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Recurring Payments

Updated

This section contains the following topics:

Why can't I enable Recurring Payments on my collection?

If you are unable to toggle on the Recurring Payments feature, it is likely one of the following reasons:
Your bank account application has not been approved: Wait until you receive an email notification that your application has been approved to use this feature.
The collection amount is too small: Recurring Payments is only available for collections above $50
You are in the Essentials plan: Recurring Payments are only available for Pro and Multi plan users. Upgrade your account to access!

What can I enable Recurring Payments for?

Recurring Payments are designed for processing subscription payments and monthly charitable contributions and may not be used to collect payments on any debt, loan, or retail installment contract.

If I enable Recurring Payments, how can I plan for payments?

The payer can choose to spread out the payment over monthly payments, it is not required. Many of your payers may choose to pay in full as they did before. For those who choose to pay in recurring payments, their payment method will be charged at checkout, and subsequently on the 1st of every month until the total amount of the collection is paid. The money will appear in your Crowded account in 1-3 days after the payment is processed.

For example, if someone chooses to pay a collection for $100 in 4 $25 payments, they will pay the first $25 on that day, and then $25 on the first day of the next 3 months.

What do payers see when Recurring Payments is enabled?

On the Collection page, there will be two options for payment: pay in full or pay monthly. If monthly payment is selected, the payer chooses the duration and monthly amount to be paid towards the collection and continues to checkout. They will be sent a receipt for every payment made and can cancel their payments by contacting Crowded Support at least three days before their next payment is due.

What is the minimum payment amount payers can make?

The minimum amount of payment on a Recurring Payment is ~$25 a month.

Not to be confused with the lowest amount a person can pay on a collection. The lowest payment depends on the total collection amount, divided by the maximum amount of payments, which is 12. If an organization is collecting dues for $1,000, the lowest payment for a payer would be $83.33 per month for 12 months.

What is the maximum amount of payments payers can make?

The maximum amount of payments for Recurring Payments is 12 payments over 12 months, only if the lowest payment amount would be greater than $25.

For example, if an organization is collecting dues for $1,000, a payer can choose to pay $83.33 per month for 12 months.

BUT

If an organization is collecting dues for $100, a payer can break the payment amount down into a maximum of 4 monthly payments of $25.

How can I track Recurring Payments?

Check the collection progress from the Collections dashboard or Contact profile. Payers choosing to pay in recurring payments, will show the amount of payments they have made out of the total they will make (e.g. 1/6) and their status will say “Ongoing.”
Click on “Ongoing” to get more details into the payments.


A contact’s payment failed. How do I get the rest of the money owed?
When a contact’s Recurring Payment fails, both the admin and contact are notified. As the admin, you are recommended to reach out to that contact with a unique collection where they can pay the remaining balance with a valid payment method.

What happens if I deactivate a Collection with Recurring Payments enabled?

No new one-time payments will be processed from the Collect link, but existing Recurring Payments will continue until completed or canceled. To cancel Recurring Payments, contact Crowded Support at least 3 business days before the end of the month.

Can I turn off Recurring Payments on a Collection?

Yes, future payers will not be able to make monthly recurring payments for the Collection but existing Recurring Payments will continue. To cancel Recurring Payments, contact Crowded Support at least 3 business days before the end of the month.

 

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