Running subscriptions at scale is harder than it looks. You need to handle recurring billing. Track payment failures. Manage trials, upgrades, downgrades, and cancellations. Support multiple payment methods across different regions. And do all of this without breaking your billing logic every time a customer makes a change.
Most businesses start with basic tools or build their own system. That works fine at first. But as you grow, the complexity catches up. You're spending more time fixing billing issues than building your product.
Here's what you actually need in subscription management software and how to handle the messy parts.
What Subscription Management Software Does
Subscription management softwares automate the billing cycle so you don't have to handle each payment manually. Instead of charging customers yourself every month, you set up a plan. The system takes care of the rest: collecting payments, generating invoices, managing failed transactions, and updating subscription status.
Core functions:
Charge customers automatically on a set schedule
Generate and track invoices for each billing cycle
Handle payment retries when transactions fail
Support plan changes without rebuilding your billing logic
Track subscription status across the full lifecycle
If you're running a subscription business with more than a handful of customers, you need this. Otherwise, you're manually tracking who paid, who didn't, and who needs to be downgraded or cancelled.
>Want to see how leading MEA businesses are automating their entire subscription lifecycle? Let’s help you explore MoneyHash’s subscription engine.
Why Basic Tools Don't Work for Enterprises
Small businesses can usually get by with Stripe Billing or a simple in-house system. But larger enterprises run into problems fast.
Common issues:
You operate in multiple regions with different payment methods and compliance rules
You need flexible billing models: annual plans, usage-based pricing, custom contracts
You handle thousands of transactions daily and can't afford manual intervention
You need to route payments intelligently to reduce costs and improve success rates
You want unified reporting across all payment providers and regions
Basic tools lock you into one payment provider. They don't handle regional requirements well. And they don't give you control over how transactions are routed or retried.
That's where platforms like MoneyHash come in. They're built to handle complex subscription models across multiple markets without forcing you to manage dozens of integrations yourself.
Types of Subscription Churn
Before you can fix your subscription problems, you need to understand why customers leave. Not all churn is the same. And different types require different solutions.
Voluntary Churn
This is when customers actively decide to cancel. They're not getting enough value. They found a competitor. Their needs changed. Or they can't afford it anymore.
Common causes:
Product doesn't meet expectations
Price too high for perceived value
Poor customer experience
Better alternative exists
Customer's business needs changed
Voluntary churn is harder to prevent because it's based on the customer's decision. You can reduce it by improving your product, offering better support, or adjusting pricing. But you can't eliminate it entirely.
Involuntary Churn
This is when customers want to stay subscribed but something prevents payment from going through. Their card expired. The transaction was declined. They didn't update their billing information.
Common causes:
Expired credit cards
Insufficient funds
Card declined by issuer
Outdated billing information
Payment processor issues
Involuntary churn is easier to fix because the customer still wants your service. You just need to collect payment successfully. This is where your subscription management software matters most. Good softwares reduce involuntary churn by:
Automatically retrying failed payments
Notifying customers before their card expires
Routing to backup payment methods when primary fails
Making it easy for customers to update billing information
Studies show that involuntary churn can account for 20-40% of total churn. That's revenue you're losing not because customers left, but because your billing system failed.
As your subscription business grows, you'll add pricing tiers, usage-based fees, regional variations, and seasonal options. Each addition makes your billing system more fragile and creates more opportunities for involuntary churn.
How to Manage Complex Subscription Models
Whether you're a SaaS platform adding usage-based tiers or a subscription box company letting users skip shipments during Ramadan, complexity sneaks up fast. The question is: how do you handle it without rebuilding your billing logic every time something changes?
You start by picking the model that fits your customers' needs. Then you let the right infrastructure handle the execution. That's where MoneyHash helps. Here are three common subscription models and how our orchestration simplifies each one.
Tiered Subscription Model (SaaS Platforms)
Used by: API platforms, CRMs, B2B SaaS companies
You offer multiple subscription tiers with different features and pricing. Maybe it's Starter, Pro, and Enterprise. Customers want both monthly and annual options. Some want to pay in USD. Others prefer AED or SAR. With a basic billing system, you're hard-coding logic for each tier. You manually adjust when someone upgrades. And you deal with currency conversion headaches every month.
The orchestration advantage: You define all your pricing tiers and billing frequencies once. Our platform routes payments based on customer location and preferred currency. If a payment fails with one gateway, it automatically tries another. When customers upgrade or downgrade, the system handles the transition without manual intervention. You're not rebuilding billing rules. You're just configuring them.
Subscription Box Model (eCommerce & Marketplaces)
Used by: Subscription box services, online marketplaces, on-demand services
You sell a core monthly plan - say, a meal kit in Egypt - with the flexibility to pause, resume, or adjust delivery schedules.
The orchestration advantage: MoneyHash handles automated recurring billing in multiple currencies (EGP, AED, SAR). It connects to hundreds of local payment providers, so customers can pay using methods they actually use. Smart retry logic kicks in when payments fail. The system tries different gateways or payment methods based on pre-defined rules. Fewer failures mean less churn and less manual work for your team.
Custom Contract Billing (Enterprise Fintech or SaaS)
Used by: Enterprise software vendors, B2B platforms with custom contracts
You invoice based on custom terms. Different billing cycles. Custom discount structures. Fixed-term commitments. Every enterprise client has unique requirements. With basic tools, you're manually scheduling invoices. You're reconciling payments late. And every new contract means writing new backend rules.
The orchestration advantage: Your finance team can customize subscription parameters per customer without touching code. Set custom pricing, adjust billing cycles, apply specific discounts—all through the platform interface. Complex flows run automatically. No new backend rules. No delays in reconciliation. Just configure the terms and let the system execute.
What to Look for in the Best Subscription Management Software
The best subscription management software should make your team’s life easier not more complicated. Here’s how -
1. Billing Flexibility Without Engineering Hell
Fixed monthly, annual billing cycles, trial periods, or custom pricing per customer – your software should let you configure plans without needing to rewrite code every week. MoneyHash lets you configure all of this through plans. A plan is a template that defines pricing, billing frequency, trial periods, and discounts. You create the plan once. Then you can apply it to as many customers as you want.
2. Recurring Billing That Just Works
You need a recurring billing system that:
Knows when to bill
Handles retries automatically
Lets users pause, resume, upgrade, or cancel easily
Companies using recovery tools (like smart retries or pause/resume options) saved 72% of at-risk subscribers, recovering over $254M.
3. Invoices That Meet Regional Requirements
Now let's talk about invoicing, because if your invoice doesn't make sense to your customer, you've already lost. In regions like Saudi Arabia, you're dealing with SAMA-compliant e-invoicing standards and 15% VAT requirements. In Egypt, e-invoicing is mandatory for B2B transactions and must align with local authority schemas.
Your platform needs to produce digital invoices that are legally compliant and support multi-currency billing. That means correct formatting for EGP, AED, or NGN, and clearly itemized taxes where applicable.
4. Integrated Payments and APMs
If you're still relying only on card payments, you're missing a chunk of your market. Today's customers expect choice and that includes alternative payment methods (APMs) like mobile wallets, buy-now-pay-later, or even direct bank transfers. These aren't just nice-to-have options; in many emerging markets, they're essential. A good platform doesn't just accept these methods, it makes them feel native to your checkout experience.
Card failure? BNPL can be a fallback. In emerging markets, where card infrastructure varies, APMs are essential.
5. Real-Time Revenue Intelligence
Data is your superpower, if you can actually access it. The best subscription platforms don't just show you what was billed. They help you understand why revenue is growing (or leaking), where churn is spiking, and which plans are performing across regions. With the right insights, your finance and growth teams stop playing catch-up and start planning ahead.
Why MoneyHash Works for Complex Subscriptions in Emerging Markets
Most subscription platforms were built for mature markets with stable payment infrastructure. Emerging markets are different. Payment preferences vary wildly. Regulations change. Infrastructure is fragmented. And customers use payment methods that Western platforms don't even support.
MoneyHash is built to handle this reality. Here's how the subscription product works:
What sets it apart:
Plan Management & Flexibility
Create daily, weekly, monthly, annual, or custom fixed-cycle plans with free trials, one-time setup fees, and flexible discount structures. No code needed.
Automated Invoicing & Multi-Method Payments
Generate invoices automatically per billing cycle. Collect payment via cards, wallets, or bank transfers. Support the payment methods your customers actually use.
Lifecycle Control
Let customers pause and resume subscriptions. Cancel immediately or at period-end. The system tracks subscription status automatically so you always know where things stand.
Full Data Visibility
Each invoice is a distinct object with complete payment status tracking. You get full insight into who's paid, who's due, and who's at risk.
And it doesn't stop there. Through the payment orchestration engine, you also get:
Integrated PSP routing by geography or currency – route payments to the right provider based on where your customer is
Smart retries and failover for failed payments – automatically retry through different providers when payments fail
Token migration tools – switch PSPs without losing customer data or disrupting charges
Real business results – up to 28% boost in retry success and 60% reduction in finance team time spent on reconciliation
No matter how complex the model—hybrid, modular, milestone, usage-based—orchestration lets you control, adapt, and scale without chaos. And MoneyHash is built specifically to bring this orchestration to subscription management in emerging markets. Want to see for yourself? Book a demo today.
TL;DR
Subscription software automates recurring billing so you're not manually tracking payments, failed transactions, or plan changes for every customer.
Two types of churn need different fixes: voluntary (customer leaves), and involuntary (payment fails).
Complex models need orchestration: tiered SaaS plans, subscription boxes, and custom enterprise contracts all require flexible infrastructure that routes payments intelligently without constant manual intervention.
Must-have features: flexible billing plans, automatic and manual payment options, subscription customization per customer, lifecycle status tracking, and smart retry logic for failed payments.
Emerging markets need different infrastructure: fragmented payment methods, varying regulations, and regional preferences mean you need a platform that connects to 300+ providers through one integration.
MoneyHash reduces involuntary churn by up to 28% through smart retries and PSP routing, while cutting finance team reconciliation time by 60%.
Author:
Eseosa Osayimwen
Content Manager