Glossary
In the following table, you can find the main terms used in the subscription onboarding process:
| Term | Description |
| Subscription plan | A model that allows defining, among other attributes, the title, value, and frequency of subscriptions created by the seller. Its purpose is to set the subscriptions' general features created by this institution. It is crucial to clarify that no payment method is set up in this model. |
| Subscription or pre-approval | Authorization of the payer for recurring charges with a predefined payment method (credit card, for example). It works as the basis for creating subscription installments according to the set recurrence and has similar characteristics to the template since it is possible to create a subscription from a plan. |
| Authorized payment | An installment of a subscription that is generated and billed based on a predefined recurrence. The subscription engine schedules and generates the payments automatically. |
| Validation charge | Charge of a minimum amount made when signing up for the subscription to verify that the card used for payment is valid. |
| Once the validation is done, the amount is automatically refunded to the payer. | |
| Billing date | Date defined by the seller for monthly subscription charges to occur automatically. |
| Proportional value (Pro rata) | Amount to be charged if the subscription starts on a day other than the billing date set by the seller.This amount is proportional to the days between joining and the date of the first monthly charge. |
| Free trial | Free trial that the seller can offer the subscriber before the first charge. In this case, the subscriber has the first payment paid and starts paying on the following charges. |
| Account balance | Account balance available in the Mercado Pago wallet that can be used to pay for subscriptions. |
| Plugin | Set of components that add specific functionalities to a system without requiring development. In our case, the plugins install Mercado Pago's solutions in some of the most well-known online commerce platforms. |
| SDK | Known as a software development kit, an SDK is a set of tools that allows the creation of applications or the addition of functionalities to existing products. In our scenario, we have SDKs that perform both activities. |