ClubRight supports four payment methods for membership plans: Direct Debit, Card, Cash, and Standing Order. Each works differently and suits different scenarios. This article explains how each one works in ClubRight, the trade-offs, and which to choose for your club.
Quick comparison
Direct Debit: automated bank-to-bank payment, available online and in-club. Recommended primary method for most recurring memberships.
Card: automated card payment, available online and in-club. Supports both one-off and recurring payments.
Cash: in-club only, manual. Suits walk-in payments taken at reception.
Standing Order: in-club only, manual. Intended for migrating existing standing order members from a previous system.
Direct Debit
Direct Debit is an automated bank-to-bank payment that ClubRight collects on the schedule you set. The member completes a one-time mandate setup, then payments are taken automatically each cycle (monthly, weekly, or whatever the plan uses) without further action from them.
How it works in ClubRight: when a member signs up, they enter their bank details and authorise the mandate. From then on, ClubRight initiates each collection through your Direct Debit provider. If a payment fails, the member is automatically retried and notified.
Providers: ClubRight Pay Direct Debit (recommended for new clubs) or GoCardless (legacy).
Pros: fully automated, low admin, predictable cash flow, supports indemnity claim protection through the BACS scheme.
Cons: three to five working day settlement, one-time mandate setup adds a small friction at joining.
Best for: the majority of recurring memberships. This is ClubRight's recommended primary payment method.
Card
Card payments cover both debit and credit cards. They can be taken as a one-off payment (for example a day pass) or as a recurring charge with the card details stored securely for future collections.
How it works in ClubRight: the member enters their card details on a secure checkout, the payment is processed immediately, and for recurring plans the card is saved and charged on each subsequent payment date.
Providers: ClubRight Pay Card (recommended for new clubs) or Stripe (legacy).
Pros: instant settlement on card-present transactions, supports one-off and recurring, members can use Google Pay or Apple Pay where available.
Cons: per-transaction fees apply, cards expire so recurring members occasionally need to update their card details.
Best for: day passes, upfront annual memberships, one-off product purchases, and members who prefer card over Direct Debit.
Cash
Cash payments are taken in person by your team. The member pays you at the club and your staff record the payment in ClubRight against their membership.
How it works in ClubRight: when a Cash plan is sold, ClubRight does not collect anything automatically. Your team confirms payment receipt manually each cycle, and the membership is kept active by recording the payment in the member's profile.
Pros: no transaction fees, no payment failures, members get a tangible exchange at the desk.
Cons: manual admin every payment cycle, no automation, no automated payment chasing, members must visit to pay.
Best for: clubs with a strong walk-in culture, day passes paid at reception, or members without bank accounts.
📋 Note: Cash plans do not appear in the online joining flow. They can only be sold in-club by your team.
Standing Order
A standing order is an instruction a member gives their own bank to pay your club a set amount at regular intervals. The member arranges the standing order through their bank, and the money arrives in your account on the schedule they set.
How it works in ClubRight: when a member is set up on a Standing Order plan, ClubRight assumes you are collecting payment externally and automatically marks each scheduled payment as paid. There is no integration with the member's bank, so ClubRight cannot verify whether the standing order is actually in place or whether payments have been received.
⚠️ Important: Standing Order is a manual mechanism, not an automated collection. ClubRight does not see standing order activity. If a member stops paying, you will only know by checking your bank statements.
Limitations of Standing Order (these are properties of the standing order mechanism itself, not ClubRight):
Member-controlled. The amount and frequency are fixed by the member when they set up the order. If you change your prices, every member must update their own standing order at their bank.
No payment failure visibility. If a member's bank rejects the payment, you will not be notified by ClubRight.
Manual reconciliation. You must check your bank statements to confirm payments have arrived.
Monthly only. Standing Order plans in ClubRight only support monthly payments.
Not available online. Standing Order does not appear in the online joining flow. It can only be set up in-club.
Best for: migrating existing standing order members from a previous system. We do not recommend setting up new members on Standing Order.
Which should I choose?
For most clubs, the answer is to offer Direct Debit as your primary recurring method and Card as a secondary option for members who prefer it. This combination handles the vast majority of memberships with minimal admin.
Recurring memberships (monthly, weekly, contracts): Direct Debit, with Card as an alternative for members who prefer it.
One-off payments (day passes, upfront annual plans): Card.
In-person walk-ins: Cash or Card at reception.
Existing standing order members migrating in: Standing Order, but consider moving them to Direct Debit when you can.
Helpful tip
💡 Offer Direct Debit and Card together on the same plan. Members can then choose the method that suits them at the point of joining. Both run automatically once set up, so you get the benefit of low admin regardless of which one they pick.
Have more questions about payment methods?
If you have a question that is not covered here, our Customer Success team is happy to help. Reach out via the orange chat button at the bottom right of your ClubRight dashboard.
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