Membership Charges

Modified on Mon, 5 Oct at 7:57 AM

Membership charges refer to the regular or one-time fees that clients pay to access special services, products, or benefits. These charges can include non-recurring fees, such as registration fees, cancellation fees, and freezing fees, but they are generally billed on a regular basis—monthly, weekly, bi-weekly, or annually. In this article, we will explore the different types of membership charges. In this article, we will discuss the different types of membership charges.

Things to know:

The ability to create memberships is governed by the "Memberships" access control setting.
Clients with multiple memberships sharing the same billing day will have their monthly, weekly, or biweekly charges consolidated into a single transaction instead of being billed separately.
Billing Edge Case for Fixed-Term Auto-Renewing Memberships:
- Applicable Membership Setup: This behavior occurs when a membership meets all of the following criteria:
  - Billing Interval: Monthly
  - Contract Structure: Fixed-term (e.g., 1-month term) with Auto-Renew enabled
- Matching Dates: The recurring billing day falls on the exact same date the term ends (e.g., billed on the 1st, term ends on the 1st).
- Core System Logic & Timing Gap
  - Final Day Charge Avoidance: The system intentionally does not process standard recurring charges on the final day of a contract term. A scheduled payment on this exact date is automatically declined by system logic (rather than skipped).
  - Auto-Renewal Generation: The new contract term is generated on the day after the previous term ends (e.g., the 2nd of the month).
  - First Payment Scheduling: Because the new renewal contract generates after the 1st of the month has passed, the first recurring payment for the new term is scheduled for the following month's billing date (e.g., October 1st).
  - Member Benefit Continuity: This timing gap results in the intermediate month (e.g., September) not being billed by either contract term. However, the client's membership remains active without interruption, and all benefits remain accessible.
  - Example Timeline Walkthrough Membership Configuration:
    - Plan: 1-Month Fixed-Term Membership (Auto-Renew Enabled)
    - Billing Cycle: Monthly on the 1st
    - Active Term: August 1 – September 1
    - Date System Action Financial & Access Result:
      - September 1 (Final Day of Term): A recurring payment of $50 is scheduled. Because Sept 1 is the last day of the contract term, system logic automatically declines the charge. $0 collected for September 1. (Do not manually force a charge, as this is expected behavior.)
      - September 2 (Day After Term Ends): The system processes the auto-renewal and creates the new 1-month contract term (September 2 – October 1). The next billing date is set to October 1.
      - Sept 2 – Sept 30 (Active Benefit Window): The renewal contract is active. The client retains full access to all membership benefits throughout September despite $0 being collected.
      - October 1 (First Billed Date of New Term): The nightly billing process runs for the new contract term. The client is successfully charged $50 for their October billing cycle.
Membership charges are recorded in the Membership Payments report. Learn more here
For more information on how to handle failed membership charges, learn more here
For more information on refunding membership charges, learn more here
Upgrading or downgrading a membership to a more or less expensive membership will adjust the recurring charge amount based on the new membership price. This applies to monthly, weekly, or biweekly billing cycles. Learn more about upgrading and downgrading memberships here
Discounts or promotional offers apply only to the initial purchase amount and do not affect the registration fee or recurring charges.

Contents:

Types of Membership Charges
How Applying Discounts or Changing The Membership Price Affects Recurring Charges

Types of Membership Charges

Membership Charges	Description
Upfront Charge	This charge is only charged at the membership's initial purchase.
Monthly Recurring Charges	These charges are automated and processed monthly
Weekly Recurring Charge	These charges are automated and processed weekly
Bi-Weekly Recurring Charge	These charges are automated and processed bi-weekly
Registration Fee	This fee is configured on the membership template and is a one-time fee charged when the membership is first purchased.
Cancellation Fee	This fee is charged when the membership is canceled. It is configured within the membership template but can be edited on a client-by-client basis in the client's profile. Learn more here
Freeze/Pause Fee	This fee is charged during the membership's freeze/pause period. It is configured within the membership template but can be edited on a client-by-client basis in the client's profile. Learn more here

How Applying Discounts or Changing The Membership Price Affects Recurring Charges

Applying discounts or changing the membership price can have the following effects on recurring charges:

Discounts: Discounts applied to the initial membership purchase typically affect only the first charge. Recurring charges will remain at the original membership price unless the membership price is specifically adjusted on the client's profile.
Changing the Membership Price: If the membership price is changed, the new price will apply to future recurring charges.