Operational details

After you set up the PMU, the service operates as described in this section. The following diagram shows how the Zuora PMU service processes a single batch in one billing cycle.

In this example, the PMU service runs 7 or more days before the bill cycle day (BCD).

On Day 1, the PMU service submits a batch to the account updater service. The PMU service creates a batch of credit cards for active billing accounts based on the rule settings configured for the service. Because submission is based on the BCD, Zuora can create and send batches daily. After the batch is sent to the updater service, processing and turnaround typically takes 3–5 days. When processing is complete, the batch returns to Zuora and the cards are updated automatically. You can review the completed batch file, and if any errors occur, you have time to troubleshoot the issues and contact Zuora Support before the BCD.

On Day 7, the PMU service completes its run. The cards are updated, and you have reviewed the batch and performed any required tasks to confirm that all cards are current.

On Day N, the bill cycle day, Zuora sends bills to customers. Because all accounts are already updated, the impact of credit card information problems is minimized.

You typically use the PMU Console between Day 5 and Day 7 to review and troubleshoot batches and credit card information. For more information, see the PMU Console topic.

Start date and bill cycle day

Every day at 2:00 a.m. PT, Zuora runs a scheduler process to prepare a request file for the PMU service. This request file contains payment methods that belong to customer accounts whose bill cycle day falls a specified number of days in the future. You specify the number of days in the PMU configuration under Rules.

You can configure when the Zuora PMU run starts relative to the bill cycle day (BCD). This section provides guidance on the most effective timing.

Depending on the vendor, PMU runs take 4 days or 7 or more days to update accounts completely. Zuora provides a recommended default value that accounts for this latency, but you can select another value if you need to complete the update process at a different time.

Each account in Zuora has a BCD, which can be any day of the month, such as the 1st or the 5th. The Zuora PMU submits payment methods based on the value that you define in the PMU configuration. For example, if you configure the PMU to submit 9 days before the bill cycle day and the update process takes 7 days, an account with a bill cycle day of the 8th completes 2 days before the bill cycle day, on the 6th.

The Zuora PMU runs daily and automatically selects the default payment method for each account to update. If you run billing daily or at other intervals, the PMU runs in the background and proactively keeps your payment methods current.