Offer payment in instalments

Spread the payment of a subscription or a course over several instalments: either by letting the user choose at the time of payment, or by building a tailor-made payment schedule yourself from the order.

Understanding how it works

There are two ways to reach a payment schedule, and they do not work the same way. This is the distinction to keep in mind before configuring anything.

First way: the user chooses to pay in instalments at the time of payment, within the limit you have set on the product. The total is divided into equal parts, and the first instalment is paid immediately — it is this payment that validates the order. The following ones are scheduled.

Second way: you build the payment schedule from the order, with the amounts and dates of your choice. Here, nothing is paid on creation — every instalment is scheduled, including the first one. You then collect each of them in turn.

In both cases, the same rule applies: the items are delivered as soon as the first payment is collected. The user obtains their subscription or their credits without waiting for the balance.

Enabling partial payments on the billing account

This is the master switch: without it, no product can be paid in instalments.

1. Go to Administration›Settings›Billing›Billing Accounts and open the account concerned.
2. In the Payments tab, enable Allow partial payments.
3. Set the Interval between due dates: a value and a unit — days, weeks or months. An interval of 1 month gives a monthly payment schedule.
4. Click Save.

Allowing payment in instalments on a product

The number of instalments is decided product by product: you can offer spread payment on an annual subscription without opening it up on a credit pack.

1. Go to Administration›Settings›Billing›Products & Services and open the product.
2. Locate the Payment in installments setting.
3. Choose the maximum number of instalments, up to 12. The No option disables spread payment for this product.

The user then freely chooses, at the time of payment, between 1 instalment and this maximum. The total amount is divided into equal parts, and the dates follow from the interval set on the billing account.

Building a tailor-made payment schedule

When dividing into equal parts does not suit — a larger deposit, dates aligned with the season, an arrangement granted to a member — build the payment schedule yourself.

1. Go to Administration›Dashboard›Billing›Invoices & Transactions and open the order.
2. Click Schedule.
3. Add your lines with Add a deadline: an amount and a Due Date for each one. The Distribute evenly button fills in the amounts in one go if you want to start from a balanced basis.
4. Keep an eye on the Total installments: it must match the Remaining to pay exactly.
5. Click Create the schedule.

Two limits to be aware of: the payment schedule can only be created once per order, and its creation delivers nothing. Delivery takes place when the first payment is collected, just as for spread payment chosen by the user.

Collecting the instalments

The payment schedule appears in the order, each line showing its status: Pending, Paid or Cancelled.

1. Open the order in Administration›Dashboard›Billing›Invoices & Transactions.
2. Click Add a payment: the amount of the upcoming instalment is pre-filled, and the window reminds you which instalment it is.
3. Choose the payment collection method — manual entry or POS terminal — then save.

The order's Remaining to pay is updated with each payment collection, and the order becomes paid when the last instalment is settled.

Letting reminders do the work

Upcoming and overdue instalments trigger automatic e-mail reminders, without any action on your part. Five messages mark out the cycle:

1. three days before the instalment;
2. on the day of the instalment;
3. then, in case of delay, at around three days, one week and two weeks.

Beyond two weeks of delay, the reminders stop: it is up to you to get back in touch with the member.