.com/startupswiki/Ask_YC_Archive>

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azsromej
I use PayPal and IPN to set up subscriptions. You can include a code in your
link to indicate the frequency of payment. You can also provide links that
allow a user to modify their subscription (eg, upgrade to the next plan). It's
worked well so far.

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whyleyc
+1 for PayPal and IPN, it's relatively easy to setup - no waiting around to
get a merchant account etc. However we do have some reservations about
abandonment rate through PayPal - a lot of users are put off by having to
signup for an account with them if they are new to the service.

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rwebb
these guys are great:

<http://www.braintreepaymentsolutions.com/>

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shuleatt
I would look into Aria Systems: <http://www.ariasystems.com/product/billing>
They have an implementation fee but they have outstanding services

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coglethorpe
I used PayPal with it's Instant Payment Notifications for one time payments.
It works ok for now.. I seem to recall something about recurring payments
there. You might want to check their docs.

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ajbatac
Advice: Once you find the page, bookmark it. It's really frustrating
navigating around PayPal. You can get lost easily.

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coglethorpe
That's good advice!

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lanej0
I just found internetsecure.com when I was looking for the same. Best I've
found so far.

Paypal makes me uneasy because they've already locked my account once "for
suspected security reasons". If I'm running a business, I can't just have my
payment processor arbitrarily lock my account without further explanation.

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spencerfry
We use PayPal and Credit Cards (Visa, MC, Discover, and AmEx) through Chase
Paymentech (<http://www.chasepaymentech.com/>). We don't support Google
Checkout, because nobody uses it, but I do want to take a look at Amazon
eventually.

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nazgulnarsil
paypal is garbage, avoid them like the plague.

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j0ncc
Some people might not like paypal but a vast majority of users will be hoping
for this option (me for one). If you can add it as an option i'd recommend it.

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jraines
Agreed. Installed user base and brand recognition aren't to be underestimated
with a service to which people have to entrust their payment information.

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ra
<http://searchyc.com/payments>

