> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.metronome.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# India e-mandate support for auto-recharge

<Note>
  **PRIVATE BETA**

  This feature is currently in Private Beta, contact [sales@metronome.com](mailto:sales@metronome.com) for early access.

  Don't have a Metronome account? [Sign up to get started.](https://signup.metronome.com)
</Note>

India-issued credit cards have additional requirements for recurring or off-session charges. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) requires that certain recurring charges be backed by a pre-authorization ("e-mandate") that the cardholder sets up on-session (typically with 3DS). Future charges must reference that mandate, and banks may require the cardholder to approve a charge after it is initiated.

Without e-mandate support, auto-recharge charges on India cards can fail at a much higher rate.

## What Metronome supports

Metronome supports India e-mandates for auto-recharge payments via Stripe. When a customer has an India-issued card with a valid mandate, Metronome references the mandate for off-session auto-recharge charges.

## How it works

### 1) Mandate creation via Stripe

Mandates are created and managed in Stripe. Your application is responsible for collecting the on-session authorization from the cardholder and ensuring a valid mandate exists before Metronome attempts the first off-session charge.

### 2) Metronome uses the mandate on auto-recharge charges

For eligible India cards, Metronome retrieves the mandate from the customer's default Stripe payment method and includes it on subsequent off-session charge attempts.

### 3) Customer approval and processing behavior

Indian card charges may not succeed immediately. When the charge is initiated, Stripe may return a "pending action" state rather than immediate success or failure. The cardholder may need to approve or decline the charge (for example, via bank notification) within a time window.

If the customer approves the charge and payment succeeds, Metronome will release the commit balance on the customer's contract.

## Requirements

* You must use **Stripe** as the payment provider for auto-recharge payment collection.
* The customer's **default payment method** in Stripe must be correctly set.
* For Indian cards, a **valid active mandate** must be present on the payment method before off-session charges will succeed.

To enable e-mandate support for your environment, contact Metronome support.

## FAQ

**What is an e-mandate?**

A bank-required pre-authorization for recurring or off-session charges on India-issued cards.

**Do I need to do anything to set up mandates?**

Yes. Your application must collect the on-session authorization to create the mandate (typically with 3DS) and ensure it exists before Metronome's first off-session charge attempt.

**Will an auto-recharge always be instant?**

Not necessarily. For India cards, the charge can remain in a processing state while the bank requests approval, and completion can be delayed.