When a client cancels or revokes their direct debit (BECS) mandate, Rechargly can no longer collect their payments and the next invoice will fail. This article explains how to recognise when a cancelled mandate is the cause and how to get the client re-authorised so billing can resume.
What happens when a mandate is cancelled
A BECS direct debit mandate is the client's authority for Rechargly (via Stripe) to debit their bank account. A client can cancel that authority at any time. The most common ways are:
Asking their bank to cancel or block the direct debit, sometimes because they did not recognise the debit on their statement.
Cancelling it themselves from a payment notification or receipt.
Once the mandate is cancelled, the authority no longer exists, so the next collection cannot be taken. In Rechargly the payment shows as failed, and in Stripe the charge fails with a mandate or authorisation error (the bank effectively blocks it).
How to confirm a cancelled mandate is the cause
Open the client on the Agreements page and check the payment status. A cancelled mandate typically has a failed payment and a fail reason "Debit Not Authorized".
How to fix it: re-authorise the mandate
A cancelled mandate cannot be reused. The client has two options:
Contact their bank and request a letter confirming that the payments from Stripe are valid. This letter needs to be shown to the Stripe support team so the block can be lifted.
Resend the client agreement so the client can set up their agreement using a different payment method.
Preventing it from happening again
Clients often cancel because they did not recognise the charge. To reduce this:
Make sure the bank statement descriptor reflects your firm's name so clients recognise it.
Let clients know in advance (at onboarding) that the debit will appear under your firm via Rechargly.