By Jon Reynolds, head of product at Access PaySuite, part of the Access Group.
In the age of subscriptions and service-based business models, recurring payments have become the foundation of modern commerce. Whether it’s streaming platforms, membership renewals or utility billing, recurring payments keep the world turning, ensuring convenience for customers and predictable cash flow for businesses.
But this system isn’t without its challenges. Failed transactions, customer churn and fraud risks continue to undermine trust and revenue. The question is no longer whether businesses can process recurring payments, but how they can make them smarter, more reliable and more resilient.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to play a defining role in delivering that answer. It has the potential to revolutionise how recurring payments are managed – bringing predictive insights, intelligent automation and deeper personalisation that could reshape the payment experience for everyone involved.
AI is transforming payments
Sitting at the intersection of finance, operations and customer engagement provides a unique vantage point to see how AI can connect these functions seamlessly, enhancing not just the mechanics of payments, but the overall experience for businesses and their customers.
Across the financial sector, the impact AI is having is already clear. According to a report by HSBC published earlier this year, it’s being used to reduce payment failures by up to 20% in some implementations, while boosting transaction accuracy and timeliness.
Meanwhile, a recent whitepaper from Visa highlighted how AI now processes over one billion transactions daily across its network, flagging fraudulent patterns with a 99.9% accuracy rate. Similarly, JP Morgan announced it has deployed AI tools to streamline payment reconciliation and optimise corporate cash flow.
From experimentation to everyday integration
Further innovations are continuing to emerge; last month, Mastercard announced that its Agent Pay platform is set to be directly integrated into the PayPal wallet. This will allow AI agents to complete routine purchases automatically – from paying bills to ordering recurring essentials – without repeated manual approval.
It’s a clear direction of travel: AI is rapidly becoming an integral part of the global payments ecosystem. These examples highlight how AI is enhancing operational efficiency and transforming how payments are managed, particularly those that occur on a regular basis.
Recurring transactions, whether for subscriptions, utilities or B2B services, often face challenges such as expired card details, insufficient funds and inconsistent billing cycles. If these pain points aren’t addressed, businesses risk higher churn, lost revenue and customer frustration from failed or delayed payments.
The next era of recurring payments
For consumers, inconsistent billing experiences can erode trust and make them less likely to engage in subscription-based models. AI offers a way to close these gaps, bringing greater reliability and personalisation to the entire recurring payments journey.
Our recent survey found that 83% of private sector companies are investing in AI, with 45% already having strategies in place. It’s clear that AI adoption is well underway, and the next step is learning how to harness that intelligence to deliver more seamless and reliable recurring payment experiences for customers.
The future of recurring payments is not just about processing these transactions; it’s about creating smarter, more reliable and more resilient systems that turn every payment into an opportunity for loyalty and growth. For organisations that are ready to act, AI isn’t just a tool – it’s the foundation for the next era of payments.
