Index
Overview
Installments are a great way to ensure your users are not paying huge sums up front. This can lead to a higher number of registrations. Uplifter offers installments on programs, products, subscriptions, and tickets.
How To Enable Installments
- Navigate to the create/edit form for the program/product/subscription/ticket in question
- Select the Payment Installment Option tab
- Set your installment settings
- Create/update your item
Installments are enabled on an item-by-item basis. This gives you full control over which items offer installments and which items are paid for up front. To enable installments simply click on the "Payment Installment Option" tab found in the Fees & Payments section of the creation/edit form. Update the installment settings as desired and save/update the program/product.
Installment Settings
Pricing Structure: The method with which you would like to calculate the cost of the program. Either Flat Fee - a single cost for the whole program, or Calculated Per Event - a value for a single event in the program which will then be multiplied by the event count for the full program cost.
Fee/Per Event Fee: The value the Pricing Structure should use to obtain the program cost.
Initial Payment Amount: The value the user must pay at the time of purchase.
Number of Installments: The number of installments the remaining value should be split into (item cost - initial payment amount = remaining value)
Installments Start: The date on which the installments should start.
Payment Interval: How often the installments are generated after the installment start date. This field is required, even if you only have 1 installment. In the case of only 1 installment the value you set in this field does not matter, but it is still required that you set something.
Using Installments
Installments can be toggled on or off on an invoice basis. This enables or disables the installment structure for all items on the invoice. Note that this does not affect items that do not have installments setup.
Using Installments From The Public Side
For users to take advantage of any installments you offer they need only update the Payment Option drop down found in the Summary section of their shopping cart.
Using Installments From The Admin Side
- Check off "Calculate Installments From"
- Adjust the date as necessary
To enable the installments from the admin side you will want to Edit the invoice in question and scroll down to the Payments section. Here, in the header of the section, you will see the "Calculate Installments From" checkbox. Check this off to automatically structure installments based off of the settings each item on the invoice.
Not Working?
If you've posted your invoice previously, and are now returning to add installments, the pending payment is "static". If this is true, the pending payment line will be white. This means the system thinks you want to keep that payment pending at the current value. Click to Delete the pending payment and it will return to a "non-static" pending payment, coloured yellow, which will be affected by the "Calculate Installments From" option.
Purchasing Mid-Schedule
Using Installments By Default
- Navigate to Settings > Uplifter Settings > Site Options
- Set your desired threshold for default installments
- Click Save All
To set the system to use installments by default please navigate to Settings > Uplifter Settings > Site Options. Here, under Invoice Settings you will find the checkout option "Invoice Total Threshold to Default Pay By Installments". By setting your desired value here and clicking Save All you will ensure the system uses installments by default when users are checking out. Setting this to 0 means it will always use installments. Setting this to be blank means it never defaults to installments.
Please note that this does not affect items you sell that do not have their own installment structures. Additionally, this does not set installments by default from the admin side, only from the public side.
Installment Notifications
- Navigate to Settings > Global Settings > Notifications & Messages
- Set your desired Payment Installment Notifications
- Click Save All
- Navigate to Settings > Uplifter Settings > Merchant Details
- Set your desired Advance Notification Days for each payment method
- Click Save All
Uplifter can facilitate reminder notifications for upcoming installments as well as notifications regarding processed or declined installment payments. For this, please navigate to Settings > Global Settings > Notifications & Messages. Here, under the Payment Installment Notifications section, update your Approved, Declined, and Upcoming Payment Installment messages.
Note that customized details like the status, payment details, and invoice number will be added by Uplifter at the time of sending, so that type of information is not required to be entered by site admins here. Once you have updated your notifications please be sure to click Save All.
If you have set an Upcoming Payment Installment message you will need to tell the system how far in advance this message should be sent. This can be done via Settings > Uplifter Settings > Merchant Details where you can select each payment method you offer. In the payment method listing you will want to update the Advance Notification Days with the number of days in advance you would like the message to be sent out. Be sure to click Save All here too.
Troubleshooting Installments
If you are having troubles with your installments here are a few things you can double check to make sure all is well:
- Do any of the items on the invoice have installments enabled?
- When do the installments start and end? Is the Installments Start some time in the past so that all the installments have gone by?
- Is your Installment Threshold set really high? You should still have the option to select installments, but they won't show by default.
-
Admin Side Only: Is your pending payment static? If the pending payment isn't yellow then you may need to click Delete
on the pending payment line to prompt the installments.
Manually Creating Installments
- Click to Edit
the pending payment line
- Update the value and expected date of the payment
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have structured your desired installments
- Post the invoice
Regardless of whether your products and/or programs have installment settings, or what those settings are, you can always create your own installments from the admin side. For this, you will want to navigate to Accounting > Invoices and either create your new invoice or Edit an existing one. Scroll down to the Payments section to find the pending payment(s).
To split a pending payment into several you will want to select to Edit the payment. In the expanded line you can edit the expected payment date and the value. As you update this the system will automatically generate a new pending payment line for the remaining value. Click Accept on your current pending payment to save it. Then click to Edit
the new, yellow pending payment that the system created. Again, edit the expected on date and amount. Continue this process until you have the desired installment structure.
Taxes And Installments
To view or update your tax settings, navigate to Settings > Uplifter Settings > Global Payment Details > Taxes.
There are three possible tax settings you can use to determine how taxes are charged in Uplifter.
Charge At Checkout: Select this option to have the taxes applied to the Due Now amount during checkout.
Charge On First Payment: Select this option to have the taxes applied to the first payment. This is the earlier of either At Checkout (if there is a Due Now balance) or on the 1st installment.
Distribute Evenly On Payments: Select this option to have the taxes apply evenly across all owing payments. If there is a Due Now balance at checkout, the taxes spread will include this payment.
Alternatives
Auto-Renewal
This option takes advantage of the auto-renewing fees feature. By setting your fee up to automatically renew the system generates new invoices for the set cost. It also calculates and issues the taxes on a per invoice basis as well. This can help ensure that you are charging the desired price at regular intervals and have a clean split between revenue and tax in your reports.