Managing Customer Data in PayWhirl
PayWhirl is a powerful platform that allows you to manage your customer data with ease. Whether you need to update customer information, view customer data, or delete customer data, PayWhirl has you covered. In this article, we will walk you through managing customer data in PayWhirl.
For Multi-Platform users only. Shopify users, click here.
Creating a Customer
Go to Customers > Create to add a new customer. Enter their details and choose a payment gateway (use the PayWhirl Test Gateway for testing).
Please note: Once a gateway is selected, it can't be changed, so make sure you pick the right one!
Managing Customers
Head to Customers to search, sort, and edit customer details. Use the search bar to find a customer quickly, or sort by column headers. Click the customer ID number to view their profile and manage their account.
Customer Details
Each customer profile contains essential information and management tools to help you oversee their account. Here, you can update customer details, manage subscriptions, view invoices, and more. This section gives you complete visibility and control over a customer's interactions with your business.
The customer profile includes:
Customer Information – Edit login details, fix typos, update addresses, and add admin-only notes to keep track of preferences, issues, or anything else important.
Subscriptions – View, add, or cancel customer subscriptions. Adjust details like trial periods or promo codes as needed.
Invoices – See past and upcoming invoices. Edit details, retry failed payments, or charge invoices if necessary.
Payments – A full history of customer payments, including transaction status. Refunds can be processed here.
Payment Method – Add, edit, or update customer payment details, and set a default payment method.
Customer Portal – See what the customer sees! This is useful when walking them through updates or troubleshooting issues.
Delete Customer – Removes a customer from your account permanently (Hard delete will also remove the customer from the gateway so only do this when absolutely necessary!).
Create Invoice – Useful for one-time charges or custom fees beyond standard subscriptions.
Managing a Specific Customer's Subscriptions
This section allows you to modify plans, adjust billing settings, and ensure customers are on the right plan for their needs. Whether you need to add a new subscription, switch a plan, or change installment details, all subscription management happens here.
To edit, click on the subscription ID on the left side:
Add/cancel subscriptions – Assign customers to a new plan or cancel existing ones. Cancellations can be immediate or set for the end of the billing cycle.
Adjust subscription details – Modify the quantity, add promo codes, or extend trial periods.
Edit existing plans – Change installment settings, switch customers to a different plan, or adjust billing schedules.
View remaining installments – Track how many payments are left if the subscription has a fixed number of payments.
Example Use Cases:
Adding a Trial Period: If you want to delay billing, you can add trial days when setting up a subscription. For instance, setting a 14-day trial lets customers sign up without an immediate charge.
Modifying a Subscription Mid-Cycle: If a customer wants to upgrade or downgrade, you can adjust their existing subscription instead of canceling and re-adding. Update the pricing, billing date, and frequency as needed. The next invoice will reflect these changes.
Switching a Payment Plan: Customers moving from a monthly to a yearly plan (or vice versa) don’t need to cancel their current subscription. Simply modify their existing plan and update the next invoice with the new pricing and billing cycle to ensure a seamless transition.
Does PayWhirl Prorate when subscription edits are made?
PayWhirl does not automatically prorate subscription changes. If you update a customer's subscription plan, the next invoice will reflect the new pricing, but the billing date will remain unchanged. Future invoices will be generated based on the new plan settings.
Workaround for Prorating Charges
If you want to prorate a customer's charges when switching plans, you can manually adjust their next invoice:
Edit the invoice to reflect the prorated amount.
Change the billing date to align with the desired charge period.
Ensure the new pricing and billing cycle are set correctly for future invoices.
This approach ensures customers are charged fairly while keeping billing cycles aligned with their subscription changes.
Editing Invoices
In Invoices, click the invoice ID to:
Reschedule billing – Adjust a single invoice’s due date or modify the entire subscription’s billing cycle to reflect a new schedule.
Add/remove items or promo codes – Adjust invoice content before billing the customer.
Edit shipping addresses – Modify delivery details if necessary.
Skip payments – Enable this in Account Settings > Advanced Settings to allow skipping specific installments.
Mark the invoice paid - Allows you to take an offline payment/correct an issue and mark the invoice as paid without attempting a charge
Retry failed orders – Reattempt an order without reprocessing a new payment (helpful for fixing system errors).
Invoice History - Gives you details about any changes that were made to the invoice. This includes rescheduling the payment date, promo code changes, declined payment attempts, refunds, etc.
Printing the Invoice - Allows you to export a pdf format of the invoice to print or email to the customer
Paid invoices can't be edited but can be refunded. The invoice history logs all changes, so you always have a record of what’s happened.
Customer Portal
Use the Customer Portal tab to manage accounts as the customer. A red notice will show when you're in admin mode. This lets you see exactly what they see—super helpful for troubleshooting and guiding them through updates. Remember to log out when you’re done to avoid editing the wrong account.
Customer Management Settings
By default, customers can manage their subscriptions, cancel plans, update payment details, and more. You can fine-tune these settings in Account Settings > Advanced Settings:
Restrict Cancellations: If you run a rental program, deposit-based service, or layaway plan, you might want to require customers to contact support before canceling to avoid billing disruptions.
Require Addresses: Physical product subscriptions need an address, but digital ones usually don’t. Disabling this option for digital services makes signup smoother.
Set Installment Skipping Options: Decide if customers can skip payments. Some businesses (like flexible membership plans) may want this, while structured installment services may prefer to restrict it.
Define Failed Payment Limits: Set how many failed payments are allowed before a subscription is automatically canceled. This prevents endless declined charges while giving customers time to update payment details.
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Please let us know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
The PayWhirl Team