From time to time a member will tell you they cannot make their next payment, whether because of a one-off cash-flow issue, a change in circumstances, or a longer-term financial pressure. Handled well, these conversations are an opportunity to keep the member and build trust. This article covers the options available to you and how to decide between them.

Start with the conversation

Before reaching for a system action, talk to the member. The right next step depends on whether the problem is temporary or permanent, and how soon they expect to be able to pay.

Is this a one-off, or ongoing? A single missed month is very different from a sustained inability to pay.
When do they expect to be able to pay? Within the month, in a few months, or not at all.
Do they want to keep their membership? If yes, you have options. If no, a clean cancellation is the best outcome for both sides.

Option 1: Freeze the membership

If the issue is temporary (illness, travel, a financial gap of a few weeks or months), freezing is usually the right answer. The membership goes on hold, payments are skipped for the freeze period, and the member keeps their place without paying for time they cannot use.

Set the freeze to start before the next collection date to avoid the next payment being taken. If you know how long they will be away, set both the From and Until dates so the freeze resolves automatically.

See Freezing, unfreezing and pausing memberships for the steps.

Option 2: Let the payment retry, or take it later

If the member can pay this month, just not on the scheduled date, you have two paths:

Let ClubRight Pay automatically retry. For Direct Debit failures, ClubRight Pay retries up to three times, five days apart. If the member expects funds within that window, you can simply let the automatic retry do the work.
Take payment when they can pay. When the member has the funds, take payment through the till as card or cash, which clears the overdue balance immediately. See Troubleshooting overdue members for the steps.

Option 3: Cancel the membership

If the member's situation has changed for the longer term, the kindest outcome is usually a clean cancellation. They stop being chased for payments they cannot make, you stop carrying an unrecoverable debt, and they leave on good terms (which is often the best route back to them rejoining later).

See Cancelling a membership: process and what to expect for how cancellation works in ClubRight.

Member-initiated freeze and cancellation requests

If you have enabled cancellation and freeze requests in your Member Area settings, members can submit a request themselves through the Member Area without needing to call or message you. Requests appear in Settings > Finance & Billing > Cancel & Freeze Requests for your team to review and action.

Enabling self-serve requests is a good way to take pressure off the member and your team during what is often a difficult conversation. To enable, go to Settings > Member Area > Access & Registration and toggle on Enable cancellation/freeze requests.

If you have already missed a payment

If a payment has already failed and the member is now overdue, see Troubleshooting overdue members for the recovery flow. The right action depends on whether the member can pay now, needs more time, or has decided to leave.

Helpful tip

💡 Lead with the freeze, not the cancellation. A member who freezes is much more likely to return than one who cancels. Offering a freeze first signals you want to keep them, even if they take the longer route and cancel anyway.

Have more questions about helping a member who can't pay?

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.

What to do when a member can't pay