Unlike card payments, Vipps and MobilePay recurring agreements include a max amount cap that can block charges if the new price exceeds it — requiring action from your subscribers.
How Vipps and MobilePay recurring payments work
When a subscriber signs up using Vipps or MobilePay, they enter into a recurring agreement with your publication. As part of accepting that agreement, they set a maximum amount they allow to be charged per billing interval.
This max amount is chosen by the subscriber at the time of signup — either from a suggested list or manually — and is stored in their Vipps or MobilePay app.
📖 See the official Vipps MobilePay documentation: How Recurring works with variable amount
What happens when you raise your price
If your new subscription price exceeds a subscriber's existing max amount, the charge will be blocked. Here's the flow:
The charge attempt fails because the amount exceeds the subscriber's cap
The subscriber receives a push notification in their Vipps or MobilePay app, along with an explanation on the charge itself:
The subscriber must open their app and manually increase their max amount to allow the new charge:
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Once updated, the charge can be retried and processed normally
This process cannot be completed on the subscriber's behalf — neither by you nor by Sesamy. It requires the subscriber to take action themselves.
Risk of churn
Because this requires active involvement from your subscribers, a price increase can lead to involuntary churn if subscribers:
Don't notice or ignore the push notification
Find the process of updating their max amount confusing
Decide to cancel rather than approve the higher amount
The larger your price increase, and the more subscribers you have on Vipps or MobilePay, the greater the potential impact.
How to reduce the risk
1. Notify subscribers early and clearly
Use your 7–30 day notification window (already required for price changes — see How to change your subscription prices) to proactively reach out to Vipps and MobilePay subscribers specifically. Explain:
That the price is changing and when
That they may receive a notification in their app to approve the new amount
What to do if they see that notification
2. Direct subscribers to Vipps and MobilePay's own guidance
Let subscribers know they may need to update their max amount in the app before the new charge can go through, and refer them to the official documentation for instructions:
3. Monitor for failed charges
After the price change goes live, keep an eye on failed payments. If you notice a spike in failed Vipps or MobilePay charges, a follow-up reminder to affected subscribers can help recover them before they churn.
Getting help from Sesamy
When you contact Sesamy Support to request a price change, let us know if you have subscribers on Vipps or MobilePay. We can:
Help you identify how many subscribers may be affected
Advise on how to communicate the change to those subscribers
Monitor for failed charges around the go-live date
As always, please reach out at least 2–3 weeks before your intended effective date to give us enough time to plan the rollout.