How to add a payment plan

How to add a payment plan

If you are a community with high membership fees, you may offer your members a monthly payment plan option.

In this support article, we'll explain...
  1. How payment plans work
  2. How to add a payment choice that includes "Payment Plan" as an option.  
  3. Payment plan FAQs

How payment plans work

Members are presented with 2 options...
  1. Pay in full now
  2. Pay an initial payment now & the remainder later.  i.e. "A Payment Plan"
Members that choose #2, are enrolled in a Payment Plan configured by the community.  Members are auto-charged over time until the remaining balance is paid off.  

What are the rules of payment plans?
  1. An initial payment must be made.
    1. In other words, the initial payment must be greater than $0.00.
  2. The individual remaining payment's value is the total due later divided by # of payments.  
    1. In other words, if the total payment plan's value is $200 and there are 4 remaining payments, each individual payment is $50 ($200/4). 
  3. Once a payment plan is cancelled or failed, it cannot be re-instated.
How is the initial payment collected?
  1. The initial payment is collected directly on the application upon submission.  
How are the remaining (due later) payments collected?
  1. The remainder (due later) is auto-collected via the same method as the initial payment.
    1. Payments are automatically collected at 12 noon UTC.
  2. The number of remining payments is configured by the community.  
    1. If there are more than 2 remaining payments, subsequent payments are made MONTHLY.  
  3. The payment plan's Start Date is configured by the community.  There are 2 configuration options.
    1. X days in the future
    2. A specific date in the future

How to add a payment plan

Step 1 
Create help text to assist your members. Place this field and the next new fields below the Payment Header.
  1. Add a Rich Text field: PaymentPlanHelpText
  2. Place the text.
Example
You can make your payment now or enroll in a payment plan. 
Payment Plan Details: Your total will be split into four (4) payments.  You'll make the 1st payment today. Your remaining 3 payments will be auto-charged every month. 

Step 2
Create a payment choice.
  1. Create a SELECT field on your form: PaymentOptions
  2. Add instructions: How would you like to pay?  
  3. Label the field: Payment Option
  4. Required for Patron: Checked
  5. Add your payment choices. 
Examples
Pay in Full Now
Payment Plan
or
Pay in full now
25% now + 3 installments each month
or
Pay in Full Now
Half Now & Half May 1st, 2027

Step 3
Create a Terms & Conditions check box. 
  1. Create a CHECKBOX field on your form: PaymentPlanTerms
  2. Leave instructions blank.
  3. Label the field (this is the text for your T&C): I agree to the terms of this payment plan.  I agree to make 1 payment today and agree to have the remaining 3 payments auto-charged every month until paid in full.  I understand all payments are final and non-refundable.   
  4. Required for Patron: Checked
  5. Initially Hidden: Checked
  6. Hide/Unhide Calculation: PaymentOptions==2
Other Examples
I agree to the terms of this payment plan.  I agree to make the 1st payment today and agree to have the remaining balance auto-charged on May 1st, 2027.  I understand all payments are final and non-refundable.


Step 4 
Create the 1st of 3 constants.  
  1. Create a constant: #PAYPLAN_NUM_INSTALLMENTS 
  2. Value: 1
  3. Description: Enter the # of installments.  Enter 1 for 1 remaining payment (Initial + 1 remaining).  Enter 2 for 2 remaining payments (Initial + 1st remaining + 2nd remaining), etc.   
Warning: This value is the number of remaining payments.  Don't include the initial payment.  If you are doing two (2) total payments, enter one (1).  If you are doing twelve (12) total payments, enter eleven (11).  

Step 5
Create 2nd & 3rd constants. You will only use 1 of these 2.  We recommend creating both now.  Use 1 and disable the 2nd.  

Option A
  1. Create a constant: #PAYPLAN_START_DATE
  2. Value: "" 
  3. Description: Enter the date format as a string "YYYY-MM-DD".  Enter "" to disable.  (don't forget the quotes)
Option B
  1. Create a constant: #PAYPLAN_START_DAYS_AFTER
  2. Value: 0
  3. Description: Enter the # of days (1-364) after submission the payment plan will start.   Enter 0 to disable.  
Important: You must NAME these three constants these exact names.  (copy and paste form this article)
Example
In this help article, we're configuring a payment plan that is 4 total payment (1 initial + 3 remaining).  The remaining payments will start in 30 days.  
#PAYPLAN_NUM_INSTALLMENTS: 3
#PAYPLAN_START_DATE: "" (b/c we're not using this)
#PAYPLAN_START_DAYS_AFTER: 30


Step 6 
Most communities already have a calculation that represents the Grand Total your members will pay via AGS.  It is often called:  {PaymentViaAGS}
  1. Uncheck Payment Item from {PaymentViaAGS} and any other Payment Item.   (you will create a new Payment Item in the next step)
Step 7 
Create 1st of 2 new calculations and place them directly under the Grand Total  {PaymentViaAGS}  you just unchecked.
constants.  
  1. Result Name: {FirstPaymentViaAGS}
  2. Check: Payment Item
  3. Expression: Add a calculation to determine the 1st initial payment.  Use an if statement to return the calculated value if the Payment Plan is selected, otherwise, return the Payment in Full.      
  4. Examples
    1. If you are doing half now half later: if( PaymentOptions==2 , {PaymentViaAGS}*0.5 , {PaymentViaAGS}  )
    2. If you are doing 4 equal payments. 25% now and 75% later: if( PaymentOptions==2 , {PaymentViaAGS}*0.25 , {PaymentViaAGS}  )
    3. If you are doing small payment now ($5.00) and the rest later:  if( PaymentOptions==2 , 5 , {PaymentViaAGS}  )
Step 8 
Create 2nd of 2 new calculations.
  1. Result Name: {DueLaterViaAGS}
  2. Check: Future Balance Due Item
  3. Expression: Add a calculation to determine remaining payment due: {PaymentViaAGS} - {FirstPaymentViaAGS}

Step 9
Preview your application using the preview tab.
  1. Complete the form

  1. Scroll to bottom calculations area and view the calculation find...
{FirstPaymentViaAGS}
{DueLaterViaAGS}

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn off or disable a payment plan option? 
If you are a seasonal swim club, you may want to turn off your payment plan option after a specific date.  We recommended auto-selecting Pay in Full Now and hiding your form's fields.  This will force all members to Pay in Full Now.  Next year, you can simply unhide again. 
Here is how...
  1. In the field PaymentOptions, click Pay in Full Now.
  2. Hide the field PaymentOptions.
  3. Hide the field PaymentPlanHelpText.
Can members cancel the payment plan?
  1. No, only the community (a user with permission) can cancel the payment plan.
How to cancel a payment plan?  How to issue a refund?   
While viewing the application (eyeball icon), the community can take additional actions... 
  1. View the Journal to read the log of all activity.
  2. Click the gear icon.  Then click Cancel Payment Plan to cancel all future payments.
  3. Click the gear icon.  Then click  Request Payment Refund to issue a full or partial refund.   


What if I choose a Start Date that is already in the past?  
  1. If the payment plan's start date has already past, a payment is triggered immediately. Only one payment is triggered per day, but a payment is triggered each day until “caught up”.
    1. For instance if payment plan is configured to start Jan 1, 2027.  Then a member applies on March 15, 2027.  The first payment is triggered March 15, second is March 16, third is March 17, fourth is April 1,  fifth is May 1, etc. It took 3 payments (days) to catch up.  After the successful March 17th payment, the payment plan was back on schedule and triggered on the 1st of the month as configured.
  2. How this works is important if you are a seasonal swim club and forget to turn off your Payment Plan option as you get closer to pool season.