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Payments overview

The different payment methods you can use in ClubRight, including cash, card, Direct Debit, standing order, and PDQ.

ClubRight supports several payment methods, from automatic recurring collections to manual cash and card payments. This article gives you a brief overview of each method, when you would use it, and where to find more detailed setup information.

The payment methods at a glance

  • Cash, for in-club payments taken manually through the till

  • Card, for online and in-club card payments through ClubRight Pay Card

  • Direct Debit, for automated recurring monthly membership payments

  • Standing Order, where your member pays you directly through their bank

  • PDQ, for recording in-club card payments taken via a card terminal

Cash

Cash is a till-only feature. You collect the money in person and ClubRight records the transaction once you mark it as paid. Use cash for:

  • In-club purchases at the till (products, credits, day passes)

  • Paying off an overdue membership in person

Note: cash relies on you collecting the payment manually and updating the member's record yourself.

Card

ClubRight Pay Card is our built-in card payment service, supporting online and in-club card payments. Once a card is saved on file, no card needs to be present for future transactions. Use it for monthly recurring payments, up-front and one-off membership payments, products, and credits.

For in-person card payments, ClubRight Pay Card includes an integrated card terminal that connects directly to your ClubRight account. This is the recommended option for taking card payments at your reception or till. The terminal also supports Apple Pay and Google Pay for quicker checkouts.

For more, see ClubRight Pay Card explained.

Direct Debit

Direct Debit is the standard method for collecting automated recurring monthly membership payments. Once a Direct Debit instruction is set up, collections happen automatically on each member's payment date. Direct Debit cannot be used for one-off purchases or product sales.

You can only integrate with one Direct Debit provider at a time.

ClubRight Pay Direct Debit

ClubRight Pay Direct Debit is our built-in BACS-compliant Direct Debit service, powered by our partner London & Zurich. It is the recommended option for all clubs.

For more, see ClubRight Pay Direct Debit explained.

GoCardless (existing customers only)

GoCardless is available for clubs already using it. For new Direct Debit setup, we recommend ClubRight Pay Direct Debit.

For more on using GoCardless in ClubRight, see Using GoCardless in ClubRight.

Standing Order

A Standing Order is a payment your member sets up with their own bank to pay you directly. ClubRight does not collect these funds: the member's bank sends them to you on the schedule they have agreed.

Standing Order is sometimes used as a temporary placeholder method while a Direct Debit bulk transfer is being processed.

Why Standing Order is best avoided long-term

Standing Order has several inherent limitations as a payment mechanism. These are limitations of the Standing Order system itself, not of ClubRight, and they apply to any business receiving Standing Order payments:

  • No payment confirmation to the recipient. Standing Orders are bank transfers initiated by the payer. The receiving business is not notified when one is set up, paid, missed, or cancelled. Payments simply appear as bank credits with no link to a specific membership.

  • No failure or cancellation alerts. The banking system does not communicate Standing Order activity back to the recipient, so there is no way to be told if a member's Standing Order fails, lapses, or is cancelled.

  • The payer controls the payment. Standing Orders are set up by the payer with their own bank, and only they can amend or cancel them. Unlike Direct Debit, the business receiving the payment cannot change the amount, change the collection date, or stop the payment.

  • Price changes require member action. When you change membership prices, every member paying by Standing Order needs to log into their bank and update the Standing Order amount themselves.

  • Manual reconciliation only. Because there is no automated link between Standing Order payments and your ClubRight records, you need to check your bank statements regularly and manually match payments to members.

For ongoing membership collections, Direct Debit gives you all the things Standing Order does not: confirmation of payment, alerts on failure, the ability to update amounts centrally, and reconciliation against the member record. Direct Debit is strongly recommended for any business taking recurring membership payments.

PDQ

PDQ is a till-only payment type that records that you have taken payment through a card terminal outside ClubRight. ClubRight treats the transaction as paid once you mark it. PDQ is suitable for one-off till purchases only.

For most clubs, the ClubRight Pay Card terminal is the recommended option for taking in-person card payments, as it integrates directly with ClubRight without the need to mark payments manually. If you use another card terminal, PDQ is the payment type you would record those transactions under.

Which method should I use?

For most clubs:

  • Recurring memberships: ClubRight Pay Direct Debit, with ClubRight Pay Card as a backup option for members who prefer card

  • In-club card payments: the ClubRight Pay Card integrated terminal, with cash as a backup

  • Online product or credit purchases: ClubRight Pay Card

Standing Order is best avoided long-term, as it has inherent limitations as a payment mechanism. See above for the full picture.

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