# Recurring / Tokenization

Kustom Checkout (KCO) recurring payments simplify subscription and on-demand charging processes.  This functionality allows merchants to sell subscriptions easily, similar to standard KCO purchases. A unique token is generated with the initial purchase. This token is used for subsequent recurring orders via the Kustom Customer Token API.

This feature requires enabling in the Kustom account; contact Kustom merchant support for setup.

## How it's done

To implement recurring payments, add the `recurring` field (and optionally `recurring_description`) to the create order API call.  The example below demonstrates this:


```json
Accept: application/json
Authorization: Basic a2xhcm5hOnVuaWNvcm5z
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "recurring": true,
  "recurring_description": "12 month subscription"     // optional field
}
```

* If `recurring` is set to `true`, financing payment methods are not available.


### Add subscription details to the order

Recurring subscription order lines require a subscription object.  This allows Kustom to make better underwriting decisions and provide more appropriate payment options for the consumer.  See the linked documentation for more details on this object.

[Link to subscription details](/contents/checkout/additional-resources/subscription-object-details)

### Consumer completes the purchase

After the purchase, the KCO order contains a `recurring_token`.  This token must be stored and used by the merchant ID that created it, for subsequent recurring orders via the Kustom Customer Token API.

### Creating the recurring order

Utilize the Kustom Customer Token API to create recurring orders using the stored token.

### Fallback for recurring order

If the payment method associated with the token cannot be captured (response 403, `PAYMENT_METHOD_FAILED`), retry at a later time.  If unsuccessful, inform the customer of the need to update their payment method to continue their subscription.