# Repeat payments

Explains recurring payments and installment payments, and how to choose between your own software or our gateway to manage them

**Prerequisites:** [Authentication](/api/authentication)

Repeat payments are payments that a merchant takes from a customer on a regular schedule. For example, a merchant may offer a monthly product such as a magazine subscription or a merchant may allow customers to split large payments into smaller regular payments. The two types of repeat payments that we support are:

- **Recurring payment:** A repeat payment that has no known end date. Examples of recurring payments include:- A customer joins a merchant’s gym and the merchant takes $40 each month until the customer cancels their membership.
  - A customer subscribes to a weekly magazine and the merchant takes $5 each week until the customer cancels their subscription.
- **Installment payment:** A single large transaction that a customer pays over a fixed period. Examples of installment payments include:- A customer buys a television for $1200 and the merchant takes $100 each month for a year.
  - A customer books a holiday that costs $2000 and the merchant takes $250 each month for eight months.

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## Set up repeat payments

To set up and manage repeat payments, you can either:

- Use your own software to manage payments, and our gateway to process them.

OR

- Use our gateway to manage and process payments.

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## Guides

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#### [Use your own software](/guides/payments/repeat-payments/using-your-own-system-for-recurring-billing)

Use your own software to take repeat payments.

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#### [Use our gateway](/guides/payments/repeat-payments/using-our-gateway-for-recurring-billing)

Create a payment plan to take repeat payments.