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Copy file name to clipboardExpand all lines: src/content/blog/2026-04-30-subscriptions-with-open-payments-poc.mdx
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@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ Before this experiment, Testnet already had two visible product surfaces:
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- Wallet - which owns wallet-specific experiences, wallet addresses, transactions, and direct Rafiki and GateHub integrations.
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- Boutique - which owns the storefront, catalog, checkout, orders, and boutique-side payment records.
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For simplicity the we don't surface a store backend to manage the product catalog and orders.
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For simplicity the we don't surface a store backend to manage the product catalog and orders.
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The baseline architecture looked like this:
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@@ -141,8 +141,6 @@ Two design decisions make the model more practical.
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The first subscription purchase deliberately mirrors the existing one-time checkout where possible, but adds a durable subscription record before the buyer leaves the boutique UI.
@@ -155,7 +153,6 @@ This sequence does two things that the baseline system never needed to do.
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That is the point where recurring commerce stops being a checkout variation and becomes a lifecycle problem.
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## Renewal and past-due recovery
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Once a subscription is active, the system needs to bill again later without forcing the buyer through the full interactive flow each time.
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style={{ width: '100%' }}
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/>
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<figcaption>
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Subscription detail view showing a `PAST_DUE` subscription with re-authorize and retry presented as separate user actions.
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Subscription detail view showing a `PAST_DUE` subscription with re-authorize
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and retry presented as separate user actions.
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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@@ -231,18 +229,19 @@ Compared with one-time purchases, this is the real architectural jump. The syste
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### Wallet frontend
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This is where the PoC becomes concrete for users: the wallet does not just expose that recurring billing exists, it exposes the exact subscription state and the payment history that explains how that state was reached.
alt="Subscription detail view with payments history"
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style={{ width: '100%' }}
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/>
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<figcaption>
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Subscription detail view showing a daily subscription service with daily payments in the payment history section.
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Subscription detail view showing a daily subscription service with daily
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payments in the payment history section.
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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- Added a top-level subscriptions section.
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- Added subscription detail pages and payment history.
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- Added retry and re-authorize actions for `PAST_DUE` subscriptions.
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In that sense, subscriptions are a better systems test than one-time payments. A successful one-time flow proves interactive authorization and payment execution. A successful subscription flow proves that the same ecosystem can support long-lived commercial intent, asynchronous renewal, and explicit recovery without collapsing into unclear ownership or unsafe automation.
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## Benefits, trade-offs, and open questions on the PoC build on top of Testnet platform.
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The experiment branch introduces clear benefits.
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If the payment model works only for one-time purchases, Open Payments remains useful but narrow. If it can also support subscription setup, renewal, visibility, and recovery across multiple services, then it starts to look like infrastructure that can support a broader class of merchant experiences.
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Testnet is the right place to ask that question because it already gives us a realistic playground: wallet flows, boutique checkout, Open Payments integration, and enough architectural surface area to expose the hard parts early.
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Testnet is the right place to ask that question because it already gives us a realistic playground: wallet flows, boutique checkout, Open Payments integration, and enough architectural surface area to expose the hard parts early.
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