Payment Plans

This feature is included in the Grow and Scale pricing plans. It is not included in the Launch plan. If you would like to upgrade your subscription plan or learn more about the different pricing tiers we offer, please visit Sawyer subscription plans and features here.

If you are a provider who went live prior to March 1, 2022, you will continue to have access to your current features as one of our legacy providers.

A payment plan takes the total price and divides the amount evenly across the installment dates that you select. At checkout, customers have the option to select a payment plan or pay in full.

How to Create a Payment Plan 

1. From Schedules, select Semesters or Camps/Events and create a scheduled activity
2. In Step 2, select and enter a Full Semester Price, Full Camp Price, or Full Event Price
3. Click +Payment Plan
4. Select a number of installments; the total price will be divided evenly into this number of payments 
5. Select if you would like to add a deposit and enter the deposit amount
6. Under Payment Plan Dates, you can edit the installment schedule
7. Click Save Payment Plan
   

To edit or delete a payment plan, click the More Options [...] menu. Note that any changes made after a payment plan has been purchased will only affect future orders.

Payment Plan Deposits 

Adding a deposit lets you collect part of the total cost prior to the first installment date.

After the first installment date passes, the deposit is no longer valid, and the total price will be used to calculate amounts due for the remaining installments.

If a deposit is not set, customers are charged the first installment at checkout.

Example 1: Pay Along the Way, No Proration

If a student enrolls before August 1, then a deposit will be collected and the remaining amount of $800 will be divided by the number of installments (4) making each installment $200.

After August 1, the deposit is no longer applicable. The total amount will be divided among the remaining installment (depending on the current date and the installment dates).  The first installment payment will be collected at checkout.  If the current date is August 20th, there will be 2 installments remaining.  Therefore, the first payment of $500 will be collected at checkout.  The second/last installment ($500) will be due on September 15th.

No matter when signup occurs, you will always collect the deposit or first installment at checkout. Note, if the purchase is made on July 29th, the deposit will be made at checkout, and the first installment will be made a few days later on August 1st.

Example 2: Pay Along the Way, Proration

If a student enrolls before the start of the class, they will pay the first installment ($250) at checkout. They'll pay the remaining 3 installments ($250 each) on the dates you set up (August 15, September 1, and September 15.)

If the student enrolls after any classes are missed, the total cost will be adjusted for proration and the new total will be divided across the remaining installment dates. The first of these installments will always be charged at checkout.

In this example, if there are 10 classes total and a customer signs up on August 12, after missing 1 class, the total price will be prorated to $900. That prorated price is now distributed across the remaining 3 installments. Since the next upcoming installment is always collected at checkout, the customer will pay $300 at registration and another $300 on September 1 and on September 15.

Example 3: Pay Upfront, No Proration

If a student enrolls before January 1, then a deposit will be collected at checkout and the remaining amount of $400 will be collected on the installment date, January 1.

If the student enrolls after January 1, then the deposit is no longer applicable and the $1,000 will be collected at checkout.

Surcharge

Adding a surcharge allows you to increase the cost for customers who choose to pay with this payment plan. You can use this as a way to encourage customers to instead pay in full. Surcharges are applied as a percentage to each installment amount. 

Surcharges do not apply to deposits, add-ons or other types of fees. 

Proration

By default, the total cost of an activity prorates according to the number of class days that have passed before the registration occurs. A payment plan divides the prorated price evenly across the remaining installment dates. 

Examples

Example 1: Pay Along the Way, No Proration

If a student enrolls before August 1, then a deposit will be collected and the remaining amount of $800 will be divided by the number of installments (4) making each installment $200.

After August 1, the deposit is no longer applicable; the deposit amount is folded back into the total cost which is divided equally across the 4 installments making each $250.

No matter when signup occurs, you will always collect the deposit or first installment at checkout. 

Example 2: Pay Along the Way, Proration

Customers are always charged something at checkout, even without a deposit set. If a student enrolls before the start of the class, they will pay the first installment at checkout. They'll pay the remaining 3 installments on the dates you set up (August 15, September 1, and September 15.)

If the student enrolls after any classes are missed, the total cost will be adjusted for proration and the new total will be divided across the remaining installment dates. The first of these installments will always be charged at checkout.

In this example, if there are 10 classes total and a customer signs up on August 12, after missing 1 class, the total price will be prorated to $900. That prorated price is now distributed across the remaining 3 installments. Since the next upcoming installment is always collected at checkout, the customer will pay $300 at registration and another $300 on September 1 and on September 15.

Example 3: Pay Upfront

If a student enrolls before January 1, then a deposit will be collected at checkout and the remaining amount of $400 will be collected on the installment date, January 1.

If the student enrolls after January 1, then the deposit is no longer applicable and the $1,000 will be collected at checkout.

Minimum Amount per Installment

The minimum amount per installment is $10.

If each installment within an order falls below $10 (due to proration, coupon code, or sibling discount) the number of installments will be recalculated so that each installment is at least $10. Customers will be charged on each installment date until their total cost is covered.

For example, a class that costs $100 and offers a 5 installment plan makes each installment $20. If a client uses a 60% off coupon, that brings the total price class down to $40. Each installment amount must be at least $10 so the remaining balance of $40 will be divided into 4 installments instead of 5, making each installment $10. In this case, the customer will not be charged on the 5th installment date because the total price was already paid with the first 4 installments.

Emails 

Clients will receive an Order Confirmation Email upon checkout and an Installment Charge Email every time their card is charged. The Installment Charge Email includes when the card was charged, the amount charged, the remaining balance and the next installment date and amount (if any.) If a credit card is declined, the customer and provider will be notified via email. We will re-try the card daily until the card is updated.

If you want customers to receive a reminder before the payment charges, let us know! We can turn on a setting for you that will send an automatic email reminder to the customer at 9am 5 days before the payment is due.

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