Feature Focus: AutoPay and Direct Debit, done properly

AutoPay now asks the right people at the right moment, and Direct Debit takes money only when it should.

Over August and September we reworked how AutoPay and Direct Debit behave, for treasurers and for the parents and members who pay. Fewer repeat prompts, no surprise charges, and a clearer view of who is set up and what is coming in.

💳 What it is

AutoPay collects what a member owes using a payment method they have saved: a card or a Direct Debit, one or the other. When a member buys a membership on TeamoPay, they also choose the day it is collected.

👥 Who it’s for

Treasurers: whoever looks after AutoPay and the Payment Centre, and chases members to get set up.
Parents and members paying: anyone paying for themselves, and guardians paying for their children.

🛠️ How to get every member set up

1. See who is covered

Memberships now show an AutoPay coverage banner. If your club limits AutoPay to certain sections, the Payment Centre’s “AutoPay Not Set Up” card now counts only members in those sections, and parents outside them are no longer told their fees can’t be collected.

2. Chase for a method, not a payment

Send each member their own chase link, and it works in a broadcast too. There is an opt-in route that takes a member straight to Direct Debit setup.

3. Run a recheck

Run a bulk recheck of your members’ payment methods. It also runs automatically when an account is switched, and a payment account that has lost its authorisation is now flagged instead of failing quietly.

4. Move products to TeamoPay with their concessions

Switch to TeamoPay, in bulk or while copying products, now moves each product’s concessions with it. Direct Debit collections already under way are never moved.

Club Products shows the payment account each product uses, so you can see which are already on TeamoPay.

👪 What’s changed for parents and members

Only asked when there’s something to collect. Members with no player role, or nothing owed, aren’t prompted. The prompt appears when something is due, including a required membership not yet bought, and a dismissal is remembered.
Guardians are recognised. A guardian named as the AutoPayer for their children is now asked to acknowledge AutoPay and add a payment method.
Asked at the right moment. Where a membership has to be paid by hand first, the question comes inside checkout, just before the card is added. First-timers get a short explanation of where the money goes.
Pick the collection day once. It’s asked at the same point whichever way you came in, and choosing it confirms the purchase. Your saved method is offered, including Direct Debit when the money is taken later. The basket total shows what’s taken today, and the payment-day sheet shows the actual instalments.
No surprise charges. A plan whose first collection falls later is scheduled, not charged. Setting up a Direct Debit no longer takes a token payment. Instalments, and any charge over £100, check with you before a saved card is used.
Pending Direct Debits count. A Direct Debit still being set up counts as usable for 10 days and shows as pending, and AutoPay won’t ask you to set up payment again in the meantime. A membership still being collected by Direct Debit counts for members-only tickets.
One method, clearly stated. Card and Direct Debit are one or the other, and AutoPay states which one is in use. If you hold both, Teamo asks which to use.

📊 What’s changed for treasurers

“Scheduled” counts. A collection that’s authorised but not yet taken reads “Scheduled”, and it meets the team’s membership requirement.
Expected revenue at a glance. The Payment Centre now shows money expected over the coming months: paid money by the date it was paid, Direct Debits by the date they are due.
Statuses that say what happened. A payment shows the provider that actually took it, so a TeamoPay Direct Debit is no longer labelled GoCardless. A failed collection says why, and a charged-back invoice says the money came back.
AutoPay cards show what’s outstanding, not what was billed.
The Payment Method column ticks the paying parent for juniors paid for through TeamoPay.
Instalment plans read clearly. The “payment N of M” position now reads correctly on older plans, guardian checkout shows the right total when the first payment differs, and deleting the invoice that heads a plan warns you first and names it.