Offset your processing costs
Last Updated: December 9, 2024
The Credit Card Fee feature enables you to offset some or all of the costs you incur from your credit card processor by adding a percentage fee to a registration when your guest pays with a credit card.
The credit card fee feature is a global setting - it will be applied to all credit card payments, for all programs.
The credit card fee is automatically applied at the time of payment.
That is, when:
- Your Registrar enters a credit card payment using the Add Payment button.
- The guest makes payments via the guest statement, including when the guest chooses Process Now for future scheduled payments.
- Installment and Scheduled payments are processed. Read more about Installment and Scheduled Payments.
Credit card fees are assigned to the Credit Card Fee transaction category (slug = credit-card-fee). The realized type for the Credit Card Fee transaction category is set to Trans Date by default. You may assign a tax rate to the Credit Card Fee transaction category.
An icon on the Edit Registration page will appear next to any credit card payment that includes a credit card fee.
On the guest statement, a line item will show the credit card fee.
Configuring the Credit Card Fee feature
- Enable Credit Card Fee - go to Settings UI > Finance > Credit Card Fee.
- Percentage - enter a percentage. Decimals are allowed. For example, 3.0%.
- Name - enter the text to be displayed on the registration form and used for the guest payment link.
- Rentals - if the Contract Management (Rentals) module is enabled in your software, you have the option of applying the Credit Card Fee to all rental agreements. This is a global setting - it will apply to all rental agreements.
- Enable opt-in per guest on the registration form - if enabled, each guest may opt-in on the registration form to have the percentage fee applied to credit card payments associated with that registration. They may opt-in on one registration and not opt-in on different registrations. The opt-in feature is available for program registration forms only - it is not available on rental agreements.
- Pre-existing registrations - guests who registered before you enabled the Credit Card Fee feature did not have the opportunity to opt in. If you do not want their future credit card payments on pre-existing registrations to be subject to the credit card fee, choose Do not charge CC fees. If you want to apply the credit card fee, even though they did not opt-in, choose Charge CC fees. If you choose Do not charge cc fees, guests making future payments on pre-existing registrations will not be offered the opportunity to opt-in.
- Field label - the default checkbox text is, “I agree to cover the costs of processing this registration by paying the credit card fees.” You may modify this text. For example, modify it to read, "Credit card processing fee."
- Default state - you can choose to have the opt-in checkbox initially checked or unchecked on the registration form. If you choose to have the box checked by default, the percentage fee will automatically apply to credit card payments on that registration. If you choose to have the box checked by default, the guest may still uncheck it if they desire.
- Help text - you may add text to clarify this feature. Your guests will see this text on the registration form next to the opt-in checkbox. For example, add help text, "I agree to include the credit card processing fees in the total due."
Here is a sample configuration and the display result.
Quick Add Registrations
When you initiate a Quick Add Registration as a registrar, with authorization from the guest, you may edit the registration to check the Credit Card Fee box on their behalf.
If you check this box and email a payment request, the credit card fee will be included in the Payment Amount shown on their guest statement.
Configuring the Credit Card Fee percentage
The fees charged by your credit card payment processor may vary by credit card type, issuing bank location, and other factors. Most centers configure the Credit Card Fee feature in Retreat Guru as a blended rate to offset the overall cost of credit card processing.
For example, if you process an average of $50,000 in credit card payments each month and pay an average of $2500 in monthly fees from your credit card payment processor, you might configure the Credit Card Fee in Retreat Guru to be $2500 / $50,000 = 5.0%.
Credit Card Fee is subject to payment service provider fees
The Credit Card Fee you charge increases the booking total - it is another line item on the registration. That booking total, including the Credit Card Fee, is subject to payment processing fees from your credit card payment service provider.
For example, if a registration is $1000 and you charge a 5% Credit Card Fee, the booking total is $1000 + $50 = $1050. The guest will pay $1050. Your credit card processor will charge their fees on $1050.
It’s nice to have a choice! A positive opt-in approach exudes respect :)
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