FAQ
The questions that come up most, kept short. Each answer links to the page that goes deeper.
For subscribers
What happens if the keeper stops running?
Nothing gets lost. A charge settles when someone triggers it — the keeper is just the default trigger. If the keeper is down, settlement waits, and the delay does not stack up: a keeper offline for five periods still collects only one charge, not five. See the mandate lifecycle for why charging is permissionless.
Will a charge work while I am offline?
Yes. Charges are taken from your vault balance, not straight from your wallet. That is deliberate — it lets a charge settle while you are offline, and it caps the most anyone can take at what you deposited. See for subscribers.
Can a merchant raise my price?
No. Price and billing period are frozen into the mandate at subscribe time and never re-read. If the merchant wants new pricing, they publish a new plan; your mandate stays on the terms you agreed to. See what can go wrong.
What if my vault is empty when a charge comes due?
The charge fails. Nothing is owed automatically and the merchant is not paid for a failed charge — it is the same risk as a declined card. Top up the vault and it will settle next time it is due. See what can go wrong.
How do I actually stop paying?
You have three independent levers and any one is enough: cancel the mandate, pause it, or withdraw your vault balance. Nobody can block any of these, and your funds are never locked. See how to actually stop paying.
For merchants
Can I rely on being paid?
No. A mandate means you may collect what was agreed — not that the funds will be there. If a subscriber’s vault is empty the charge fails. Treat it like a declined card: retry, notify, and dun. See what Payflow does not give you.
Who can end one of my subscribers’ mandates?
You can, with end_mandate from the merchant dashboard. It cancels the mandate for good and stops future charges — it cannot take money from the subscriber or refund it. Deactivating a plan stops new subscriptions but does not end existing mandates. See ending a subscriber’s mandate.
Am I dependent on the Payflow keeper being online to get paid?
No. Charging is permissionless: the merchant dashboard, or anyone else, can settle a due mandate. No user funds are stranded if an operator goes away. See why charging is permissionless.
Fees
What does the protocol cost?
The current testnet deployment charges 1% per settled charge, capped in the contract at 10% (MAX_FEE_BPS = 1000). On a 10 XLM charge the merchant receives 9.9 XLM. The fee is frozen into each mandate at subscribe time. See economics — the fee.