This article covers
When would I use the Record now and the Collect now option?
Why are there 2 options to mark the payment for the invoice? Which one should I use?
Summary
Both the options - 'Collect Now' and 'Record now' are used to mark the payment for an invoice but the mode of payment is what makes the difference here. In simple terms, Record now is used for Offline payments, and Collect now is used for Online payments.
Solution
Collect Now:
This option will be seen for invoices only when you have customer/subscription records with auto-collection set to ON. This means that the customer’s mode of payment is online.
Once done, the customer will be charged immediately from the payment method that is saved as the Primary payment method.
You can also automate this via API by using the Collect payment for an invoice API call. Again, if you happen to use this for a customer/subscription with Auto collection is OFF, then you would face an error on your end.
Record Now:
This option will be seen for all due invoices - regardless of the Auto-collection status of the customer/subscription; The reason is that you can still have the option to record offline payments for customers/subscriptions with Auto-collection is ON.
You can also automate this via API by using the Record an invoice payment API call.
Note: You’ll have the field to enter the amount in the next step for both option.
You can enter a value less than or equal to the invoice amount. The invoice status will be marked as 'paid' if its amount due becomes 0 because of this recorded payment.
Related articles and Documentation
- Can I record partial payments with these options?
- How to charge a card before the next retry after a failed payment?